The starriest spy show of the year is here! And it’s got guns and gore galore – not to mention Sarah Lancashire as an ice queen. Fill your festive boots
It has been a big year for big names engaging in small-screen espionage, but Black Doves may be the starriest yet. This nightmare before Christmas, which stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw and Sarah Lancashire, adds a festive twist to the spy genre, as the eponymous shady organisation of mercenaries find themselves wrapped up in a conspiracy that is – as these things always are – bigger than they first think it is going to be.
With that stellar cast, and its sombre trailers, I had expected it to be a straight-faced thriller. In fact, what emerges from the carnage that takes place before the opening titles begin is pulpy popcorn TV. Knightley plays Helen Webb, a spy who has infiltrated the top levels of the British government by assuming a false identity and marrying a man who would go on to become defence secretary. Her position at the heart of the establishment gives her ample opportunity to joke about how dull Tory wives can be, and to assist the Black Doves in passing on state secrets to the highest bidder. Whishaw is Sam, a sensitive trigger man (which is a nice way of saying assassin), who kills people to order, for large amounts of money, but is conflicted about it. And Lancashire – sporting sharp bob, strong tailoring, deadly whisper – is Reed, the Black Doves’ icy boss and overlord.
