For our report on the events which led up to the commissioning of Series 10 and sightings of Series 10 being filmed on location, read our Post HERE.
For our report on the announcement that Series 10 will be the last series and the announcement of a transmission date for episode 1, read our Post HERE.
We have just received confirmation from an absolutely reliable source that the Region 2 DVD box set for Series 10 of Spooks will be released on 28 November 2011. Extras will include “Top 10 Spooks moments” as selected by cast and crew and a featurette called “Harry’s Game”. We may even be able to run a competition like we did when the Region 2 DVD box set for Series 9 was released. We will post more details as soon as we have more information. Put this on the top of your Christmas wish list! 😀
Update : 20 October 2011
Kudos held an End-of-Series party in London today and invited all cast and crew from previous series to attend. We know via Twitter that Peter Firth was still held up filming World Without End in Budapest and was unable to attend. At this party, the last ever episode of Spooks (episode 6 of Series 10) was screened for all attendees. Rupert Penry-Jones (who played “Adam” from Series 3 to Series 7) was there and posted this pic on Twitter to tease fans.
DVD Preview Clip
Update : 20 October 2011
This clip has been released by Helen James Productions on YouTube. Its taken from an interview which Nicola and Peter Firth gave to HJP as an extra for the DVD. The clip can be considered spoilery for any one who has not yet seen any episode from Series 10, so please proceed with caution.
@kraysler was there, on the streets of London, the day Nicola turned up to film the DVD extras with HJP. She didn’t see the actual filming of the extras, but she saw a bit of the filming of episode 5 from Series 10. You can read her report HERE.
Update : 28 October 2011
For reasons unknown, Helen James Productions have now removed the YouTube clip of the Series 10 DVD teaser clip (see link above). We’ll keep the link for now, in case they change their minds and make it available again.
Click the link below and pre-order the Region 2 box set NOW!
Update : 23 October 2011
The Telegraph takes a look at “Spooks – the Spies who are the Good Guys” HERE.
For more background information about the filming of Series 10, please read our companion Post.
After months of rumours and speculations on the internet (Twitter and various Spooks forums), Kudos, the production company behind Spooks, have finally made a formal announcement that Series 10 will be the last ever series for Spooks. You can read more about it in this Guardian article.
HERE is the official BBC Press Release about the end of Spooks.
HERE is Ian Wylie on the end of Spooks, with a short audio clip from Nicola on how she feels about this.
HERE is Cultbox’s report on this subject, complete with comments from Sam Vincent, writer of various episodes in Series 10. This piece also includes that BBC Drama trailer, in full, with no geographic restrictions.
HERE is another Guardian article commenting on the passing of Spooks.
Please take a moment now to observe a 30 second silence for the passing of a great TV show.
What’s going to happen to Harry and Ruth?
It is interesting to see this comment from Jane Featherstone, chief executive of Kudos and Spooks,
It was during the writing of the episodes [for Series 10] about Harry’s past and his relationship with colleague Ruth that [I] realized [I] wanted Spooks to end. … We’ve followed the arc of their personal story and I think they’ve brought us to a natural end, which you will all see played out later this year.
There is only one of three ways things can end for Harry and Ruth :
they finally get together (but Spooks is not known for doing happy endings)
they break up and go their separate ways, either voluntarily or because one of the characters get killed off (Spooks have done that too many times in the past, its getting old for its shock value) or
they leave the two characters “as is”, that is, neither moving forwards nor backwards (that would be most unsatisfying for fans).
The cast have already done interviews with various media sources in connection with Series 10. In particular, the Telly Rocket (@TheTellyRocket, the Sunday Express TV Editor’s Twitter account) have logged this tweet
Just did lovely chat with #spooks Nicola Walker. She told of audacious climax to series. Sounds brilliant. Chat to run autumn.
Spooks and Nicola fans, you can draw your own conclusions with that comment!
Old face(s) returning in Series 10?
In that Guardian article, Jane Featherstone did not rule out an old face or two “returning during flashback scenes to explain Harry’s past”. Indeed, Rupert Penry-Jones (@rpenryj) has also tweeted something to the same effect, though he said that he himself will not be returning. This Sun article went further and posted photos of two former Spooks to go with their article.
Who do you think will return? Who would you like to see come back, however briefly, to explain Harry’s past?
Transmission Date for Series 10
Although there has been no formal announcement from the BBC, through various sources, we have been told that Spooks Series 10 is likely to be transmitted in the UK during the second half of September 2011. This is further bolstered by the fact that an anonymous source has logged a post on one of the Spooks forums to the effect that the Series 10 Region 2 box set will be released in November 2011, as a two disc package.
We already know that there will only be 6 episodes for Series 10. We also know from tweets logged by Helen James Productions (@HelenJamesProd) that they are once again putting together extras for the Series 10 box set. We don’t know how will they be able to fit all 6 episodes and the Extras on two discs?!
On the brighter side
Now that Nicola is done with filming Spooks, it will free her up to accept other, possibly more interesting, projects. We would love to see her take on a comedy series next, as we all know, from Chalk [TV] and the Big Town All Stars [Audio] what a great comedic actress she can be. If we get to meet with her after a performance of Di and Viv and Rose [Stage] during its run, we will certainly grill her for more information on this subject.
In the meantime, got a comment (which you can leave below) about the passing of Spooks and/or what will happen to Harry and Ruth?
Update : 11 August 2011
By now, over 55 news outlets are carrying the press release about the end of Spooks. However, many of their reports are inaccurate. The BBC did not axe or cancel the show. Kudos made that decision alone, even though the BBC asked it to reconsider. There is a difference.
Then there is this pic from the Sun report. This photo is not available in the online version of the Sun article and comes to you courtesy of @crazycazzz.
Here is another version of that pic
What do you think? Hope for all the Harry and Ruth fans out there, or disinformation intended to soften the blow when the episodes actually air and we do not get the ending that we want?
Update : 12 August 2011
Jane Featherstone of Kudos was interviewed on BBC Breakfast this morning. For those of us who missed this programme, and for the non-UK based fans who may not have access to this show, the great Ian Wylie has prepared a transcript, complete with audio clip, and you can access it HERE.
As for the return of some likely old faces, the Sun was a little coy and simply included pics of Matthew MacFadyen (Tom) and Keeley Hawes (Zoe) in their article with a brief indication that some old faces might return. The Daily Mail is more open and came right out with “Hawes and MacFadyen are believed to have been invited back to reprise their roles in the final six episodes of the MI5 drama”. Meanwhile, the Telegraph seems to be labouring under some misapprehension that Lucas North (Richard Armitage) is still alive out there, somewhere.
Digital Spy has summed up fans’ reaction perfectly about the end of Spooks!
Update : 23 August 2011
@ianwylie posted the following tweets today :
Spooks 10 ep 1 is an assured return as Sir Harry’s final secrets begin to unfold. Thrilling opener ahead of The End.
For those asking, Spooks returns to BBC1 next month but exact date still under wraps and never certain until schedules are finalised.
Spoke to Peter Firth in April about the Spooks 10 revelations. Good to see Harry given some cracking script lines in ep 1.
Update : 24 August 2011
Cultbox has posted 10 lines of dialogue from the first episode of Series 10 of Spooks. They do not contain spoilers, and you may have a fun time guessing which Spooks characters delivered the lines in question. Don’t click on the link if you do not wish to know about these lines.
Update : 1 September 2011
taken from the Prime Focus World website
The BBC Programme Information page for week 38 announces that Series 10 will premiere sometime during the week from 17 – 23 September 2011, with the exact date and time to be announced. HERE is more information about the first episode – the description is a little spoilery so don’t click on that link if you do not wish to know what happens in episode 1.
Cultbox has previously tweeted that all official publicity photos for Series 10 are embargoed until 13 September 2011. Go to the Cultbox website NOW to vote for Nicola as UK cult TV’s sexiest female!
Update : 5 September 2011
Culbox has an exclusive interview with Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, the main scriptwriters for Series 10 of Spooks. Part 1 can be found HERE. The interview is relatively spoiler-free. Part 2 will be online on Friday, 9 September 2011.
We still don’t have an official airdate for episode 1 though the Cultbox website has a clip of the brief preview promo which ran on BBC TV as from Sunday.
Update : 7 September 2011
Finally, we have an official air date for episode 1 of Series 10, the last ever Spooks series. In their inimitable wisdom, the BBC is scheduling Spooks on Sunday nights, at 9 pm (starting from 18 September 2011), which puts it squarely against Series 2 of Downton Abbey airing on iTV at the same time. HERE is the Guardian article on this subject. The Press Association has something similar to say.
What do you think? Inspired scheduling, or the BBC not giving a damn that the last ever Spooks series might get killed in the ratings war between the two programmes?
Update : 9 September 2011
The second part of Cultbox’s exclusive interview with Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley can be found HERE.
HERE is the Radio Times’s thoughts on the scheduling of Spooks against Downton Abbey.
The Huffington Post UK is conducting a poll to see which show UK viewers will be watching come Sunday night, 18 September 2011. You can vote HERE.
Update : 10 September 2011
Thanks to ramblingscribe/HarryFan, here are :
the first teaser trailer for Spooks Series 10
and the first full trailer for Spooks S10
Getting proper excited about Series 10? I know that we are!
We shall now close this Post and start the proper Spooks Series 10 page, which you can access HERE.
If you wish to leave a comment but cannot see the comment box (maybe because you are viewing this Post as part of our archives), just click on the comment balloon to the far right of title of the Post and you will be taken back to the comment box.
Scroll down the page for more updates on this matter.
We have stopped updating this Post now that it is clear that Series 10 will be transmitted in the UK in the week commencing 19 September 2011 and that this will be the last ever series of Spooks to be produced. Please read our companion Post for further updates on Spooks Series 10.
There will be a series 10 for Spooks.
We first became aware that this was a distinct possibility when Ian Wylie mentioned this in one of his tweets or blog posts on Spooks. The BBC held a press event in October at which they showcased to members of the press their new shows for the autumn and winter season. Ben Stephenson, head of BBC Drama, indicated at that function that Series 10 of Spooks will be commissioned.
The strongest confirmation that there will be a Series 10 of Spooks came at the end of episode 908 (which aired on BBC One on 8.11.2010) when this appeared on screen at the very end :
We believe that Series 10 is now in pre-production, and principal photography will take place between March and July 2011, followed by post production work, and the actual series will air sometime between September and November 2011.
Update : 9 December 2010
Nicola is expected to start work on Spooks Series 10 on 14 March 2011, i.e. the day after she finishes at the National Theatre in Season’s Greetings.
A French fan asked Nicola recently whether she would like her character, Ruth Evershed, to be Section Chief in Series 10. Nicola said, “oh yes, of course Ruth should be section chief, she doesn’t want Harry’s love … she wants to be out in the field …” She was only half joking (we think)!
Update : 7 February 2011
From Twitter, we hear that after recent a cast and crew screening of South Riding, an upcoming TV mini series in which Peter Firth has a small but important role, Peter told Ian Wylie that no firm decision has been made as to whether or not Series 10 will be the last series for Spooks, but he also added that one can never be sure with a show like Spooks. A few minutes later, Ian tweeted that “Spooks series 10 starts filming in March. My instinct (with NO inside info) is that it will be the last. But could be wrong.”
Update : 10 March 2011
From Twitter, we learn from exchanges of tweets between Sam Vincent (@smavincent), one of the Spooks scriptwriters, and other fans :
First read through of a Series 10 script took place today and it went OK
Nicola was in great form, very nice and funny as ever.
(In plain English, for those not familiar with production lingo – cast and crew will sit down to do a read through of a script before filming commences, they will work out which bits will work and which bits will not, the script writer then produces one or more (usually more) redrafts before shooting takes place. Frequently on Spooks, scripts will continue to be amended during the filming process.)
Update : 13 March 2011
From Twitter, we learn from an actor (@RussellBalogh) that he started filming a small part on Spooks Series 10 on Sunday, 13 March 2011.
Update : 1 April 2011
Ian Wylie has blogged about some casting changes for Series 10 which you can read HERE. Don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled for what lies ahead in Series 10.
There has been more sightings of location filming reported via Twitter at the following places :
Canton Arms and Albert Square
City Hall
a street in Bermondsey
a street somewhere made to look like 80s Germany, said the tweeter
Drury Lane / Covent Garden
New Wimbledon Theatre
Albert Embankment
outside an office block somewhere, Peter Firth was spotted
And this is all in addition to the indoor scenes being filmed at the Grid set at Bermondsey!
Update : 26 April 2011
From the Spooks Fan Blog comes a report of more location filming, this time over a few days at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in Peckham. Apparently all the signs near the entrance to the hotel were changed to German signs, thus suggesting that the hotel was masquerading as a hotel in Germany. Spooks fans have been speculating that this might have something to do with a look into Harry’s past dealings in Germany.
From the Spooks Information Central Forum, we know that the crew has also been filming recently around Peckham/East Dulwich for 5 days.
Update : 2 May 2011
Some casting spoilers from @ruther2 via Twitter :
You will see the names of some actors who have been cast in various roles in SpooksSeries 10 on THIS PAGE. Most of these are for minor roles except for one person who is described as playing the younger version of THIS CHARACTER. (Click on the “Television” tab.) Don’t click on these links if you do not want to be spoiled.
In addition, the IMDb Spooks page has been updated to show the names of directors for each of the 6 episodes that will make up Series 10. The Director for episodes 5 and 6 for Series 10 is interesting. He directed the very first two episodes of Series 1 and Series 2 and has been credited with creating the distinctive look and feel of Spooks.
Update : 5 May 2011
Over the past few months, there have been frequent sightings of Spooks filming in and around London which are reported on Twitter. Often, these tweets would be accompanied by photos of the crewing setting up a shot etc. We have not posted any of these photos, until now. Today, courtesy of @abby1412 on Twitter comes the first sighting of a Harry and Ruth bench scene being filmed. The location is somewhere along the Mall in London. Abby was told by the crew that this scene is for episode 3 of Series 10, which they think will screen sometime in either September or October 2011. See these pics for yourself. THANKS @abby1412 for letting us put these photos on this fansite.
Spooks crew setting up a shot at the Mall
Looks like Harry and Ruth on a bench along the Mall.
Update : 19 May 2011
Per @Quaiacom via Twitter, another Harry and Ruth sighting. This picture was taken by @Quaiacom this morning. They were filming by the side of the Thames. @Quaiacom said that it looked like Harry, Ruth and some other guy having an intense conversation, and then the other guy walked off, but Ruth and Harry stayed. According to Lady J on the Spooks Forum, the location is directly outside the National Theatre (on the South Bank) on the beach at low tide.
Here’s a pic of the same scene but taken from another angle. Thanks to Shiv11 for letting us use this pic.
Update : 19 May 2011(2)
Helen James Productions (@HelenJamesProd) announced via Twitter that they will be doing the Extras for the Series 10 DVD box set. Helen James Productions were also responsible for the two extra features which were included in the Series 9 DVD box set.
Update 8 June 2011
A Spooks fan flew all the way from Boston to London, specifically to see if she could find the Spooks team on location shooting. She was not disappointed. Here is an album of her photos and two short videos.
Many thanks to @kraysler for letting us put these on this fansite.
We subsequently found out that Nicola was not actually required for any scenes on that Sunday (5 June 2011) though she turned up to do interviews with Helen James Productions for the Series 10 DVD Extras! So that scene of Nicola walking away with Peter Firth is not actually a scene from Series 10.
Update 11 June 2011
Here’s more video from @kaysler
Update 12 June 2011
You can read a detailed report of @kraysler’s close encounters with the Spooks crew HERE.
Update 15 June 2011
Another great video taken by @kraysler during her recent trip to London, this time featuring the wonderful Nicola and one of the Spooks crew
Update 18 June 2011
Another video from @kraysler, this time with Nicola viewing some rushes with Chris Fry, the producer.
Update 11 August 2011
Please also read our companion Post on this subject.
At long last, Series 5 of Pie in the Sky will be released on Region 1 DVD. Amazon US has listed the release date as 2 August 2011 and is currently taking pre-orders. For a long time, all of the first four series of this beloved 90s UK sitcom has been available on Region 1 DVD. Some unknown problem has held up the release of Series 5 on Region 1 DVD, until now.
There is still no news on when Pie in the Sky will be available again on Region 2 DVD. At the moment, a small quantity of the original 5 series box set, and copies of the individual series, are available from Amazon UK, though at ridiculously high prices as they are being sold as collector’s items.
Nicola guest starred in the penultimate episode of Series 5. See our write up of this programme in the Pie in the Sky Guide page.
BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly known as BBC Radio 7) will be repeating episodes of Series 1 of the comedy series, Vent, as from Tuesday, 17 May 2011 at 10:30 pm (GMT). There is a detailed Episode Guide of Series 1 HERE. Vent was also included in our Guide to Nicola’s Audio work HERE.
This show was first broadcast in 2006. Each episode revolves around Ben and the people around him, though the problem is that Ben is in a coma and is supposedly only able to converse with some fellow hospital patients but not most members of his family. Nicola appeared as a guest in Episode 4 of Series 1 and played a psychiatrist who was called in to se if she could help Ben feel less depressed whilst he was still in a coma.
At the rate of one episode being rebroadcast per week, we should be able to hear Nicola’s episode on or about 7 June 2011. This is assuming that there is no copyright problems with episode 4 which prevents it from being re-broadcast. If you wish to be familiar with all the activities going on inside Ben’s mind before Nicola comes on in Episode 4, you should start tuning in on Tuesday, 17 May 2011.
Non-UK fans can listen to this programme via the BBC iPlayer, which does not have any geographical restrictions for radio programmes.
For the last few months, we have been running a poll on this fansite :
Should Nicola Walker be nominated for a BAFTA* for her exemplary work in Spooks Series 9?
92% of you said, Yes, absolutely!
7% of you said, No, it was good work, but not good enough for a BAFTA yet.
1% asked, What’s a BAFTA?
(A big THANK YOU to everyone who cast a vote in this Poll!)
The 2011 BAFTA Television Awards nominees were announced on 26 April 2011. Nicola was not named as one of the nominees. There could be several reasons for this :
No entry was submitted for consideration by or on behalf of Nicola for Spooks Series 9
An entry was submitted for consideration by or on behalf of Nicola but it did not make the shortlist in the relevant category announced today.
To be up for consideration for a BAFTA in the performance category, an entry must be submitted by the actor/actress in question, or someone on his/her behalf, such as a Director or the production company. Whilst it is possible for a BAFTA member to originate the nomination process, this is rarely done, except perhaps in the case of the Fellowship (i.e. Lifetime Achievement) Award. These nominations are not generated by fans. For Nicola, she would have been eligible for a nomination in either the Lead Actress or Supporting Actress categories for Spooks Series 9. Unlike the Emmy Awards in the US, the TV BAFTAs do not have a category which rewards excellence as a guest performer in either a Drama or Comedy series. So Nicola’s guest appearances in Luther and Being Human would not have been eligible for consideration. As for her guest appearance in Law & Order : UK, that episode was broadcast in the UK on 21 March 2011, i.e. after the deadline was closed on 28 February 2011, so even if there was a category for guest performances, it would not have been eligible for consideration.
Although the BAFTA rules say that there is no entry fee for the performance categories (there is a small fee payable for submitting entries in the production categories), performers and production companies must still incur considerable expense in mounting a BAFTA campaign, from the production of copies of the submitted episodes to the BAFTA voters for consideration, meeting and greeting the voters to solicit votes, to attending the actual ceremony, dressed to the nines.
Whilst it would have been nice if Nicola did receive a nomination for her work in Spooks Series 9, we have to remember that there are many, many talented British actors and actresses who have never been nominated, or have been nominated but didn’t win an award. As long as Nicola continues to be gainfully employed, us fans would be happy for the chance to watch her on screen or listen to her dulcet tones via audio programmes.
To understand more about the BAFTA nomination and voting process, you can download a copy of the Rules and Guidelines for the British Academy Television Awards HERE.
This article deals with Nicola’s guest appearance on Law & Order : UK, which was aired first in Canada in November 2010, then in the US on 4 March 2011 before it is aired in the UK on 21 March 2011.
When we accessed Nicola’s actor’s page on the National Theatre website in September 2010, in search of more information relating to Season’s Greetings [Stage], we saw that Law & Order : UK was included as one of her TV credits. So we dug around further and was able to obtain confirmation from a very reliable source in mid September that indeed, Nicola has filmed a guest appearance on Law & Order : UK though it was unclear at that time when the relevant episode was going to be aired in the UK. At that time, Series 3 of Law & Order : UK had just started transmission in the UK and Nicola’s name was not amongst the guest stars announced when publicity for the show kicked into gear.
Towards the end of October 2010, we were given new information about Nicola’s episode by a group of dedicated fans of Law & Order : UK. Quite surprisingly, Nicola’s guest episode was going to be aired on Canadian TV in November 2010, months before it was going to be shown on UK TV. Apparently, this also happened in 2009 with a previous series of Law & Order : UK. Nicola’s guest episode is titled “ID” and is based on the episode titled “Promises to Keep” from the US version of Law & Order (episode 304 which originally aired in the US on 10 February 1993).
Nicola’s guest episode was shown on CityTV in Canada on 4th November 2010. At about the same time, the following tweets were exchanged between ourselves and Emilia di Girolamo, the lead writer of Law & Order : UK (we also included a Tweet from Ben Daniels, one of the lead actors on the show) :
EmiliaDG
@BonkersButBrill FYI Nicola Walker appears in tonight’s episode of Law & Order UK, I.D. at 10pm on CityTV. #LOUK
4 Nov 2010
bendanielsss
@EmiliaDG @TVBrittanyF Totally one of my faces too. Nicola is on FIRE! Script’s pretty ace too 😉
4 Nov 2010
BonkersButBrill
@EmiliaDG Thanx for the heads up. Nicola is the most magnificent actress in the world, no question! Can’t wait to see this episode.
4 Nov 2010
EmiliaDG
@BonkersButBrill In which case you will LOVE it! She really is awesome
4 Nov 2010
BonkersButBrill
@EmiliaDG Just watched it. V powerful writing n brilliant acting from all. 4 some1 who said she can’t cry on cue, that tear looked real! 😀
6 Nov 2010
EmiliaDG
@BonkersButBrill It was real, she was incredible. So glad you enjoyed it.
6 Nov 2010
So there you have it folks, Nicola has apparently overcome her inability to cry on cue for the camera. There is now no limit to her range as an actress!!!
Update : 26 February 2011
Emilia di Girolamo tweeted today that Nicola’s guest episode, ‘ID’, will be the third (not first) episode to air on ITV when the show returns for a 4th series on 7 March 2011. So UK fans, mark your diaries for 21 March 2011!
Update : 27 February 2011
Law & Order : UK ‘ID’ will be shown in the US on 4 March 2011 on BBC America. US fans, mark your diaries!
Update 28 February 2011
There is a brilliant interview on the CultBoxTV website with Emilia di Girolamo about her experiences as a writer for Law & Order : UK. She also talks a little about Nicola’s guest episode, “ID”.
Six degrees
Bradley Walsh, who plays Detective Sergeant Ronnie Brooks, last appeared with Nicola in Torn [TV]. He played the husband to Nicola’s character, Joanna. The two shared many scenes together.
Ben Daniels, who plays Senior Crown Prosecutor James Steel, appeared in episode 408 of Spooks [TV] when he played Oleg Korsakov. He did not have any scenes with Nicola in that episode.
Harriet Walter, who plays Detective Inspector Natalie Chandler, appeared in episode 303 of Spooks [TV] when she appeared as Deep Throat. She did not have any scenes with Nicola in that episode.
Benjamin Wong, who guest starred in this episode as Barrister Eli Smart, appeared in episode 904 of Spooks [TV] when he played Kai. He did not have any scenes with Nicola in that episode.
Out of respect to UK fans who have not yet seen this episode, screencaps will not be posted until this episode has aired in the UK.
If you have already seen the episode and wish to leave a comment, please refrain from posting any spoilers about this episode 🙂
Availabliity on DVD
The Region 2 DVD box set of Law & Order : UK Series 4 will be out on 4 July 2011. Click on the link provided below to pre-order your copy.
There is no news yet, as to when the Region 1 DVD box set for this episode will be released. For the US market, the episodes from two seasons are combined for the purposes of putting out one box set. For example, Law & Order : UK Season One in the US market is actually an aggregate of all 13 episodes which formed Series 1 and 2 of the programme which was aired in the UK. We will update this portion of this Post as soon as we hear further in this respect.
The competition closed on 17 March 2011. A massive THANK YOU to everyone who submitted an entry. We received many entries from the US, UK, South Africa, France, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Finland and the Czech Republic. Spooks and Nicola fans are truly an international crowd!
The Answers
The answer to Question 1 was episode 907. Nicola provided audio commentary to only one episode for the Series 9 box set. This was mentioned in this Post.
The answer to Question 2 was TWO featurettes only. Again, this was mentioned in this Post.
We were a little disappointed to see a fairly large number of incorrect entries, mostly wrong answers to Question 2. For the Series 9 box set, there were two featurettes plus audio commentaries for two episodes (901 & 907). In order to avoid confusion over whether the audio commentaries should be considered a featurette, we specifically started question 2 by saying, “apart from the audio commentaries …”. On 11 March 2011, we gave you a chance to correct your entries, by posting an update on this page, as well as posting a Tweet about it. Sadly, no one took up our offer for you to amend your answer.
So, after all that’s been said and done, we put all of the entries into a hat and came up with a winner and it is :
Kerry D of the UK
We have emailed Kerry to congratulate her.
THANK YOU once again for your support of Spooks, Nicola and this fan site.
Read more about the competition on page 2.
On 28 February 2011, the entire Series 1 to 8 Region 2 DVD box sets for Spooks will be re-issued.
The company which used to produce the Spooks DVD box sets for Kudos was Contender Home Entertainment Group. Contender was taken over by E1 Entertainment Group (“E1”) in July 2007. Since existing stock of the old Spooks DVD box sets was getting low, we assume that E1 took this opportunity to re-issue the Series 1 to 8 box sets which now shows the new name of the Group which produced the box sets. We believe this is why in recent months, fans were unable to order old DVD box sets from vendors such as Amazon.
The good news is that the box sets are once again available to fans. The bad news is that most of the box sets will be re-issued at a new price of between £25.99 to £29.99. The lone exception being Series 1, which will be re-issued at a very reasonable £12.99. This is unfortunate since up until late 2010, one could still purchase Series 1 to 7 DVD box sets for Spooks at the very reasonable price of £11.99.
It would appear that no new artwork will be used for the re-issued DVD box sets. It is unlikely that the re-issued box sets will contain new or additional Extras. Features such as the episode commentaries would have been done at the time the show was filming and if an Extra isn’t already there, then it would be difficult to come up with it now, so many years after the fact. In addition, to request an actor to participate in an Extra, it would have been written into his contract. So again, if the requirement was not previously there, it would be highly unlikely for Kudos to renegotiate an old contract just so that an actor/actress is asked to come back and do more Extras.
One would hope that with the re-issued Series 1 to 8 box sets, they will take the trouble to re-do the navigation menus in the earlier series, which were not only clunky (remember that stupid spy having to break into the grid and no one knowing quite where to click in order to access a particular feature?) but looks very outdated by now. If you have trouble navigating the clunky menus or locating the Extras in the earlier series, checkout HERE.
The Spooks Series 9 DVD box set will be released by Universal Playback. You can read about that release HERE.
Update 27 February 2011
As of today, Series 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7 are selling on Amazon UK at £12.50, that is, more or less the same price before the re-issue. Better grab these whilst you ca, because the prices on Amazon go up and down like a yo-yo on a daily basis. £12.50 per series is a very reasonable price for 6 to 10 episodes of top quality writing and acting. Remember, the low prices only apply once you’ve checked out your shopping cart, not whilst the item remains in your shopping cart/wishlist.
Availability on Amazon UK
Here are the links to the re-issued box sets which are available on Amazon. If you click on these links and complete the purchase within a specified time, this fansite will earn a small commission which will be donated towards charity. Read about the Shop for Charity feature HERE.
Nicola has filmed a guest appearance for Series 3 of Being Human, which will be aired sometime in January on 20 February 2011 in the UK (see our latest update below). She plays a health inspector / social worker called Wendy.
We first became aware of her involvement with the show in August 2010 when the BBC released this promotion clip featuring Philip John, one of the Directors of Being Human. “[There is] a lot of comedy [in] this series,” he said. “We’ve got fantastic comic guest performers – Nicola Walker, who plays Wendy, [is] just staggering.”
Being Human is what American TV writers call a “dramedy”. i.e. part drama, party comedy. The first two series have been rating successes in the UK. The three leads, Aiden Turner, Russell Tovey and Lenora Crichlow are all very capable actors in their own right. Remake rights of this show have been sold to the US and we understand that a US version is currently being filmed.
After the gloom and doom in Series 9 of Spooks, we cannot wait to Nicola in a comedic role!
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For the benefit of fans who gets the dreaded “video not available in your area” notice when they try to play this video :
The only reference to Nicola comes at around the 0.59 mark when director Philip John said, “[There is] a lot of comedy [in] this series … We’ve got fantastic comic guest performers – Nicola Walker, who plays Wendy, [is] just staggering.” For the rest of the video, it was just Philip John talking about his experiences in directing 3 episodes of Series 3 of Being Human. Wonder if this means that Nicola’s guest starring role will appear in more than one episode? One can only hope.
Update 14 December 2010
Being Human Series 3 will commence broadcast in the UK in January 2011. UK fans, please keep a look out for programme transmission dates.
Update 18 December 2010
Philip John directed episodes 303, 305 and 306 of Series 3 of Being Human. Nicola could appear in one or more of these three episodes.
Update 7 January 2011
The Being Human Series 3 Press Pack is out and you can access it HERE. Nicola will appear in episode 305, to be aired towards the end of February 2011.
In an interview which is available as part of the BBC Press Pack, Sinaed Keenan (who plays Nina in Being Human) has this to say about Nicola :
Nicola Walker – episode five playing Wendy the social worker, incredible – I think she should come back and social work elsewhere in the show.
I think we would all second that!
Update 12 January 2011
Being Human Series 3 will begin transmission on BBC3 on Sunday, 23 January 2011 at 9pm. At this rate and if Nicola is scheduled to appear in episode 5, we should all mark 20 FEBRUARY 2011 as the date to tune into the show, unless, of course, you’re also a fan of Being Human in which case start watching as from 23rd January 2011! 😀
Update 13 January 2011
Sinead Keenan, a cast regular in Being Human Series 3, had this to say when she gave an online tour of the new set. “This is episode 5, where things get hectic.” That would be Nicola’s guest episode. In the 2010 Ian Wylie Interview, these comments were made
[Nicola] plays health visitor Wendy who stumbles into the house occupied by the comedy drama’s resident werewolf, vampire and ghost.
“She thinks she’s having a bad day. But because she doesn’t know anything about the people in the house, she doesn’t realise just how bad a day she could be having.”
Can. Not. Wait!
Watch the on-set tour via this YouTube video and get to know the set where Nicola will spend her episode in.
Wonder if Nicola cut her hair short for this role? She looked like she had a shorter hair cut when she was photographed for the Season’s Greetings promotional still, and that might have been around the time she filmed her guest episode for Being Human, after filming on Spooks Series 9 wrapped in August 2010.
Update 18 January 2011
In an interview with Digital Spy, Sinead Keenan continued to be very complimentary about Nicola’s guest appearance in episode 5 of Series 3 of Being Human and described her as “amazing”. You can read the interview HERE.
Update 19 January 2011
According to the official BBC blog for Being Human 3, Nicola’s guest episode is titled “The Longest Day”. It must be referring to the kind of day which her character, Wendy the social worker/house inspector, is having when she has to inspect “Honolulu Heights”, the new home for the three main characters.
Episode 305 is written by Sarah Phelps. She also wrote the 2007 version of Oliver Twist in which Nicola had a small guest role.
Update 23 January 2011
Ian Wylie interviewed the cast of Being Human for his blog, which you can read HERE. Here’s what Russell Tovey has to say about Nicola’s forthcoming guest appearance :
Nicola was amazing and very funny. She’s involved in the rediscovery of Herrick storyline as a social worker who ends up being assigned to Herrick’s case. So we all become linked and she’s unaware of the fact that we’re all supernatural beings.
For those not familiar with Being Human, Herrick is a recurring character who is a vampire.
Update 25 January 2011
From Twitter (original tweet from anglophenia which was retweeted by flip18)
Being Human 3 will be shown in the US on BBC America starting from 19 February 2011, which means Nicola’s guest appearance in episode 305 will be shown on 19 March 2011. US fans, mark your diairies!
Update 3 February 2011
The BBC has released a little more information about episode 305 of Being Human and you can read about it HERE. This article reveals a little more about how Herrick the vampire reappears in the lives of the three lead characters, but not much about the character played by Nicola.
Update 13 February 2011
Screencaps from the trailer for episode 305 of Being Human, to air at 9:00 pm on BBC Three on Sunday, 20 February 2011
Update 22 February 2011
Fans with access to the BBC iPlayer have until 27 February 2011 to watch Being Human 305. US fans, please remember to mark your diaries for 19 March 2011, which is the date when BBC America will air Being Human 305 in the US.
Check out our Being Human page for more info on this programme, and a look at the photo of Nicola as Wendy which has been released by the BBC. As the programme has now aired, we will close the Comments section here, but you can continue to leave comments on the Being Human page.
Amazon UK has a short video, lasting about 1:06 minutes, which shows many cast members talking about Series 9. Once you’re on the Amazon webpage, click underneath the product image to bring up the video. It shows a brief glimpse of Nicola, in her dressing room, with Peter Firth, talking about the general tone of Series 9.
The UK/Region 2 DVD boxset of Series 9 is still on schedule to be released, in the UK, on 28 February 2011, and is listed at £25.99.
This post will be updated as more news about the DVD extras become available. For this Series, the DVD Extras are produced by Helen James Productions, and will include an analysis of Harry and Ruth’s relationship!
Update : 21 January 2011
From the CultBox website comes news of the Series 9 DVD extras and they include :
a feature called “The Cost of being a Spy”
a feature called “The Downfall of Lucas North” and
episode commentaries with Nicola Walker, executive producer Andrew Woodhead, Sam Vincent, Jon Brackley and writer Anthony Neilson
It is unclear from this report how many episodes will Nicola be providing a commentary.
Update : 5 February 2011
Universal Playback are doing the Spooks Series 9 DVD extras in conjunction with Helen James Productions. Its website has a page on Spooks which gives very brief cast biographies and episode guides for Series 9. The most interesting bits from this website are these photos :
taken from the Universal Playback website
And this photo :
taken from the Universal Playback website
which is the alternative shot for this photo, released by the BBC at the start of Series 9 back in September 2010 :
released by the BBC
Update : 24 February 2011
Access the CultBox webpage for more cast interviews HERE.
There has also been a rather unfavorable review of the Series 9 DVD box set from CultBox which you can read HERE. From this review, it would appear that Nicola will be providing commentary for only one episode.
Universal Playback has also created a brand new online game to coincide with the release of Series 9 on DVD on 28 February 2011. Apparently, becomeaspook.com features never-before seen footage from the Spooks cast. Have fun!
Update : 25 February 2011
New trailer to go with the DVD release on 28 February 2011
Update : 26 February 2011
From various lucky fans who have already received their copies of Series 9 from Amazon: Nicola provides audio commentary for episode 907, together with executive producer, Andrew Woodhead. As always, it is a most entertaining commentary.
Update : 27 February 2011
Thanks to Lady J on the Spooks forum, you can watch an interview with Richard Armitage and Nicola Walker, conducted by MSN, where they talk a little about Series 9 HERE.
Update : 1 March 2011
Here is the YouTube version of Nicola’s interview on MSN
HERE are screencaps of Nicola from that interview.
Nicola and Peter Firth did a short interview with Paris and George of Heart Radio which you can listen HERE.
There are interviews on CultBox and Digital Spy where Peter Firth talked about Spooks generally and Series 9 in particular.
Ruth on cover of Disk 2
Update 9 March 2011
Just noticed that my Region 2 DVD box set says on the back that the discs are both Regions 2 and 4 compatible! Aussie fans take note.
Update 11 March 2011
CultBox has a series of interviews with two Spooks scriptwriters, Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, about their experiences in writing for Series 9 and what might be in store for Series 10. Must read!
Update 1 April 2011
Region 1 DVD box set will be released on 12 July 2011, priced at US$27.99. Click on the link provided below to buy your copy from Amazon US and help us earn a small commission which will be donated to a charity to be nominated by Nicola.
COMPETITION
HERE is a competition where you can win a copy of the Spooks S9 DVD box set which has been signed by Peter Firth and Nicola Walker. Good luck!
Shop
Buy Spooks Series 9 from Amazon UK
Buy MI5/Spooks Series 9 from Amazon US
To buy other series of Spooks in which Nicola appeared as a cast member, check out our Shop page.
Finally, after all these years, Kudos have included Nicola in a prominent position on the cover of a Spooks DVD Boxset – see the cover of the US Series 8 DVD boxset above. THANK YOU Kudos and the BBC! Though it does beg the question, why wasn’t Nicola included in the cover art for the UK/Region 2 release of Series 8 back in September 2010?
Being featured on the cover of the Region 1 DVD boxset will, we hope, raise Nicola’s profile with the US entertainment industry once more, i.e. amongst fans, US casting agents, writers and directors. Warner Brothers has recently invested US$100 million in the studios which they have been using for the Harry Potter series. This can only mean that there will be more US productions to be made in the UK. Quite independently of this investment, there are already many US movies, mini series and TV shows being filmed and produced in the UK at the moment. There has to be a part, or two or three, amongst all this activity for Nicola! The last time Nicola had such a high profile associated with a show was in the Touching Evil days.
Nicola was also on the cover of the Series 5 DVD boxset when it was released in the US. However, it was in a less prominent position and most of the other cast members were also featured. There are a number of other firsts for this US release :
Series 8 of MI-5 (as the show is known in the US) will be released in January 2011, which is way faster than any of the previous seven series has been released in the US and
Priced at US$27.99, this is much cheaper than the UK/Region 2 version which was released back in September and currently still priced at £25.69 on Amazon UK.
The UK/Region 2 DVD boxset of Series 8 had very little in terms of interesting DVD extras. Via a tweet from bccmee, it would appear that the same is true for the US/Region 1 DVD boxset of Series 8.
Here’s hoping that the Extras included with the DVD boxset for Series 9 will feature much more contribution from Nicola. It has to, since she consistently acted every one else off the screen in Series 9 😀
Buy Spooks Series 8 from Amazon US
Buy Spooks Series 8 from Amazon UK
To buy other series of Spooks in which Nicola appeared as a cast member, check out our Shop page.
Ian Wylie is one of the most respected journalists in the UK who writes about its entertainment industry. He is also a Spooks fan and has kept other Spooks fans highly entertained, in the past few years, with his interviews with members of the Spooks cast and his previews of forthcoming episodes of Spooks.
On 5th October 2010, Ian published an interview with Nicola which is a must-read for all Nicola Walker fans. Nicola has not done a lot of interviews in recent years. Of the interviews which she has given in the recent past, she spoke mostly about the characters she played and very little else about her private life. In the Ian Wylie interview, Nicola was very candid about her character in Spooks, Ruth Evershed, the reaction from fans she’s met and a little about her other projects, such as Being Human and Season’s Greetings.
One of the features from the old fansite which we are strongly inclined to discontinue is the TV Schedule which lists current and repeat showings of shows in which Nicola has made an appearance. That schedule only set out TV listings for the UK and is of not much use to Nicola fans who do not live in the UK.
What do you think? Do you want it back? If we are to bring it back, we would like to include TV listings from around the world. To do that, we will need your help. If you do not live in the UK, would you be prepared to keep an eye out for Nicola shows in you local TV listings and send us this information on a regular basis? Let us know, leave a comment below.
Nicola is NOT on any social media, but we are! We are now live on
Twitter
Instagram as well as
Facebook. Go to this Page to find out more details.
Annika Stranded news
All 6 series of "Annika Stranded" now available on BBC Sounds the BBC Sounds app on your mobile device.
Free, with no geographic restrictions.
Unforgotten Series 4
Series 4 has now aired in the UK, US and Australia.
Awards and Nominations
Nicola has picked up a number of nominations in New York for her work in A View from the Bridge : Outer Critics Circle Awards - Outstanding Actress in a Play (results : 9 May 2016). She didn't win. :(
Drama League Awards - Nominee for The Distinguished Performance Award (results : 20 May 2016). Again, she didn't win. :( :(
Drama Desk Awards - Outstanding Actress in a Play (results : 5 June 2016). She didn't win. That's three for three :( :( :(
River has been nominated in the 2016 Golden Nymph Awards (Festival de Television de Monte Carlo), in the category of Best TV Series Drama. Both Stellan Skarsgard and Nicola scored nominations in the acting categories. River won in its category but sadly, Nicola did not. :( Both the show and the lead actors were snubbed in the 2016 BAFTA TV Awards.
Miscellaneous Photos page updated!
We have updated the Miscellaneous Photos page with Nicola's latest headshots and photos taken elsewhere. Enjoy!
Navigating Spooks DVD menus
Here is a handy guide to help you navigate the earlier Spooks DVD menus.
has a short video, lasting about 1:06 minutes, which shows many cast members talking about Series 9. Once you’re on the Amazon webpage, click underneath the product image to bring up the video. It shows a brief glimpse of Nicola, in her dressing room, with Peter Firth, talking about the general tone of Series 9.
