Season 5
Spooks (also known as MI-5) is a British television drama series created by David Wolstencroft and produced by Kudos for BBC One. The title derives from a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 intelligence officers at Thames House.
The series aired in the UK on BBC One from 13 May, 2002 to 23 October, 2011. There are 86 hour-long episodes in 10 seasons.
Spooks originally premiered in South Africa on SABC3 on Saturday 2 November 2002, at 20h30. Only the first season aired on SABC3. The series later aired on DStv's BBC Entertainment (formerly BBC Prime) and Hallmark channels. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 5 premiered on BBC Entertainment on Thursday 4 September 2008, at 20h30. There are 10 hour-long episodes in the fifth season.
Season 5 Repeats
Fridays: 00h00
Saturdays: 21h00
Sundays: 01h00
Season 5
How the last season ended:
On the eve of her stepbrother's suicide, Ruth is visited by his partner Angela, an ex-MI5 officer famous for her operational accomplishments.
Angela asks Ruth for help in procuring the evidence that proves that MI5 - and more specifically Harry - assassinated Lady Diana, the news of which ultimately brought about Peter's suicide.
Ruth dismisses the idea, but the following day Angela walks on to the Grid carrying a bomb big enough to explode the whole of Thames House. Angela forces the team to find evidence that MI5 killed Diana.
The team search through the night, building a story based on facts and conspiracy theories and it begins to look as though there might be truth to the claim, until Harry disproves it.
Ruth finally gets through to Angela by constructing a 'truth' about her relationship with Peter. The team agree to award Angela 'victim in the field' status and allow her to walk free, but as she disappears Ruth notices the Buckingham Palace security plans have gone missing - Angela plans to blow up Buckingham Palace.
Adam and Harry realise that Angela is dangerous and must be caught. They rush back to Thames House to rally the team. As they step from their car, gunshots ring out.
Adam is shot and falls to the floor; Harry looks round desperately and finally sees Angela on top of a building. He is staring down the barrel of a gun...
Episode One
As Adam recovers in hospital, he hears that the country is falling apart. A terror attack on a gas and oil depot has led to energy rationing and people are dying of cold. The media are blaming weak leadership and one media group in particular is peddling anti-Government propaganda.
Galvanised by events, Adam discharges himself from hospital and returns to work.
Jo is protecting the Prime Minister's son, Rowan, who has received death threats.
Meanwhile, the country is gripped by another wave of terror when rumours of biological warfare are propagated by the anti-Government media group.
Harry is furious and confronts Millington, the media tycoon responsible for spreading mass panic.
When the team discovers that intelligence about the gas and oil attack was ignored by MI6, they grow suspicious of MI6 boss Collingwood.
Adam embarks on a game of cat-and-mouse with Collingwood's colleague, Ros. Both attempt to gain information for their side. It soon becomes clear that, far from there being a foreign terror threat, a team of highly influential businessmen and politicians are attempting to stage a coup and take control of government.
Adam fears that Ros is involved and has been leaking information back to the conspirators. He confronts her and the conspirators are forced to reveal themselves - headed by Ros's father, business mogul Jocelyn Myers.
But they won't be defeated easily and have set in motion a chain of attacks, including a mid-air plane collision over London and a car bomb aimed at the Home Secretary...
Can the team avert the attacks in time, and just whose side will Ros prove to be on?
Episode Two
With seconds to spare, the team manage to warn the Home Secretary about the car bomb and he survives; although Juliet is also caught in the attack and is not so lucky – she is paralysed.
But the conspirators still have the upper hand and have direct control over a terrified and weakened Prime Minister, who is ready to announce the introduction of "special measures to protect democracy", essentially turning Britain into a dictatorship.
Harry is appalled. It is now paramount to get to the PM, using his son Rowan, still on the run with Jo. The situation grows ever more grave as Harry is captured and held at a detention centre overseen by Collingwood.
Ros is in contact with Adam, but still won't accept the evidence against her father and refuses to co-operate. She still believes there is good in the conspirators' ultimate goals.
Meanwhile a civil rights march is brewing in protest against the first executive order. Jo persuades Rowan to make a plea to his father. He agrees and they head back to London to join the march, where Rowan delivers a speech to a news camera.
Harry awaits execution in a cell, along with a civil rights campaigner and others who might prove a threat to the new regime.
Malcolm and Ruth uncover damning evidence against Jocelyn Myers, which Adam uses to turn Ros. She cracks and together they rush to stop her father – but is it too late to save Harry?
Spin-Off
Following the success of the BBC Three Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood, the controller of BBC Three, Julian Bellamy, announced a Spooks spin-off entitled Spooks: Code 9 in December 2006. The show premiered in the UK on 10 August, 2008.
Seasons
Season 1 (6 episodes)
Channel: SABC3 | Premiere: 2 Nov 2002 | Finale: 7 Dec 2002 | Saturdays, 20h30
Season 2 (10 episodes)
Channel: Hallmark | Premiere: 4 Feb 2007 | Finale: 8 Apr 2007 | Sundays, 21h00
Season 3 (10 episodes)
Channel: BBC Prime | Premiere: 15 Dec 2006 | Finale: 16 Feb 2007 | Fridays, 21h00
Season 4 (10 episodes)
Channel: BBC Prime | Premiere: 14 May 2008 | Finale: 16 Jul 2008 | Wednesdays, 22h30
Season 5 (10 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 4 Sep 2008 | Finale: 6 Nov 2008 | Thursdays, 20h30
Season 6 (10 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 8 Jul 2009 | Finale: 9 Sep 2009 | Wednesdays, 20h30
Season 7 (8 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 11 Jan 2010 | Finale: 1 Mar 2010 | Mondays, 21h30
Season 8 (8 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 27 Feb 2011 | Finale: 17 Apr 2011 | Sundays, 20h00
Season 9 (8 episodes)
Channel: BBC Entertainment | Premiere: 14 Sep 2012 | Finale: 2 Nov 2012 | Fridays, 21h05