Spooks Series 7

The world of Spooks gets no easier for its occupants as the show arrives at its seventh season, as the team of counter-terrorist spies face a continued selection of substantive challenges. All of them, of course, they have to tackle without compromising their anonymity, and once more, it proves to be a tense, edge-of-your-seat drama. The big new addition for Spooks series 7 is Richard Armitage--fresh from Robin Hood--who plays Lucas North, a spy who returns to the team following years locked away in Russia. North, inevitably, attracts suspicion from those around him, with many wondering if he’s all he appears to be, and the script plays on this tremendously well. It adds an extra level of menace to a show that’s already adept at keeping you on your toes. It’s gripping stuff. Packaged together with barely a breath wasted, Spooks maintains an impressive momentum throughout its seventh series, and hasn’t lost its knack of pulling a big surprise, or yanking the rug from right underneath your seat. Its issues are very much contemporary too, from the ongoing terrorist threat to the possibility of the British financial system collapsing. And with an ending that leaves you salivating for the next series, Spooks proves itself once more to be one of Britain’s finest television thrillers. More please! --Jon Foster