The main recurring characters in the TV series '' Spooks'' include (principals shown in bold):

Final Series Leads

Main characters for Series 10: * Sir

Harry Pearce Sir Henry James "Harry" Pearce, KBE (born 1 November 1953) is a fictional character, head of the counter-terrorism department ("Section D") of MI5 as featured in the British television series '' Spooks''. He was played by Peter Firth during t ...

KBE (

Peter Firth Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...

) (2002-2011) - Head of Counter-Terrorism Department, MI5. * Dimitri Levendis ( Max Brown) (2010-2011) Piracy and Terrorism Case Officer Section D * Erin Watts (

Lara Pulver Lara Pulver (born 1 September 1980) is an English actress. She has played Erin Watts in the BBC spy drama '' Spooks'' and Irene Adler on BBC's TV adaptation '' Sherlock''. She won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical i ...

) (2011) - Chief of Section & Senior Case Officer, Section D * Calum Reed (

Geoffrey Streatfeild Geoffrey Streatfeild (born 1975) is an English actor in film, television, stage and radio. He is a member of the Streatfeild family. Career His notable film and TV roles include ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' and '' Kinky Boots''. He also appeare ...

) (2011) - Junior Case Officer, Section D * William Towers (

Simon Russell Beale Sir Simon Russell Beale (born 12 January 1961) is an English actor. He is known for his appearances in film, television and theatre, and work on radio, on audiobooks and as a narrator. For his services to drama, he was knighted by Queen Elizabe ...

; 2010-2011) Home Secretary. *

Ruth Evershed Ruth Evershed is a fictional Senior Intelligence Analyst seconded from GCHQ to MI5, featured in the British television series '' Spooks'', also known as ''MI-5'' in the United States. Ruth was played by Nicola Walker from the time the charact ...

(

Nicola Walker Nicola Jane Walker (born 15 May 1970) is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama '' Spooks'' (2003–2006 and 2009–2011 ...

) (2003–2006, 2009-2011) - Section D Intelligence Analyst, Home Secretary's Assistant (episodes 10.5/.6), originally seconded to MI5 from

GCHQ Government Communications Headquarters, commonly known as GCHQ, is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance (IA) to the government and armed forces of the Unit ...

Former characters

MI5 staff

*Tariq Masood (

Shazad Latif Shazad Latif (born Iqbal Amin; 8 July 1988) is a British actor, who starred as Tariq Masood in the BBC TV series '' Spooks'', Clem Fandango on '' Toast of London'', and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in ''Penny Dreadful''. In 2017, he was cast as Chi ...

) (2009-2011) - Technician and Data Analyst, Section D *

Beth Bailey Beth Bailey is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series '' Spooks'', which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division in MI5. She is portrayed by British actress Sophia Myles. Beth Bailey was introduced i ...

(

Sophia Myles Sophia Jane Myles (; born 18 March 1980) is an English actress. She is best known in film for portraying Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward in Thunderbirds (2004 film), ''Thunderbirds'' (2004), Isolde in ''Tristan & Isolde (film), Tristan & Isolde'' (2 ...

) (2010) Formerly Junior Case Officer Section D *

Lucas North Lucas North, formerly known as John Bateman, is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series '' Spooks'' (known in the United States as "MI5"), which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. North ...

( Richard Armitage) (2008–2010) Chief of Section & Senior Case Officer, Section D. *

Ros Myers Rosalind Sarah Myers is a fictional character from the BBC television series '' Spooks'', which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division in MI5. She is portrayed by British actress Hermione Norris. The character was a form ...

(

Hermione Norris Hermione Jane Norris (born 5 December 1966) is an English actress. She attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in the 1980s, before taking small roles in theatre and on television. In 1996, she was cast in her breakout role of Ka ...

) (2006–2009) - Chief of Section & Senior Case Officer, Section D, formerly Senior Case Officer at MI5 and MI6. *

Jo Portman Joanna Portman (1979–2010) was a fictional Field Operative in the Counter-Terrorism department at MI5, featured in the British television series, ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', also known as MI5 in the United States. She was played by Miranda R ...

(

Miranda Raison Miranda Caroline Raison (born 18 November 1977) is an English actress and voice-over narrator. Early life Miranda Raison was born in Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk, on 18 November 1977. Her mother is former Anglia News reader Caroline Raison (''née ...

) (2005–2009) - Junior Case Officer, Section D. *

Malcolm Wynn-Jones Malcolm Wynn-Jones (born 29 December 1958 in Dunvant, Wales; full name Malcolm Peregrine Geoffrey St. John Wynn Jones) was the first MI5 analyst, featured in the British television series '' Spooks'', also known as ''MI5'' in the United States. ...

(

Hugh Simon Hugh Simon is a British actor, best known for his portrayal of the character Malcolm Wynn-Jones in the television series '' Spooks''. His other TV credits include '' Shackleton'', '' Attachments'', '' Cold Feet'', ''North Square'', '' Big Bad W ...

) (2002–2009, 2010-) - Technician and Data Analyst, Section D. *

Adam Carter Adam Henry Carter is a fictional Character (arts), character from the BBC espionage television series ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. He is portrayed by British actor ...

(

Rupert Penry-Jones Rupert William Penry-Jones (born 22 September 1970) is a British actor, known for his performances as Adam Carter in '' Spooks'', Clive Reader in ''Silk'', DI Joseph Chandler in ''Whitechapel'', and Mr Quinlan in the American horror series ''The ...

) (2004–2008) - Chief of Section & Senior Case Officer, Section D, formerly Senior Case Officer at MI6 *Connie James (

Gemma Jones Jennifer "Gemma" Jones (born 4 December 1942) is an English actress. Appearing on both stage and screen, her film appearances include ''Sense and Sensibility'' (1995), the ''Bridget Jones'' series (2001–2016), the ''Harry Potter'' series ( ...

) (2007–2008) - Senior Analyst, Section D. *Ben Kaplan DSO (

Alex Lanipekun Alex Lanipekun (born 7 April 1981) is a British actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but left early to join the cast of the BBC drama '' Spooks'' as journalist-cum-spy Ben Kaplan, the role for which he is best known. Earl ...

) (2007–2008) - Junior Case Officer, Section D. *Zafar Younis (

Raza Jaffrey Raza Jaffrey (born 28 May 1973) is a British actor and singer, who starred as Neal Hudson on the CBS TV medical drama '' Code Black''. He is best known for playing Zafar Younis on the BBC One spy drama series '' Spooks''. In 2014, he played ...

) (2004–2007) - Junior Case Officer, Section D. *Colin Wells (

Rory MacGregor Rory MacGregor (born 2 August 1976) is a British actor, who has played a variety of roles on television, generally in the 2000s. MacGregor was born in London, England. He trained at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1999 ...

) (2002–2006) - Technician and Data Analyst, Section D. *Sam Buxton ( Shauna Macdonald) (2003–2005) - Administrative Officer, Section D. *

Fiona Carter ''Spooks'' (known as ''MI-5'' in some countries) is a British television spy drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 to 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the ...

(

Olga Sosnovska Olga Sosnovska (born 21 May 1972) is a Polish-born U.K./U.S.-based actress. Life and career Sosnovska was born in Wieluń, Poland. Her family emigrated to England when she was eleven. Sosnovska is perhaps best known in the United States for ...

) (2004–2005) - Seconded MI6 Officer, Section D. *

Zoe Reynolds Zoe Reynolds is a fictional case officer in the counterterrorism department of MI5, featured in the British television series '' Spooks'', also known as ''MI5'' in the United States. The character is played by Keeley Hawes. Prior to starting her ...

(

Keeley Hawes Claire Julia Hawes (born 10 February 1976), known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including ''Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and ''Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Haw ...

) (2002–2004) - Junior Case Officer, Section D. * Tom Quinn (

Matthew Macfadyen David Matthew Macfadyen (; born 17 October 1974) is an English actor. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained prominence for his role as Mr. Darcy in Joe Wright's ''Pride & Prejudice'' (2005). He currently stars as Tom Wambsgans ...

) (2002–2004) - Chief of Section & Senior Case Officer, Section D. *

Danny Hunter Danny Hunter is a fictional character appearing in the first three seasons of the BBC television series '' Spooks'', known as ''MI5'' in the United States. The character, played by British actor David Oyelowo, is a Junior Case Officer in Section ...

(

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, ...

) (2002–2004) - Junior Case Officer, Section D. *Tessa Phillips (

Jenny Agutter Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in ''East of Sudan'', '' Star!'', and two adaptations of ''The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television serial ...

) (2002–2003) - Senior Analyst. *Jed Kelley (Graeme Mearns) (2002) - Administrative Officer, Section D. *

Helen Flynn "Looking After Our Own" is the second episode of the British espionage television series '' Spooks''. It first aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2002. The episode was written by series creator David Wolstencroft, and directed by B ...

(

Lisa Faulkner Lisa Tamsin Faulkner (born 19 February 1972) is an actress, presenter and celebrity chef. Early life Faulkner was born in Merton, London, to David Faulkner and Julie (née Day). She lived in Esher and was educated at Tiffin Girls' School in ...

) (2002) - Junior Case Officer, Section D.

Other officers

*Vaughn Edwards (

Iain Glen Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy te ...

) (2010) - Deniable intelligence operative who seemed to work for the highest bidder. *Sarah Caulfield (

Genevieve O'Reilly Genevieve O'Reilly (born 6 January 1977) is an Irish actress. She is known for her work in the ''Star Wars'' franchise as Mon Mothma, having portrayed the character in ''Revenge of the Sith'', ''Rogue One'', and the Disney+ series '' Andor'', ...

) (2009) - CIA Agent. *Viktor Sarkisian ( Peter Sullivan) (2008–2009) - Head of the FSB's London Office *Bob Hogan ( Matthew Marsh) (2007) - Senior CIA Liaison to Britain. *Oliver Mace (

Tim McInnerny Tim McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is an English actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInnerny was born ...

) (2004, 2006) - Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, later Director-General of MI5. *Juliet Shaw (

Anna Chancellor Anna Theodora Chancellor (born 27 April 1965) is a British actress who has received nominations for BAFTA and Olivier Awards. Background and early life Chancellor was born in Richmond, England to barrister John Paget Chancellor, eldest son of ...

) (2005-) - National Security Co-Ordinator. Status uncertain following end of Series 6. *Christine Dale (

Megan Dodds Megan Lynne Dodds is an American actress. She played Kate in the 2006 series ''Not Going Out'', alongside Lee Mack and Tim Vine, and has appeared in the series '' Spooks'', ''House'', ''Detroit 1-8-7'', and ''CSI: NY'', and the films ''Ever Afte ...

) (2002–2004) - CIA Agent. *Jools Siviter (

Hugh Laurie James Hugh Calum Laurie (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian, writer, and musician. He first gained recognition for his work as one half of the comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. The two men acted together in a ...

) (2002) - MI6 Section Chief.

Significant others

Maya Lahan Doctor Maya Lahan is a fictional character from the United Kingdom, British espionage television series ''Spooks (TV series), Spooks'', which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division in MI5. She is portrayed by British act ...

(

Laila Rouass Laila Rouass (née Abdesselam) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayals of Amber Gates in ''Footballers' Wives'' (2004–2006) and Sahira Shah in ''Holby City'' (2011–2012, 2021). She has also starred in ''Primeval'' and '' ...

) (2010) Lucas's Ex Girlfriend. *Elizabeta Starkova (

Paloma Baeza Paloma Baeza (born 1 May 1975) is a British actress and director of English and Mexican heritage. Her 2017 film ''Poles Apart'' won the BAFTA for best animated short film in 2018. Biography Baeza was born in London and spent her childhood in Me ...

) (2008) - Lucas North's ex-wife *Will North ( Richard Harrington) (2004) - Zoe Reynolds' fiancé. *Ellie Simm (

Esther Hall Esther Jane Hall (born 28 August 1970) is an English actress who has appeared in a number of television dramas. Early life Born in Manchester in 1970 and brought up in Cheshire, she took A levels in Manchester before training in theatre arts ...

) (2002–2003) - Tom Quinn's ex-girlfriend. *Vicki Westbrook (

Natasha Little Natasha Emma Little (born 2 October 1969) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Edith Thompson in the film '' Another Life'', Lady Caroline Langbourne in the BBC miniseries ''The Night Manager'', and Christina Moxam in the B ...

) (2003) - Tom Quinn's ex-girlfriend. *Carlo Franceschini (

Enzo Cilenti Vincenzo Leonardo "Enzo" Cilenti (born 8 August 1974) is an English actor, known for his roles in works such as '' The Theory of Everything'', ''Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'', and ''Game of Thrones''. Early life Cilenti was born in Bradford, ...

) (2003) - Zoe Reynolds' ex-boyfriend.

UK Ministers

These fictional UK cabinet ministers managed the team or have been characters in some episodes. *

Nicholas Blake Cecil Day-Lewis (or Day Lewis; 27 April 1904 – 22 May 1972), often written as C. Day-Lewis, was an Irish-born British poet and Poet Laureate from 1968 until his death in 1972. He also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Bla ...

- Home Secretary - (

Robert Glenister Robert Lewis Glenister (born 11 March 1960 in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor. The son of the television director John Glenister and the older brother of actor Philip Glenister, his roles include con man Ash "Three Socks" Morgan in ...

) (2006–2009) killed 2010 *Rachel Beauchamp - Foreign Secretary - (

Jill Baker Jill Baker (born 1952) is a British actress who has worked extensively in theatre and television for 50 years. Personal life Baker is a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She and actor Bob Peck were married for 17 years, from 198 ...

) (Series 7, Episode 6) *Gillian Calderwood - Chancellor of the Exchequer - (

Selina Cadell Selina Jane Cadell (born 12 August 1953) is an English actress. She is the younger sister of actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter of actress Jean Cadell. She is the great niece of the Scottish artist Francis Cadell. Biography Cadell was born ...

) (Series 7, Episode 5) *Caroline Fox - Deputy Prime Minister - (

Cheryl Campbell Cheryl Campbell (born 22 May 1949) is an English actor of stage, film and television. She starred opposite Bob Hoskins in the 1978 BBC drama '' Pennies From Heaven'', before going on to win the 1980 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for ''Testamen ...

) ( Series 5, Episode 10) *James Allan - Foreign Secretary - (

Alex Jennings Alex Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen, who worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings received three Olivier Awards, winning for ...

) (

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

) *Ruth Chambers - Foreign Secretary - (

Angela Bruce Angela Bruce (born 6 May 1951) is an English actress, noted for her television work. Bruce was born in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire to a West Indian father and white mother, but was put up for adoption aged three, and brought up in Craghead, ...

) (

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) *unnamed Home Secretary - (

Jeff Rawle Jeffrey Alan Rawle (born 20 July 1951) is an English actor. He is known for portraying George Dent in the news-gathering sitcom ''Drop the Dead Donkey''. He also portrayed Silas Blissett in ''Hollyoaks'' from December 2010 until 2012. Rawle retu ...

) (2005) *Alan Taylor - Cabinet Secretary - (

) *Richard Maynard - Defence Secretary - mentioned but resigned later. *Daniel Wise - Foreign Trade Minister - (

Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew (born 23 August 1954) is a British actor and musician from Portsmouth, England who has worked widely in both theatre and television. In March 2018, Bartholomew joined the cast of ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', as Geoff ...

) (

) *Andrew Lawrence - Home Secretary - (

Tobias Menzies Tobias Simpson Menzies (born 7 March 1974) is an English stage, television and film actor. He is known for playing Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in the third and fourth seasons of Netflix's series ''The Crown'', for which he won the Primetime ...

) (2009) *William Towers - Home Secretary - (

) (2010-2011)

Other guest stars

Series 1

Anthony Head Anthony Stewart Head (born 20 February 1954) is an English actor and singer. Primarily a performer in musical theatre, he rose to fame in the UK in the 1980s following his role in the Gold Blend couple television advertisements for Nescafé, w ...

- Traitor's Gate (1#4) *

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

- (1#5)

Series 2

Alexander Siddig Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi (born 21 November 1965) is a Sudanese-born English actor and director known professionally as Siddig El Fadil and subsequently as Alexander Siddig. Siddig i ...

- Series 2, Episode 2

Series 3

Anton Lesser Anton Lesser (born 14 February 1952) is an English actor. He is well known for his roles as Qyburn in the HBO series '' Game of Thrones'', as Thomas More in ''Wolf Hall'', as Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in ''The Crown'', as Prime Ministe ...

- Series 3, Episode 4 *

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Goll ...

- Series 3, Episode 8

Series 4

Martine McCutcheon Martine Kimberley Sherrie McCutcheon (formerly Ponting, born 14 May 1976) is an English actress and singer. She began appearing in television commercials at an early age and made her television debut in the children's television drama ''Bluebird ...

- Series 4, Episode 2 *

Andrew Tiernan Andrew James Tiernan (born 30 November 1965) is a British actor and director. Biography Theatre Tiernan began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year diploma in acting at the Drama Centre Lo ...

Surreal World Surreal World is a leading boutique Australian visual effects and animation studio based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1995 as the creative studio of Melbourne artist, composer, animator, and filmmaker, John Francis. From beginnin ...

and

The Possibility of a Mole '' Spooks'' (known as ''MI-5'' in certain countries) is a British spy drama television series, created by David Wolstencroft. It debuted on BBC One on 13 May 2002. The series follows the activities of the intelligence officers of Section D in M ...

(4#1 and 4#2) *

Jimi Mistry Jimi Mistry (born 1 January 1973) is a retired British actor. He is known for appearing in numerous films such as '' East Is East'' (1999), '' The Guru'' (2002), ''Ella Enchanted'' (2004), '' The Truth About Love'' (2005), '' Blood Diamond'' (2 ...

- Series 4, Episode 6

Series 5

Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gugulethu Sophia Mbatha-Raw (; born 21 April 1983) is a British actress who is known for her performances on stage and screen. In 2017 she was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama ...

as Jenny

Series 6

Series 7

Paul Rhys Paul Rhys (born 19 December 1963) is a Welsh theatre, television and film actor. Early life Rhys was born in Neath to working class Catholic parents, Kathryn Ivory and her husband Richard Charles Rhys, a labourer. At fourteen, he bred and train ...

as Alexis Meynell - Episode 5

Timeline

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Spooks Characters Spooks Spooks Spooks (TV series)