MI-5: Volume 1

BAFTA? Awards
2003 - Best Drama Series

?So good it makes you want to be a spy.? -Guardian
?Smart and fast ... this show should not be kept a secret.?- Guardian
?The problem confronted by any drama involved with special intelligence, undercover or police units is the difficulty of taking a well-worn genre and making it feel fresh and original. Spooks succeeds brilliantly ... the production standards are mesmerising, and it kicks over a routine audience expectation to shocking effect.You have been warned.? -The Times
?This is exciting, clever, gung ho television ? fast-paced and well-acted, full of split screens, technical wizardry and deft touches.?- The Times
?Very, very cool.?- Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
?Spooks pushes itself right to the forefront of edgy, suspenseful television"- Cult Times, California, USA

Action-packed drama taking us into the thrilling world of MI5, the clandestine security service, and the people who make up the elite team. There's organised crime, terrorist activities, embassy sieges, weapons proliferation, subversives, anarchists and drug traffickers, not to mention the conflicts and power struggles that they have to deal with back in the office. A topical and edgy drama about passion, jeopardy and the intrigue of people who have to lie for a living - and who can never tell the truth to their loved ones about what it is that they do.

Episode 1 - An MI5 source passes on information that 20 bombs have gone astray between Ireland and the UK. Within minutes a car bomb explodes, instantly killing a female doctor and fatally injuring her daughter as they set off on the school run. On discovering the doctor and her husband are family planning doctors, MI5 begin looking at the possibility of a pro-life terrorist.

Prime suspect is an American woman, Mary Kane (Lisa Eichhorn). She?s a fanatic, convinced that murder is justified in her war against abortion. It?s possible that Mary is pursuing a campaign of terror in honour of her husband, who is about to go to the electric chair for killing a doctor in Florida.The bombs are in commemoration. MI5?s intelligence leads them to Kane?s cottage. Posing as a gas inspector, Zoe and a team bug the place.

Later, Harry is unhappy to be the bearer of bad news. He tells Tom and the team ? who are growing ever-more single-minded in their pursuit of Kane ? that the CIA is demanding Mary be caught immediately and handed over to the US.Tom is reluctant to relinquish control; he?s too close. Mary needs to be left in the field until they know where the bombs are and what she?s planning.

After Mary evades the surveillance on her, Zoe goes undercover. She befriends one of Mary's supporters, Rachel, and traps her.Tom puts pressure on Rachel to tell them information by showing her the dying girl. Her phone is bugged and, during a tearful call to her husband, Rachel mentions the name 'Sullivan'. The MI5 team immediately search for abortion specialists with the same name and find one in London. Sullivan is the next target. Zoe takes her place and poses as the doctor, in order to act as human bait.The lure works and Mary Kane sets out to claim her next victim. Will they be able to stop her in time?

Episode 2 - Danny and his team bug a house belonging to Robert Osborne (Kevin McNally), the owner of an Essex waste management company who MI5 suspect to be involved in provoking escalating race riots across the country.The operation is called off when it becomes obvious Osborne has too many security counter-measures in his house.At his own home,Tom is under extra pressure because he?s finding it increasingly difficult to keep his job secret from Ellie.

When the scheduled runner operation also goes wrong,Tom and Helen are forced undercover in Osborne?s neighbourhood, posing as a married couple.There only way to Osborne is through his wife, Claire (Debra Stephenson), whom they know is being beaten by her husband. Claire Osborne gradually grows closer to Tom and Helen, as they help her to overcome a series of small setbacks ? a punctured tyre, a stolen bag ? all of which are engineered by MI5.Their charm offensive works and Tom and Helen are invited to dinner with the Osbornes.

Osborne, however, is suspicious of his wife?s new friends and checks up on their background. MI5 have this covered but, at dinner, Osborne manages to get Helen alone and tricks her. Despite falling for it, Helen covers well and Osborne appears to accept her story.

While Tom and Helen continue their operation, Zoe, currently working on an unrelated project with Tessa, learns that their own investigation into a group of Turkish refugee smugglers also leads to Osborne. Helen and Tom move to close.Tom admits to Claire he?s a government officer and that he and Helen are actually investigating her husband. He calculates that an offer of sanctuary for her and her son ? away from the abusive Osborne ? will be enough to bring Claire on-side.

Meanwhile however, Osborne realises someone?s onto him, and orders his henchman to bring Tom and Helen to him.Tom arrives home to find Helen with a gun held to her head. After being bundled into a van, next to a dead body, the situation quickly spirals out of control.Tom is forced to choose between the integrity of his operation and his and Helen?s safety.

Episode 3 - Working undercover, Zoe attends a function at the State Consulate of Turkey. Whilst still inside, the building is dramatically stormed by heavily armed Kurdish freedom fighters. Led by the beautiful Leyla Ahmed (Katie Jones), the terrorists demand the release of fellow paramilitaries back home.The Kurds use the threat of violence to impose a siege and, for now, they?re in control.

Tom and Danny mount a surveillance operation to gather intelligence by feeding optic cables into the barricaded room. Surprisingly though, counter measures have been put in place, so it takes time to establish a link.

Back at the Grid,Tessa is stunned and confused to see a man whom she thinks is Johnny Marks (Christopher Fulford), a former British spy and secret lover of hers, in the CCTV footage taken before the siege. Marks was killed in a car accident fifteen years ago.Tessa convinces Harry that it is Marks ? he?s clearly alive, and connected to what is happening inside the State Consulate.

At the siege, the situation deteriorates as the Kurds? nerves fray. While the Attache General, wired to a bomb and placed outside on a balcony, begins to show signs of being unwell, Leyla Ahmed finds equipment in Zoe?s handbag that makes her suspicious.

Harry is horrified to discover that they have a second hostage situation. Johnny Marks has abducted the daughter of a banker who administrates the Ministry of Defence payroll.The banker?s identity is known only to a handful of people, but somehow Marks is now one of them.The bank contains information on all of MI5 and 6?s undercover agents, as well as millions of pounds.The security breach could be catastrophic.

The bank in question is five doors down from the State Consulate of Turkey; Harry surmises that Marks provoked his Kurdish contacts into staging the siege to create a diversion. Back from the dead, Marks? real goal is theft, and access to every agent?s name and details.

Tom and Danny must find a way to secure Zoe?s safety, bring an end to the siege and find Johnny Marks and his men before he escapes with information, capable of bringing British intelligence to its knees...

Episode 4 - Storming the State Consulate of Turkey (episode three) leaves Tom wounded and his girlfriend, Ellie, unable to accept any more of his lies.Tom is forced to reveal his real role to her and Maisie, but at work a more serious situation appears to be gathering momentum.

Anti-Bush and anti-globalisation rallies are planned in London and Danny and Zoe are sent to observe.Things become confused when they recognise a top MI5 officer, who appears to be undercover, but whom they weren?t told would be on the operation. Peter Salter (Anthony Head), however, is a respected officer, so Zoe makes the decision to let him go.

With Tom being Salter?s official confidante, Zoe calls him in. Harry admits to Tom that Salter is on a joint secret operation between MI5 and 6, in an effort to catch Istvan Vogel, the leader of an extreme anarchist group. MI6 suspect Vogel of planning to disrupt President Bush?s imminent visit to the UK. As Tom struggles to remain calm with the exasperating Jools Siviter of MI6 (Hugh Laurie), an increasingly tangled web yields unexpected news: Salter has fallen for one of Vogel?s followers, Andrea (Bronwen Davies). A showdown sees Tom order Salter off the case, but Salter flees. Unsure now whose side he is on,Tom and his team try desperately to find him. Things become further muddied when Harry, keen to regain control, commands Tessa contact one of her covert agents who, it?s thought, is undercover with a related anarchist group. Zoe goes to meet the agent, only to find Tessa waiting. The corrupt Tessa has been running phantom agents and pocketing their pay. She hands Zoe ?10,000, in return for her silence.

Whilst MI5 search for him, Salter, Andrea and other members of Vogel?s group break into a university campus, where Salter hacks into a computer. Security catches them in the act and, although the others escape, Salter is caught and hauled back to Harry and Siviter.

Tom uses all the tricks he learnt from Salter, and gets him to admit to betrayal but beyond this obvious admission, the secret services are still in the dark - and Bush?s visit is getting closer. What was he doing in the university?

Before Tom can attempt further interrogation, Salter takes sudden and drastic action to keep his secrets to himself.

Later that night, Danny suddenly realises what Salter?s computer hacking could mean. By now, however, his revelations could be too late.

Episode 5 - It?s a media scramble when ex-MP Hampton Wilder (Tim Pigott-Smith) is released from prison, having served a sentence for embezzlement. He is swiftly driven away in a car, accompanied by Danny: Wilder has requested an urgent meeting with MI5.

It is widely ?known? that Wilder was involved in illegal arms dealing whilst in government, and he is intensely disliked, particularly by those in MI5. Harry greets him in the underground car park of Thames House, and a bizarre interrogation ensues. Wilder says the reason he wanted a meeting is that, whilst in prison, he wrote his memoirs, in which he fingered a current serving minister of the MOD as his successor in the arms? trade. However, he then found God and tried to destroy the memoirs but they had gone from his hiding place... The minister in question is Richard Maynard (Nicholas Farrell), best friend of the PM and shining star of the government.The memoirs would create a scandal big enough to bring down the existing government.They must be found.Tom and Danny are despatched to the prison, but there is no sign of the manuscript.

Wilder also mentions ex-KGB spy, Sergai Lermov (David Calder), as being involved somehow. Lermov is well known to MI5 and Tom questions him, only to be shocked that Lermov also names Maynard. Perhaps he is guilty, and he, Maynard and Wilder all worked together. Lermov immediately goes to see Jools Siviter, where it transpires that he is a paid MI6 agent. However, Lermov is mysteriously killed later that night. Jools comes round to lay the blame at Harry?s door ? but not before giving Harry the manuscript: MI6 has had it all along. Maynard is called in for a ?briefing? at the Grid, in order to establish whether or not he is guilty of anything.Tessa is tasked to take special care of him, which she does, enthusiastically.They are in the midst of a secret affair and she later tells him what is really going on. Maynard vehemently denies any involvement.

At home, Zoe is struggling to come to terms with Tessa?s corruption, and Tom is having problems dealing with Maisie?s father, who has suddenly appeared on the scene. However, there is no time to deal with personal problems when the manuscript is mysteriously leaked to the press. All fingers are pointed at MI5, but Harry has other ideas.

Following the leak, Maynard announces his resignation from government.Tessa is appalled and goes straight round to see him, whilst Tom pays a visit to Wilder, and Harry and Jools spend some time over a bottle of whiskey. It seems that everybody needs to understand who is guilty of what, and why...

Episode 6 - The Grid is taken by immense surprise when a known Irish splinter group leader, Patrick McCann (Lorcan Cranitch), walks into a safe house, armed with a grenade and demands to talk to someone about Asabiyah. He has crucial information on the Middle-Eastern terrorist group and will only talk to someone high-ranking, who has prior knowledge of its existence. An emergency meeting is called, at which Tom offers to meet McCann. Harry, however, has doubts and is deeply suspicious of McCann?s motivation. A vote is called, and it?s agreed that Tom will meet McCann ? no wires, no back-up, as requested.

The meeting takes place in a field. Both men undress, in order to prove they?re not wearing wires, then McCann tells Tom what he knows. Asabiyah is planning to hit the British nuclear power station, Sefton B. His group has all the information MI5 needs. However, there?s a catch. In return for the information on Sefton B,Tom must agree to allow McCann?s group to go unwatched for 30 hours. Otherwise, no deal.

Back at the Grid, Harry is appalled by the fact that Tom and the rest of the team want to agree to the deal. Harry pulls rank and says no, but Tom goes over his head, straight to the DG, and gets the go-ahead. Consequently though, it seems that Harry may have been right. It becomes apparent that McCann plans to bomb a busy London railway station. Harry admits he had Tom tailed, and sends a take team to McCann?s hideout, but he has already left.

Tom takes Danny and Zoe aside, and tells them that they?re going to run an MI5 within MI5 ? they will organise a cover-up at the station, but will let Harry think they are following his plans. Although Danny and Zoe are unhappy about misleading Harry, it seems like the only thing to do, in order to stop the attack on the nuclear power station.

The cover-up is a relative success ? the roof is made to look as though it has collapsed, leading to the station being closed.The bomb explodes with no human injury, but is it enough to fool McCann? It doesn?t escape Harry?s notice that he?s been fed lies, and Tom is made to explain his reasons for going over Harry?s head, again. It?s just a matter of meeting McCann and getting the information they need, in order to prevent a national disaster... And then, once that?s over,Tom needs to sort out his relationship at home.

Defending their country, deceiving their friends, no one is immune from the eyes and ears of MI-5.

Enter the thrilling world of MI-5 - known to insiders simply as 'five' - the clandestine security service, and meet the people who make up the elite team. They tackle organized crime, terrorist activities, embassy sieges, weapons proliferation and anarchists, not to mention the conflicts and power struggles back in the office.

In a world where the roles of the intelligence services and secret agents are being thrown into greater importance, MI-5 is a timely new drama from a first-class creative team and with a superb cast.

This exclusive three-disc set includes all six episodes from the first season of this exciting spy drama, each including over ten minutes of footage not broadcast in the US. Also included is over two hours of bonus materials, featuring cast and crew interviews, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes! Also known as Spooks to some viewers.

BAFTA Awards:
Best Drama Series 2003

Cast
Tom Quinn. ...................................Matthew Macfadyen
Zoe Reynolds. .............................Keeley Hawes
Tessa Phillips. ................................Jenny Agutter
Harry Pearce. ...............................Peter Firth Pearl Harbor
Danny Hunter.............................David Oyelowo
Christine Dale.............................Megan Dodds
Malcolm Wynn-Davies. ...........Hugh Simon
Colin Wells. ...................................Rory Macgregor
Guest Stars
Helen Flynn. ..................................Lisa Faulkner
Robert Osborne. .......................Kevin McNally
Peter Salter. ...................................Anthony Head
Jules Siviter. ....................................Hugh Laurie
Hampton Wilder. .......................Tim Pigott-Smith
Richard Maynard. .......................Nicholas Farrell
Sergai Lermov. ............................David Calder
Patrick McCann..........................Lorcan Cranitch

Production Credits
Created by...................................................David Wolstencroft
Producer.......................................................Simon Crawford Collins
Series Producer............................................Jane Featherstone
Executive Producers.....................................Stephen Garrett, Gareth Neame