'Funny Woman's Gemma Arterton To Join Roger Allam in 'Secret Service'

A little less than a year ago, ITV announced it was commissioning Secret Service, based on the bestselling novel by Tom Bradby, with the author adapting his own work with screenwriter Jemma Kennedy. A political thriller about U.K.-Russia relations that was initially released in 2019, it is the first in Bradby's Katherine Henderson Thrillers series. Since the announcement, there's been little news about the project or a production partner here in the States. However, that may be about to change, as filming is now going forward with an all-star cast led by Funny Woman's Gemma Arterton as the series' titular MI-6 sleuth.

The third Katherine Henderson Thriller novel, Triple Cross, is arriving on shelves and Kindles in April 2025, so ITV's release of the filming announcement is timely and should help spur Bradby's new release right up the best-seller list. Moreover, Arterton is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cast. She'll be headlining the series with Endeavour's fan-favorite, Roger Allam, who plays her boss, C, the be-knighted head of MI-6.

While a political thriller seems probably better suited to BritBox than as a PBS series, Arterton and Allam are two actors who have been on Sunday nights regularly in the States, with shows on PBS. With no American distribution and Funny Woman not looking like it'll land a Season 3, PBS picking up this female-led James Bond-style series is a possibility.

Here's the series synopsis:

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. On the surface, her life appears ordinary—a civil servant married to Stuart 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.

Arterton and Allam are joined by Rafe Spall (Trying), Mark Stanley (Adolescence), Alex Kingston (Douglas is Cancelled), Amaka Okafor (The Responder), and Khalid Abdalla (The Day of the Jackal). Supporting cast includes Petar Zekavica (Miss Scarlet), Miglen Mirtchev (The Crimson Rivers), Lana Vlady (One Step From Heaven), Avi Nash (Black Mirror), Aoife Hinds (The Long Call), Rochenda Sandall (Hijack), Alma Prelec (Fifteen-Love), Michael Tcherepashenets (Young Wallander), Juris Zagars (The Agency), and newcomers Galaxie Clear and Harley Barton.

Bradby and Kennedy penned all five episodes, with directors James Marsh (The Theory of Everything) and Farren Blackburn (Gangs of London) splitting helming duties. Interesting to note that the series will be executive produced by Funny Woman's Gail Egan & Andrea Calderwood for Potboiler Productions.

Filming for Secret Service is expected to start in the U.K. in the coming weeks. ITV has slated its release for 2026.