BBC Worldwide secures US deal for MI5 drama Spooks

LONDON - The BBC has sold its hit drama 'Spooks' about the UK intelligence service MI5 to the US in a deal that will see the first and the upcoming second series appear on American television.

The progamme has been sold to the US broadcaster A&E Networks in a deal with the BBC Sales Company, the New York sales office of the corporation's commercial arm BBC Worldwide.

The deal, the value of which has not been disclosed, will see the first and second series -- a total of 14 episodes -- aired on A&E over the spring/summer period. In the UK, the second series is due to air in the spring.

A&E has co-produced the second series with the BBC as part of the deal. The first was co-produced with UK producer Kudos.

The show stars Matthew Macfadyen (who also appeared in the New Labour drama 'The Project'), Keeley Hawes ('Tipping the Velvet'), Peter Firth, who is known for his roles in 'Amistad' and 'The Hunt For Red October', and Jenny Agutter.

The second series sees the cast joined by Natasha Little, who plays Dr Vicki Westbrook, and is best known for her roles as Rachel in 'This Life' and Becky Sharp in Andrew Davies' adaptation of Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair' for BBC One.

'Spooks' follows the often intertwined professional and personal lives of the UK's secret service MI5 as they try to crack terrorist and drug-running operations.

When the first series was screened in the UK in May, it attracted a 41% audience share, with 9m viewers. It was described by Heat magazine as "The finest British thriller series in years".

The second series gets off to an explosive start, picking up at the moment that the first one finished, as the girlfriend of Tom (Macfadyen) and her young daughter are trapped inside a securely sealed house in which an Irish terrorist bomb is about to explode and there's no way out.

Gareth Neame, head of independent drama commissioning for the BBC, said: "'Spooks' has emphasised the strong appeal of a series set in a world in which terrorism -- and the threat of national security -- is a constant reality."

Series one of 'Spooks' has already been licensed to broadcasters in Belgium, Finland, Israel, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Iceland, the Netherlands and Australia. The second series will be aired in Sweden.

The deal with VRT Belgium was among a number of deals BBC Worldwide secured at Mipcom in Cannes in October, which netted the broadcaster £5m.

Other shows snapped by the Belgian broadcaster at the show were 'Crime and Punishment' starring John Simms, 'Merseybeat', 'Tweenies' and teen action hero 'Ace Lightening'.

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