David Tennant and Michael Sheen (playing themselves) were due to star in a production of ‘Six Characters in Search of an Author’ in the West End. The pandemic has put paid to that, but their director (Simon Evans) is determined not to let the opportunity pass him by.

Spooks: Code 9 is a counter-intelligence drama series broadcast on BBC Three in 2008.

The series was commissioned by BBC Fiction’s controller Jane Tranter as a spin-off of their long-running drama Spooks, offering a “more maverick, younger perspective” that would attract a 16-24-year-old audience. The series follows a group of six new young MI5 recruits who “follow a different rule book”. It was produced by the independent production company Kudos and was filmed in and around Leeds and Bradford. The first two episodes were broadcast on BBC Three on 10 August 2008 and repeated on the same channel on 11 August 2008.

The decision to relate the new project to the original Spooks was controversial, with actor Georgia Moffett saying “it’s slightly misleading in terms of the word Spooks.” and producer Chris Fry saying “this is a completely new show. There are no crossover characters or storylines and, most importantly, it is set in a completely new world.” After the relatively unsuccessful first series, executive producer Karen Wilson claimed that many of the existing cast members were “contracted for another year” and outlined themes “we’d like to explore if we get a second series.”

DI Helen Weeks grapples with pregnancy as she undertakes a very personal abduction case.