ITV’s “thrilling” new spy drama Secret Service with Endeavour and Happy Valley stars gets new look

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ITV's "thrilling" new spy drama Secret Service with Endeavour and Happy Valley stars gets new look

Excitement is building for ITV’s brand-new upcoming spy thriller Secret Service, and we’ve got an exclusive behind the scenes look at the drama’s cast when they were filming the show – including lead star Gemma Arterton (James Bond’s Quantum of Solace), Mark Stanley (Happy Valley, Adolescence), and Avi Nash (The Walking Dead).

Secret Service has previously been described by the broadcaster as a “thrilling new espionage drama”, and has been adapted from the “tense” novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby.

Arterton plays the central character of senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson. The synopsis reveals: “On the surface, her life appears ordinary — a civil servant married to Stuart (Rafe Spall) with two teenage children. However, to those who don’t know her well, Kate’s true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service.”

ITV

The description goes on to reveal that the arrival of some alarming evidence sets her on a “desperate race” to get to the truth, with Kate attempting to navigate the “dangerous world of espionage while trying to hold her family together and protect her reputation…”

Oscar-winner James Marsh is part of the creative team as director, and described the cast – which, along with those mentioned above, also features Rafe Spall (Under Salt Marsh), Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Roger Allam (Endeavour), Amaka Okafor (The Responder) and Khalid Abdalla (The Day of the Jackal) – as “a brilliant ensemble of actors to bring to life these gripping, compelling scripts…”

Farren Blackburn (Gangs of London) will also direct some of the series’ later episodes, and Secret Service has been co-written by Tom Bradby and Jemma Kennedy.

Check out some more behind the scenes pictures from the set of Secret Service below:

ITV

Secret Service dropped a first-look teaser back in March, which showcased a lot of its cast in action.

When asked what she hopes audiences will take away from watching Secret Service, lead star Gemma Arterton told press: “I hope audiences will be slightly disturbed and think, ‘Oh, my God, is this going on?’

“With these contemporary dramas, we want it to feel like it’s relevant. We also want it to start a conversation among viewers and open their eyes. We hope that their brains get exercised, too. There’s something satisfying in watching a show that you’re having to unravel yourself. It’s not spoon-fed to the audience. You have to concentrate and think about it.”

Meanwhile, when answering a question about how he hopes viewers will react to Secret Service, James Marsh said: “I hope we’ve made something that’s good enough to keep watching across five episodes. The story is pretty arresting.

“And once you get into the story, there are very many surprises. It has twists in it that are quite unexpected. You want to give people something that they’re going to stick with and find compelling to watch. But the story contains lots of ideas, too…”

Well if this sounds like the perfect watch for you, you won’t have long to wait…

Secret Service premieres on Monday 27 April at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK’s biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world’s oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).