A Spy Among Friends

A Spy Among Friends is a British espionage thriller television series, starring Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis. It is based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, adapted by Alex Cary and directed by Nick Murphy.[1] It was available to stream on ITVX in the United Kingdom from December 2022, Amazon Prime Video in Canada from February 2023, and MGM+ in the United States from March 2023.

A Spy Among Friends
Genre
Based onA Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre
Written byAlexander Cary
Directed byNick Murphy
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Alexander Cary
  • Bob Bookman
  • Alan Gasmer
  • Peter Jaysen
  • Patrick Spence
  • Nick Murphy
ProducersChrissy Skinns
Damian Lewis
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original release8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)

Synopsis

In England in 1963, Nicholas Elliott (Lewis) is working for SIS as an intelligence officer and is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague, Kim Philby (Pearce), has been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB since 1932. Elliot interviews him in Beirut, and then Philby defects to the Soviet Union.

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date [2]
1"Boom-ooh-yatatatah"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
2"The Admiral's Glass"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
3"Allegory of the Catholic Faith"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
4"Vodka"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
5"Snow"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)
6"No Man's Land"Nick MurphyAlexander Cary8 December 2022 (2022-12-08)

Production

Principal photography took place in London, England and Romania, and finished in the spring of 2022.[3][4]

Broadcast

Broadcast in the United Kingdom on the streaming service ITVX was moved with a delay in the launch of ITVX from 1 November 2022[5][6] to 8 December 2022.[7] In February 2023 the series became available in Canada via Amazon Prime Video.[8] The series became available on MGM+ from March 12, 2023 in the United States.[9]

Reception

Critical reception of A Spy Among Friends was mixed, with Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian saying "There are plenty of small thrills to be had from a world built on codes and double meanings."[10] Stephanie Bunbury with Deadline wrote that the "unfolding of their negotiations" was "not seat-of-your-pants televisual excitement, but it is the stuff of sustained intrigue".[11] Jay Skelton with Reel Mockery called A Spy Among Friends "frustrating to watch".[12] However, Nick Hilton with The Independent said, "there is much to enjoy about A Spy Among Friends".[13]

Accolades

The series was nominated in the best mini-series category at the British Academy Television Awards, announced in March 2023.[14]

References
  1. "Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce in BritBox and Spectrum's 'A Spy Among Friends' – First Look Revealed (EXCLUSIVE)". 2 November 2021.
  2. ITV Press Centre (18 November 2022). "A Spy Among Friends (ITVX)". ITV. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  3. "A Spy Among Friends".
  4. "A Spy Among Friends: Cast, first look, and everything we know". 15 June 2022.
  5. "Damian Lewis & Guy Pearce Lead Cold War Limited Series 'A Spy Among Friends' for Spectrum Originals & BritBox UK". 6 October 2021.
  6. "A Spy Among Friends Coming To ITVX". 2 March 2022.
  7. "ITVX: From A Spy Among Friends to Litvinenko to Riches, what's on ITV's new streaming platform?". Evening Standard. 8 December 2022.
  8. "5 Things to stream this weekend: Prime Video's crafty A Spy Among Friends, plus peak Tom Cruise". The Globe and the Mail. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  9. "'A Spy Among Friends' Sets Release Date". Collider. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  10. "A Spy Among Friends review – don't take your eyes off this star-packed espionage thriller". the Guardian. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  11. Bunbury, Stephanie (7 October 2022). "TV Review: Damian Lewis & Guy Pearce In 'A Spy Among Friends'". Deadline. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  12. ReelMockery (10 December 2022). "A Spy Among Friends Season 1 Episode 1 Recap". Reel Mockery. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  13. "ITV's big-budget adaptation A Spy Among Friends is like a mug of mulled wine – review". The Independent. 8 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  14. Fallon, Heather (22 March 2023). "'The Responder', 'This Is Going To Hurt' lead 2023 Bafta TV nominations". Screen Daily. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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