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Ben Whishaw stars in “London Spy”

Actor Ben Whishaw, who has played “Q” in the Daniel Craig James Bond films “Skyfall” and “Spectre”, stars in the new BBC drama miniseries “London Spy” which premiered Monday.

Produced by Working Title Television, “London Spy” centers on a romantic encounter between two young men of whom one is working for the Secret Intelligence Service. Hedonist Danny (Ben Whishaw), having just pulled an all-nighter, first meets the enigmatic Alex (Edward Holcroft) on Vauxhall Bridge that leads to the famous MI6 building. A random and yet fateful encounter. Both men fall in love with each other and soon become intimate.

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Ben Whishaw and Edward Holcroft in a scene from “London Spy” – Photo: BBC TV / WTTV Limited

Suddenly, Alex disappears and Danny is mysteriously given the key to Alex’ appartment where he discovers his dead body. Questioned by the police, he is informed about the true identity of the man he fell in love with and that he wasn’t who he pretended to be.

Written by award-winning thriller author Tom Rob Smith, “London Spy” impresses with a strong acting performance by Whishaw (35) who portrays aimless but romantic Danny. While the first episode of the espionage drama is not at all about heart-stopping spy action as the show’s title might suggest, it establishes the story at a very slow but sensitive tempo. Thus, it creates space for the drama to unfold and draws the viewer into the situation. Pretty soon it becomes evident, that something is odd about Alex and you quickly begin to realise that a third party, operating in the shadows, is involved.

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Ben Whishaw filming scenes for “London Spy” on Vauxhall Bridge in February 2015 – Photo: WENN

It is always refreshing to see Royal Academy of Dramatic Art trained Ben Whishaw in a leading role. His recurring supporting role of “Q” in the last two James Bond films has been exceptionally well-received but despite having a more substantial role in the recently released 24th Bond thriller “Spectre”, the role isn’t sufficiently important enough as to max out his full acting potential. In “London Spy”, the viewer is treated to a brilliantly nuanced performance by Whishaw who has the captivating ability to turn his slightly accented speech and facial expressions into a believable character portrayal.

Over the course of five weeks, the gripping spy drama will unfold with a stellar cast joining actor Ben Whishaw. Among them are four-time César Award nominee Charlotte Rampling, Academy Award winner Jim Broadbent as well as Mark Gatiss who also co-created and co-produced Sherlock, a modernised adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories.

One Comment

  1. kiersten kiersten February 11, 2016

    I could not resist commenting. Well written!

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