EXCLUSIVE: Things Get Twisted on 'London Spy,' Your New Favorite Espionage Series
Things are definitely getting twisted on London Spy.
The five-part BBC America mini-series, which premiered on
Jan. 21, adds a modern dimension to an old genre by tweaking the gender roles of
the typical spy and damsel setup.
On London Spy, Ben
Whishaw sets his Bond spectacles aside to play Danny, a young man in a chance
romance with the strapping Alex (Kingsman: The Secret Service's Edward Holcroft). Things go awry when Alex
disappears and is later found dead. Soon after, Danny finds himself deep in the
world of espionage as he searches for the truth about his dead lover.
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In ETonline’s exclusive look at episode four, things take a
dramatic turn when Danny finds himself facing a strikingly similar situation to
when he first met and fell for Alex.
As Danny embarks on his mission to prove that he knew the
real Alex, whoever he may be, he comes across a formidable foe in the form of
Oscar-nominated actress Charlotte Rampling and seeks out the help of his friend
and mentor, Scottie (Jim Broadbent).
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While the show is full of the twists and turns that come with a spy thriller, it’s the gay romance at the center that keeps things fresh
and intriguing. “Clearly the gay thing is central to the story. Not because of
any particular agenda that I had, but because I thought the most interesting
version of this story is to have a gay couple,” creator Tom Rob Smith told Vanity Fair. “Because it’s about
someone’s love story being attacked by stereotypes. And I can’t see how that
would work with a straight couple, in a straightforward sense.”
As momentum and word-of-mouth for the series builds in the
U.S., viewers trying to catch up can watch the first three episodes On Demand or stream episodes in full (with a login) at BBCAmerica.com. The show's also available for purchase on iTunes, where London Spy
was dubbed “Editor’s Choice.”
London Spy airs
Thursdays at 10 p.m. on BBC America.