A new show called London Spy caught my eye last night on BBC2. Its a 5 part, slow burning espionage thriller which I found instantly compelling. Director Jakob Verbruggen has worked The Bridge and The Fall and if you are interested in the way things are shot you may recognize some of his style.
There was a strong romance element in the first episode that was really touching. The sex scenes were beautifully shot and the acting in some of the more emotional scenes where the characters were getting to know each other was excellent. The Alex character was a little unusual in a similar kind of way that Saga is in The Bridge, but like Saga and Martin, the scenes of him and Danny interacting were something special. Scenes like this remind the viewer that the world is full of unique people living their lives in their own different ways. Verbruggen and writer Tom Rob Smith really captured that special feeling of first meeting someone you really like and want to get to know better. London looked amazing and there was some lovely attention to detail in the episode which helped to draw the viewer into the story.
Two things struck me as odd. One was the jump 8 months into the future. I can fill in the gap with a story about a beautiful relationship blossoming but something tells me that more will be revealed in future episodes. Secondly I am thinking that Jim Broadbent’s character Scottie knows more than he is letting on.
I am hooked!
Mondays, BBC2 9 pm
Nordic Noir 