A Spy Among Friends: Release date, cast, plot and trailer

The series stars Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, with the latter recently revealing how the late Helen McCrory ensured Lewis's continued involvement after her passing.

Pearce told RadioTimes.com: "I worked with Helen on Count of Monte Cristo 20 odd years ago, but I didn't know Damian and in fact I don't even think they were together. And so she was a bit of a connector between me and Damian in a sort of slightly surreal way.

"She knew that he was perhaps going to do this show. She had said to him, 'Oh I know Guy, I worked with Guy years ago'. And then sadly Helen, as we know, passed away before we started the show. I was really surprised Damian was going to continue on and do it, but he did. And he said to me, 'Well, no, Helen said to me, 'You better f**king do the show.'"

Read on for everything you need to know about A Spy Among Friends.

A Spy Among Friends release date: When can I watch it?

You can watch A Spy Among Friends on ITV1 on Sunday 9th July at 9pm.

All episodes are available to stream now on ITVX.

Is A Spy Among Friends on Netflix?

A Spy Among Friends is only available to watch on ITVX and ITV1.

US viewers can watch it on MGM+.

A Spy Among Friends cast - Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce star

The cast is as follows:

• Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliott
• Guy Pearce as Kim Philby
• Anna Maxwell Martin as Lily Thomas
• Stephen Kunken as James Jesus Angleton
• Adrian Edmondson as Sir Roger Hollis
• Gershwyn Eustache Jnr as Robert
• Lucy Akhurst as Elizabeth Elliott
• Anna Andresen as Aileen Philby
• Anastasia Hille as Flore Solomon
• Jennifer Marsala as Iris

In one of the main roles, Guy Pearce, who returned to his roots last year for the Neighbours finale, will star as the notorious British intelligence officer and KGB double agent, Kim Philby.

Homeland star Damian Lewis - who also produces on the series - will star as Philby's friend and fellow intelligence officer, Nicholas Elliott.

Other major cast members include Motherland star Anna Maxwell Martin as fictional character Lily Thomas, Billions actor Simon Kunken as chief of counterintelligence for the CIA James Jesus Angleton, and Rain Dogs' Adrian Edmondson as Director General of MI5 Sir Roger Hollis.

What is A Spy Among Friends about?

The official synopsis for A Spy Among Friends reads: "The six-episode series dramatises the true story of Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, two British spies and lifelong friends.

"Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet double agent in history. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery. Philby’s deeply personal betrayal, uncovered at the height of the Cold War, resulted in the gutting of British and American Intelligence."

The series is based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre and has been described as an espionage thriller.

A Spy Among Friends trailer

Yes, you can watch the trailer for A Spy Among Friends right now.

A Spy Among Friends airs on Sunday 9th July at 9pm on ITV1. All six episodes of A Spy Among Friends are streaming on ITVX now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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