SECRET SERVICE: GEMMA ARTERTON LEADS CAST OF NEW ITV ESPIONAGE DRAMA BASED ON TOM BRADBY NOVEL

Acclaimed award-winning actress Gemma Arterton (Funny Woman, The Critic) will lead the cast of ITV’s thrilling new espionage drama, Secret Service, adapted from the tense and topical novel by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby and produced by Potboiler Productions.

Joining Gemma is an impressive ensemble cast featuring television, film and theatre actor Rafe Spall (The English, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Mark Stanley (Adolescence, Happy Valley), Alex Kingston (Douglas is Cancelled, Doctor Who), Roger Allam (Endeavour, The Choral), Amaka Okafor (Bodies, The Responder) and Khalid Abdalla (The Day of the Jackal, The Crown). 

Commented Gemma Arterton: “I am delighted to be stepping into the world of such a topical and gripping espionage thriller with this talented creative team. Collaborating with Tom Bradby, Jemma Kennedy, James Marsh, and the remarkable production team at Potboiler is incredibly exciting. I can’t wait to bring this story to life alongside the outstanding cast."

The five-part series marks a creative reunion between Tom Bradby and Oscar-winner James Marsh, the renowned director behind Man on Wire, which won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and The Theory of Everything, the multi-award-winning biopic of physicist Stephen Hawking. This collaboration follows their successful partnership on feature film Shadow Dancer.

The ensemble cast also includes Avi Nash, Aoife Hinds, Rochenda Sandall, Alma Prelec, Galaxie Clear, Harley Barton, Michael Tcherepashenets, Petar Zekavica, Miglen Mirtchev, Juris Žagars and Lana Vlady.

Commented James Marsh: “We’ve assembled a brilliant ensemble of actors to bring to life these gripping, compelling scripts which have uncanny echoes in real-world politics. It’s an exciting and irresistible prospect for a film maker.”

Tom has also teamed up with fellow screenwriter Jemma Kennedy (The Buccaneers, Captain Webb) to bring this gripping drama to life, which will be filmed on location in Malta and London this spring.

Commented Tom Bradby: “It is unbelievably exciting to be on the cusp of filming this drama and very thrilling to be working with James Marsh again, after the brilliant experience we had with Shadow Dancer. And as for the cast? Gemma Arterton, Rafe Spall, Roger Allam and many more fantastic actors… I'm really blown away by the quality of the cast Gail and the producers have put together. And the show could hardly be more timely and topical.”

Commissioned for ITV by Director of Drama, Polly Hill, Secret Service promises to be a powerful drama that captures the complexity of contemporary geopolitics while delivering edge-of-your-seat storytelling.

Suspenseful, topical and deeply rooted in today’s political landscape, Secret Service delves into long-standing tensions between Russia and the UK, posing urgent questions about the extent of Russian interference in British politics.

The drama follows senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Gemma Arterton). On the surface, her life appears ordinary—a civil servant married to Stuart (Rafe Spall) with two teenage children. However, to those who don’t know her well, Kate’s true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service.

When her undercover operations reveal alarming evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be a Russian asset, Kate finds herself in a desperate race to uncover their identity. As a brutal murder thrusts her team into the spotlight, Kate must navigate the dangerous world of espionage while trying to hold her family together and protect her reputation.

Produced by leading independent producers Potboiler Productions, the series will be executive produced by Gail Egan (Funny Woman, A Most Wanted Man, The Little Stranger) and Andrea Calderwood (The Buccaneers, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind).

James Marsh will direct the first three episodes, with Farren Blackburn (Gangs of London, The Winter King, A Discovery of Witches) joining to direct episodes four and five. All five episodes are co-written by Tom Bradby and Jemma Kennedy. The production will be overseen by Drama Commissioners, Helen Ziegler and Huw Kennair Jones, on behalf of the broadcaster. All3Media International are co-commissioners and will be responsible for the international distribution of the drama.

The series will premiere on ITV1, STV, ITVX, and STV Player in 2026.