Secret Service: Gemma Arterton's new ITV thriller about 'dangerous world of espionage' premieres soon
Spy thrillers are so on-trend right now!
Secret Service is a thrilling new spy story led by Gemma Arterton and Rafe Spall, and it’s about to premiere on ITV.
The new ITV drama is adapted from the book of the same name by author and news anchor Tom Bradby. His espionage-filled world “plunges viewers into a clandestine arena of high-stake secrets”.
At the heart of the drama are Kate and Stuart – a seemingly ordinary couple who are actually anything but. Unbeknownst to most, Civil Servant Kate actually mans the Russia Desk at MI6, spending her days dealing with shady characters and dodging close calls.
So, what else do we know? Read on for our official Secret Service case file, including plot details, cast information and when it starts on ITV.
What is the plot of Secret Service on ITV?
Secret Service follows Gemma Arterton’s character Kate Henderson. To the untrained eye, she’s just a regular person. Wife to Stuart (Rafe Spall) and mum to a pair of teenagers. However, in reality, she’s a senior officer at MI6. Her role? To oversee the desk on top secret Russian intelligence.
When Kate’s super-secret day job uncovers clues suggesting a high-ranking UK politician may be a Russian asset, she’s forced to get to the bottom of the situation.
When a new threat emerges, the lines separating her professional and personal life begin to blur. At the same time, the safety of the public is very much in jeopardy.
According to the show’s synopsis, it’s a journey that’ll require her to “navigate the shifting sands of political loyalty, international threat, and personal sacrifice”.
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It’ll also bring her professional and personal life into uncomfortable proximity. As the show’s log-line continues to unpack: “As a brutal murder thrusts her team into the spotlight, Kate must navigate the dangerous world of espionage while trying to hold her family together and protect her reputation.”
Described as “suspenseful, timely and cinematic”, it sounds very much like appointment viewing. Count us in.
Who’s in the cast of ITV’s new thriller Secret Service?
Gemma Arterton takes the lead as Kate Henderson, the MI6 operative plunged into action. Fans will know her best from films like 2021’s The King’s Man and her 2017 break-out role in St Trinian’s. Between 2022 and 2024, she starred in two series of Nick Hornby’s Funny Woman on Sky Max.
Meanwhile, Rafe Spall plays Kate’s husband Stuart. Son of Death Valley‘s Timothy, Rafe is a familiar face to film and TV fans. He’s appeared in a range of films and TV shows, from Black Mirror and The English, to dino-sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. He recently impressed us in crime drama Under Salt Marsh.
Joining Kate’s mission is Endeavour’s Roger Allam as a character named C. The Walking Dead’s Avi Nash will also star as someone known as Rev.
Doctor Who actor Alex Kingston also appears, alongside Bodies actor Amaka Okafor, The Day of the Jackal’s Khalid Abdalla, and Vigils‘ Mark Stanley – who seems to be in everything at the moment!
Rounding out the cast are Normal People’s Aoife Hinds, Amandaland’s Rochenda Sandall, and Alma Prelec.
Gemma Arterton has previously shared her excitement at joining such an action-orientated show. She said: “I am delighted to be stepping into the world of such a topical and gripping espionage thriller with this talented creative team. I can’t wait to bring this story to life alongside the outstanding cast.”
When’s the start date of Secret Service on ITV?
Secret Service premieres on ITV1 on Monday, April 27, at 9pm.
Cast and crew filmed in various spots in Malta and London. Judging by the latest batch of on-location imagery, the show has spared no expense in capturing a sweeping spy epic.
“We’ve assembled a brilliant ensemble of actors to bring to life these gripping, compelling scripts which have uncanny echoes in real-world politics,” said director James Marsh. “It’s an exciting and irresistible prospect for a film maker.”
How many episodes will there be?
Secret Service is a five-part ITV mini-series, and each episode is around an hour long.
New episodes will air on Mondays and Tuesdays (culminating in the finale on Monday, May 11), but you’ll be able to stream the whole series on ITVX and STV Player.
The show’s first three episodes are directed by James Marsh. He’s the Academy Award-winning filmmaker who brought us dramas like 2014’s The Theory of Everything with Eddie Redmayne, and British heist King of Thieves.
Marsh also directed the nail-biting documentary Man on Wire about Philippe Petit’s daring and dangerous tightrope walk across the World Trade Centre buildings in 1974.
This isn’t the first time he’s adapted Tom Bradby’s work. The pair previously crossed paths when Marsh brought the author’s political thriller Shadow Dancer to the big screen in 2012.
“It is unbelievably exciting to be on the cusp of filming this drama and very thrilling to be working with James Marsh again, after the brilliant experience we had with Shadow Dancer,” said Bradby.
“And as for the cast? Gemma Arterton, Rafe Spall, Roger Allam and many more fantastic actors… I’m really blown away by the quality of the cast. And the show could hardly be more timely and topical.”
Meanwhile, Gangs of London’s Farren Blackburn has directed episodes four and five.
Is it based on a book?
Yes, Secret Service is based on Tom Bradby’s book of the same name. ITV anchor turned bestselling author Tom Bradby has co-written Secret Service with screenwriter Jemma Kennedy. For all those in the dark about the Secret Service story, the official novel synopsis helps shed some light on what to expect.
It says: “The world is on the brink of crisis. The Cold War is playing out once more on the global stage. The worlds’ governments will do whatever it takes to stay at the top…
“To those who don’t really know her, Kate Henderson’s life must seem perfectly ordinary. But she is in fact a senior MI6 officer, who right now is nursing the political equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
“Kate’s most recent mission has yielded the startling intelligence that the British Prime Minister has cancer – and that one of the leading candidates to replace him may be a Russian agent of influence.”
It continues: “Up against the clock to uncover the Russian mole, Kate risks everything to get to the truth. But with her reputation to uphold, her family hanging by a thread and a leadership election looming, she is quickly running out of options, and out of time.”
Top TV spy thrillers you can watch right now
If you like a spy thriller like Secret Service, then here are some other series you need to catch up with.
The Agency in 2024 was a glossy thriller starring Michael Fassender, and produced by George Clooney. It follows CIA officer 'Martian', who is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When a past love unexpectedly reappears, it hurls him into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage. It's available to watch on Paramount+ and there’s a series 2 in production.
The Night Manager series 1 and 2 are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. You'll meet Tom Hiddleston's Jonathan Pine, who works as a spy to bring down arms dealer Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie). Series 2 was arguably better than the first.
The Day of the Jackal is arguably the best of the lot. Released in 2024, it followed Eddie Redmayne's 'The Jackal', a cold, methodical, and chameleon-like assassin who uses prosthetics and disguises to work as a hitman – for big money. It’s available to watch on Prime Video.
The Little Drummer Girl, currently available to watch on iPlayer, is a spy thriller about 'seduction' and 'betrayal' and is a must watch for The Night Manager fans. It's based on a bestselling John le Carré novel of the same name, and stars movie heavyweights Florence Pugh, Alexander Skarsgård, and Michael Shannon.
Read more: The 15 best ITVX dramas to watch now
