Spooks creator says the BBC spy series should come back: "The stakes would be even higher"
David Wolstencroft suggests that a revival would be more diverse and less London-centric.
The creator of classic BBC spy series Spooks has said there is "a very big argument" for bringing the show back.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com, David Wolstencroft suggested that any revival of the MI5 thriller would have to be more diverse both in front of and behind the camera – and that stories might be less London-centric.
"I would make a very big argument for bringing the show back, frankly, even with a new younger writing team," said Wolstencroft, who originally launched in Spooks in 2002.
"I think we would have a greater racial diversity in the cast. I would want more women writing it and directing it– it was quite a male-heavy show. It’s just the way that everything fell at the time.
“The stories would come from different places, and maybe would be outside London. It would be more distributed across the nation."
Spanning 10 series that aired on BBC One between 2002 and 2011, plus a spin-off feature film in 2015, Spooks followed a team of MI5 agents operating out of The Grid, offices based in the agency's Thames House HQ.
Originally fronted by Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes and David Oyelowo, the series' cast later featured the likes of Miranda Raison, Hermione Norris and Richard Armitage.
"These characters would perhaps have more different allegiances [today] and different expectations of what the government could do," Wolstencroft said of a revived series.
"The stakes would be even higher, I would say. I think the mix would be different, and the feel would be different, but the ambition would stay the same – if not greater."
A new series of Spooks that introduced a new cast while also featuring appearances from old favourites – at least those who survived the original run – like Harry Pearce (Peter Firth), Tom Quinn (Macfadyen) and Zoe Reynolds (Hawes)? Sign us up!
All 10 series of Spooks are available now on BBC iPlayer – read our full interview with David Wolstencroft
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Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
