10 reasons to love 10 years of 'Spooks'

Spooks

BBC One, Sundays, 9pm

Spooks for me is like a bad man. Smooth, well-dressed and unequivocally attractive, treating me mean and keeping me woefully keen. Since we met ten years ago, my emotional investment has only led to repeated heartbreak interspersed with the occasional heart-racing encounter. Yet, I have stuck by. And now, a decade on, it plans to dump me (undoubtedly in the most spectacularly explosive fashion) without so much as a quick courtesy phone call to check I haven't fallen completely off the post-breakup wagon.

Call me dramatic, but this is the love that I (and I believe many others) have for Spooks. So, I thought I'd search my soul for the top 10 reasons that have led to it seducing us all into this turbulent and troublesome relationship.

1. For 1 hour a week, you believe you could be a spy.

Yes, we've all thought it - fancied ourselves as the next James Bond or that sexy girl with the killer heels and the gun tucked up her suspenders. Spooks makes you believe that you really could be it. Perhaps it's something about the way that they all seem so ordinary (albeit with an impossibly high IQ and the ability to defuse a nuclear bomb) or the way they explain those pesky Russian plots and the latest Terrorist threat making you believe you've got the espionage lingo sussed. Then you remember that they'd happily exchange their mother in order to save the world and it reminds you that perhaps it's not that easy after all. Besides, I'd be rubbish under torture.

2. It's not frightened of betrayal.

The world can be pretty tough in reality, but at least we can always rely on TV to lie to us about it. Spooks, however, is no such television programme. Like a strict parent, it gives it to you straight. It hands over that cute, fluffy teddy bear you've always wanted then takes it back, tears its head off and throws the remains in the fire. Lesson: good things never last. Harsh, but - be it the lovely Adam exploding before our eyes, that whiskey-supping home secretary played by Robert Glenister who turned out to be a two-timing, lying wotsit or last season's traitor,

Lucas - Spooks has never been afraid to turn everything we believe on its head. Usually killing off/making a Russian sympathiser of our favourite characters in the process.

3. It's full of surprises.

I've been watching this show for 10 years now and it still has me stuffed behind a cushion in fear and disbelief. Oh your Hello's and Reveal's might be able to tell you what's happening on Albert Square next week but I'll be damned if anyone can figure out who's going to blow up next time on Spooks. That little preview they give you does squat. Speculate if you will but I have yet to hit the nail on the head as to the who's, where's, why's and what for's in the future of MI5.

4. It knows all the good park benches.

Has anyone noticed how empty their public meet-up spots are? I always thought that the point of meeting in public was so that it was more difficult to get shot without anyone noticing, and yet whenever spy meets spy, there's no one about. I don't know if you've ever gone out in London around lunch time but every park bench is crowded with air-hungry commuters and snap-happy tourists all tucking into their pret-a-manger. The only time the scene is ever crowded?

When there's a bomb ticking. Then, inevitably, thousands of oblivious humans are aimlessly wandering about to get in CO19's way.

5. Everyone's sexy.

Fact. It even makes I.T. look desirable.

6. It never sleeps/showers/eats.

Unless it's sipping on a whiskey after a hard day's nation-protecting, spies never seem to have to function like normal humans. I'm peckish by about 10am at work, but an MI5 worker will be holed away at his desk for hours without so much as a thought to those custard creams in the office kitchenette. The only time you see a character in bed is if they've had to have a morally ambiguous night of passion with an asset/terrorist/fellow spy and I think the only time a bath or shower has been involved was when some bird tried to drown Adam. Perhaps eating, sleeping and washing is just too dangerous when you're in espionage.

7. Americans are annoying.

No matter how much the real world thinks we're under the thumb of Uncle Sam, Harry will always fight our corner in the fictional world. The CIA might be bad-ass, 10 times as rich and even more sleek and attractive than their British counterparts, but they're arrogant and irritating and like to think that they have our beloved MI5 on a lead. Well, not so fast America - we know you're not perfect and we've got a few tricks of our own up our sleeve, so we'll take you on if we have to. Plus as long as Harry's at the top, we'll have our own two legs to stand on thank you very much.

8. It's terribly, terribly British.

This might be farfetched telly but it's no nonsense, efficient, full of awkward glances and brave faces British telly. Ros was so cold she'd have survived naked in the arctic, Ruth's constantly making eyes at Harry but you can't quite imagine the snog under a star-spangled sky and it's almost never sunny - note large overcoats, leather gloves and a constantly overcast sky. It's our recognisable home and I think that might just be one of the biggest reasons we succumb to its charm. We can forgive its twisty-turny plot lines because it's just so unashamedly us. Plus, the dry humour is there to tickle you in between the tears.

9. It took on Downton Abbey.

And lost. But who cares? It's a blip it can afford for the sake of National Security.

10. Harry is always there for us.

That's right. Despite the heartache, the explosions, the sacrifices, the chemical leaks, unavoidable attacks on assets, computer bugs and corruption from the inside, Harry has always been there to see us through. In 10 years there have been some hairy moments and he can be a right meanie from time to time (e.g. the time he let Ruth's new squeeze get shot in the back of the head in front of her), but he's always sucked it up and started over with a clear head and another bottle of whiskey (ok, so maybe not a clear head). But let's face it, no one is safe in Spooks and to kill Harry off at the end of this series might be like the universe imploding but at least they wouldn't have to find a replacement, who would take another 10 years to earn our trust. I can't help thinking though that to kill Harry off at the end of this season would be akin to the 'and then they woke up and it was all a dream' scenario. My bet's on Ruth snuffing it (probably because Harry puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time) and he'll end up being dishonourably dismissed.

But I haven't been right yet.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this article.

'The Shadow Line' Review: Britain's answer to 'The Wire'

The Shadow Line (BBC2 Thursdays 9pm)

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Rea, Rafe Spall

Genre: Crime, thriller

When drug baron, Harvey Wratten, is founded shot dead in his car, it sparks a murder investigation on both sides of the law. Jonah Gabriel (Chiwetel Ejiofor) leads the team of police - but with the confusion of amnesia hanging over his head, he struggles to get to grips with both the case and himself. Meanwhile, Joseph Bede (Christopher Eccleston) is left to salvage what is left of his investment in the drugs business whilst keeping tabs on Wratten's unstable nephew, Jay (Rafe Spall). Dark, daring and softly but spectacularly scary, Hugo Blick's The Shadow Line is the best drama to hit British screens in some time.

Raw, gritty and irresistibly addictive, this thriller brings a whole new meaning to the word 'shadow'. Impossibly dark, slow and brooding, every man, woman and child in this programme is living under a shadow. Virtually silent throughout, but with tension rising to the occasional but powerful music, you'll be gripped by the eerie acting and stripped dialogue. With a complex network of characters and storylines, Blick blurs the boundaries between the good, the bad and the ugly. Four episodes in and I'm still none-the-wiser - but that won't have you wanting to stop watching.

The modern underworld of The Shadow Line is populated with damaged characters. There's the literal damage to Jonah, who has a stroke of convenient amnesia after getting a bullet lodged in his brain. There's the unstoppable onset of early Alzheimer's that Joseph's wife, Julie (Lesley Sharp) suffers from, and the probable mental instability of the young Jay Wratten. Hard-edged and ruthless, they nonetheless all have something to protect - reputation, money, love, or even the complete unknown - and their thirst for survival in a world of secrets makes for a thrilling watch.

With stand out performances from the likes of Rafe Spall and Stephen Rea as the late-appearing Gatehouse, Blick has on board an incredibly talented team of people to make such a slow-burning thriller work. Spall commands the screen, his distinctive voice and erratic behaviour make Jay Wratten a character to be feared. But the soothing power of Rea's Gatehouse is on another level altogether. Elusive, but calm and ever-the-gentleman, his enigmatic nature will have your eyes virtually sewn to your TV.

Everything in this drama reeks of hard work and intelligence - Hugo Blick has put his all into this one and it pays off. Stealthy, silent and sinister, this programme will pull you into the shadows before you've even had time to realise it. All I can say is, don't fight it - this is one underworld you need to be a part of.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Shadow Line'.

'Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood' Review: because cinema deserves a history lesson

Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood (BBC2, Friday 27th May 2011)

Starring: Paul Merton

Genre: Factual, arts, culture and the media

Paul Merton travels to America to explore and chart the birth of the most dominant cinematic power: Hollywood. He sets out to discover how the early movie technology, the people flooding to American shores and field after field of orange groves evolved into the star-studded community and billion-dollar industry of today. If you love going to our modern cinemas, why not immerse yourself in the history of how they came to be? Paul Merton's is a documentary complete with clips of the racist masterpiece that helped to re-establish the Klu Klux Klan and cheeky snippets of our beloved Charlie Chaplin.

For those with a taste for movies, many may have already studied the history of the moving image. Many of us, it remains to be said, will have not - Merton to the rescue. Cinema is an incredible art form that has advanced at colossal speed in the space of just one hundred years. It has developed from the haphazard silent wonders of The Great Train Robbery (1903) to the dazzling 3D spectacle of James Cameron's Avatar (2009). From the somewhat restrictive Kinetiscope, the first technology that enabled a person to look into its box and see a short film, cinema has become one of the most beloved and accessible arts of the modern age.

In this documentary, Paul Merton has selected the best of early cinema to explore and explain the transformation of a small Southern American hamlet into the iconic location of Hollywood. Intrigued by how a prolific orange-growing community could become the place-to-be for aspiring film-workers, Merton looks at the people responsible for its modern status. His often-cheeky approach to the old greats (let's face it, those jerky old films might have been impressive in their day but a man wrestling a dead bird is only ever going to be funny) celebrates the men and women behind and in front of the early cameras.

Thanks to the devastation of the First World War, the Europeans (the leaders in the development of early cinema) were prevented from going any further with their cinematic ambitions in the first part of the twentieth century. This made room for the Americans to lay the foundations for future of film. As it turned out, many of the most prominent figures were immigrants having left Europe to escape persecution and poverty. Paul Merton looks into their lives and careers and reveals to us how the roles of the director, cameraman, actor and producer began to take shape. This is a great documentary with access to an array of early footage that is as much a delight to watch now as I'm sure it was then. The bonus is, we don't have to sit through the initial three hours of ham-acting and brick fights to get to the best bits - Merton's done it for us.

Catch the next episode of 'Paul Merton's Birth of Hollywood' next Friday at 9:30pm.

Fantastic, it's elementary

Sherlock, BBC 1 August 2010

BBC dramas tend to make it or break it with the British public but many have quickly become the love of our TV hearts. Luckily, Sherlock is no exception with the captivating eyes of Benedict Cumberbatch taking centre screen as the eponymous detective.

2010’s reinvention of Arthur Conan Doyle’s quirky hero takes a refreshing new stance, with the Victorian tales being told in the present day. Far from ruining the original, the classic characters fit delightfully well into modern London. Martin Freeman’s Dr Watson is an Afghanistan veteran and mobiles and computers frequently feature in this modern adaptation, both aiding Holmes’ terrific deduction and Moriarty’s dastardly deeds.

The star of the show, Cumberbatch, delivered a suitably electrifying performance as Sherlock Holmes. He managed to maintain the necessary balance between brilliant and bonkers that makes the detective so exciting to watch. Obvious delight at being confronted with a serial killer in the first episode, to those infamous character assessments, Cumberbatch kept the pace and has paved (well, re-paved) the way for a long-lasting and loveable character.

Fortunately, the well-known disputes over Sherlock’s sexuality and drug habits were far from forgotten in this version. Watson’s consistent uncomfortable remarks over his relationship with Holmes added the right dose of humour to their otherwise odd coupling. Whilst in the absence of cigarettes, alcohol or anything a bit stronger, Holmes took to nicotine patches to get the necessary fix for his bizarre thoughts.

Sherlock is stylish, exciting and, like a clichéd fine wine, will inevitably improve with age. By that I mean the second series looks set to be just as fantastic as the first, with each of these episodes being superior to the last. Admittedly, it feels rather Doctor Who-ish (it’s bound to as the programme’s writers, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, both worked on the hit sci-fi show) but personally I think Sherlock is better. The final instalment of this series leaves you on one heck of a cliff hanger and introduces the mysterious Moriarty in a pretty tense show-down. This year’s villain is impressive, as suave as Bond but just about as evil as all of the double-O’s enemies put together.

I do have one teensy tiny problem with this programme though – the music. Excuse me if I’m wrong, but this programme’s score is just one note away from being an exact copy of that of Guy Ritchie’s recent film starring Robert Downey Jr as Holmes. I only know because I loved Hans Zimmer’s composition for this film and actually listened to it on repeat for far too many weeks, much to the dismay of my housemates. Such is the life of a film-lover.

Other than that (and, I admit, a slightly weak villain in the otherwise great first episode) Sherlock hits all the right notes to become the latest BBC success. Freeman is the perfect awkward counterpart to Cumberbatch’s confident and wacky hero, with the rest of the show coming together to create something unique but in keeping with the spirit of Conan Doyle’s creation. I only hope the next series lives up to some high expectations.