The Ipcress File's Ashley Thomas explains episode 1 ending
**Warning: spoilers ahead for The Ipcress File episode 1**
Sunday night (6th March) marked the premiere of ITV series The Ipcress File, set in the 1960s and adapted from the book of the same name by Len Deighton. (Intrigued? You can read our The Ipcress File review here.)
The episode ended with the narrow escape of Joe Cole's Harry Palmer, the British army sergeant and Berlin-based smuggler-turned-spy, after he got away from a shoot-out and retrieved evidence that a missing British nuclear scientist is still alive and well.
However, the episode also ended with a reveal about a mysterious new character, Paul Maddox (Ashley Thomas in The Ipcress File cast), the CIA agent who met with the spy Jean Courtney (Lucy Boynton) and established a flirtatious rapport with her.
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The episode's ending seemed to suggest that Maddox may have a hidden agenda, after it's revealed that he manipulated Jean in their first meeting by claiming to be hungover, which endeared him to her. However, it turns out that he doesn't ever drink.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Ashley Thomas teased his character's trajectory in the series, before adding that there's a definite "attraction" between Jean (who's engaged to a tiresome fiancé) and Paul.
Asked what the reveal about Paul's sobriety means for his character, Thomas said: "He's focused. He doesn't drink alcohol, and I think he takes his job very seriously... I think that he has his beliefs in the workplace. And he sticks to his beliefs."
On his character's relationship with Jean gong forward, he said: "In that moment [in the 1960s], I think you have two people who are experiencing oppression, so they have that in common immediately. And so he identifies that in her and she identifies that in him [and] I think they have that common ground which allows them to really have something in common, and I think that's what makes it fun, with those two having interactions like they have... I think they find the banter within that."
Asked if Paul is attracted to Jean, he added: "I think they're both attracted. Yeah, I think they're two aesthetically pleasing people... I think there is a flirtatious attraction there and they're having fun, they're two young professionals. And they are attracted to each other."
According to ITV, "in his relationship with Jean, [Paul] employs all his skills of charm and manipulation to lead her into doubt about her own priorities", adding: "Whose side is Maddox really on?"
The Ipcress File premiered on ITV on Sunday 6th March at 9pm. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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