Nest of Angels
After their previous asset is discovered and brutally expelled, the team turn to Muhammed Ibhn Khaldun (Alexander Siddig), an Algerian agent who left his country to work with the British.
Brenton came up with the idea to show an episode dealing with a Muslim hero set out to stop a group of Islamic terrorists.
Nearly a thousand complaints were made, although cast and crew members argued that the Muslims who opposed the episode did not understand the context.
MI5 plant an asset Johnny Patel (San Shella) at the Parkmount mosque and community centre in Birmingham to follow Muhammed Rachid, an Afghan-born mullah who is acting more hostile to the West.
He turns to Tessa Phillips (Jenny Agutter), now a manager at a security firm since she was fired in the first series finale for running phantom agents for monetary gain.
Later, new officer Ruth Evershed, transferred from Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), informs the team that Metropolitan Police have arrested Muhammed Ibhn Khaldun, an Algerian secret service agent.
After his release Khaldun reveals that since the death of his family, he desired to leave Algeria to work for British intelligence, so he fooled his agency into believing he was killed while stopping a jihadist group in France, before smuggling himself into England via a Channel Tunnel freight train.
Zoe Reynolds (Keeley Hawes) continues seeing Carlo Franceschini (Enzo Cilenti), also introduced in the previous episode, at a bar.
However, that night, Khaldun sneaks into Tom's bedroom at the university campus, and warns him that Rachid is keeping explosives, and a suicide attack will take place the next day, but will not disclose where.
Khaldun meanwhile, kills Rachid's men in an empty building, and attempts to disarm the bomber, young Abu Hassan (Taahir Husein), but he runs away into a playground.
The story idea came from writer Howard Brenton, who wanted to delve into the world of suicide bombings, a significant issue in national security.
It became the first episode in Spooks that explicitly portrays Islamic extremism, which Oyelowo described as a "hot potato" because of this sensitive issue.
Series creator David Wolstencroft meanwhile, emphasised that the episode not only showed Islamic extremism, but a more peaceful side of the religion as well, and that the producers should not shy away from those issues.
[3] The episode also further explores the Grid characters' private lives, however some of the ideas had to be dropped due to the amount of plot towards the main storyline.
The first of a series of characters in which I have tried to explore that element of academic Arabs who are disenfranchised by the modern militant wave, whose ideas of Islam have been completely usurped by a much more vocal youth and the various clerics.
The episode included a guest appearance from Alexander Siddig, who played the "Muslim hero" Muhammed Ibhn Khaldun.
The final scenes of the episode were shot at the shore of the River Thames near the National Film Theatre, which houses a beach during low tide.
Also, when discussing how Johnny would be expelled from the mosque afterwards, Nalluri suggested using the idea where he is thrown to the top of the surveillance van, which would give the audience the impression that the antagonists were on to them.
Following the broadcast of the episode, the producers were surprised to hear that the BBC were unhappy with a scene showing Harry holding a Costa Coffee cup, as the corporation believed it was done out of product placement.
Inayat Bunglawala, the media secretary for the Muslim Council of Britain, stated "We can't deny that the BBC have a right to screen a drama about this – it is topical," but "It is the treatment of the subject that will lead to attacks.
The BBC however denied that the episode had influence on the incidents, and West Midlands Police ruled that there was no evidence linking the attacks to the programme.
[11] The BBC further defended the episode, by stating the Muslim involvement towards making it, and that it does not suggest that mosques breed terrorists.
Instead of being a well-informed piece of film-making, this episode of Spooks pandered to grossly offensive and Islamophobic caricatures of imams, Muslim students and mosques," and warned that the "increased amount of Islamophobia that is sure to result from the broadcasting of this programme at peak-time is wholly unacceptable and a gross violation of your responsibilities as a public service broadcaster."
"[16] Also, Ahtsham Ali of the Islamic Society of Britain claimed that the episode "adds fuel to the fire of already negative perceptions of Muslims and fans the flames of British National Party rhetoric.
Stephen Garrett, the director of Kudos Film and Television, the producer of Spooks agreed, further stating that the episode "deals with very real stuff that's happening in the world.
Brenton meanwhile stated that "people are free to make what they want of drama," and believed the audience did not like the villains as they portrayed something disturbing in their culture, religion, world or profession.
