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This Forgotten 5-Part Spy Thriller Is Too Good To Miss for Fans of ‘Slow Horses’
A television writer at Collider is recommending "London Spy," a little-known 2015 BBC Two miniseries, to fans of Apple TV's "Slow Horses" left wanting more after each of that show's short six-episode seasons. The five-part thriller, now streaming on Prime Video, offers a similarly gripping espionage story despite having largely faded from public memory over the past decade.
Written by Tom Rob Smith, "London Spy" was inspired by the real-life 2010 death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams, whose body was found padlocked inside a bag. The drama follows Danny Holt (Ben Whishaw), whose romance with the secretive Alex Turner (Edward Holcroft) turns into a mystery when Alex disappears and is later found dead, revealing him to have been a spy for the Secret Intelligence Service under a false identity.
In short
- Collider recommends 2015 BBC miniseries "London Spy" to "Slow Horses" fans
- Five-episode thriller, inspired by a real 2010 MI6 death, streams on Prime Video
- Stars Ben Whishaw as a man uncovering his late partner's secret spy identity
Explained simply
London Spy is a five-part BBC drama written by Tom Rob Smith, first shown in 2015. It follows Danny Holt, played by Ben Whishaw, and Alex Turner, played by Edward Holcroft, whose relationship becomes entangled with the world of British intelligence.
Alex’s disappearance and death lead Danny to discover that Alex was a spy using a false identity. The series was inspired in part by the 2010 death of MI6 officer Gareth Williams, whose body was found inside a padlocked bag; it is a fictional drama, rather than a factual account of that case.
The story centres on the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6, which handles the UK’s overseas intelligence work. Its secrecy, and the gap between Alex’s private life and hidden role, shape the mystery and give viewers unfamiliar with spy dramas a route into the story.