The launch of ITVX is bringing with it a host of new drama series, with one of the most highly anticipated being the espionage thriller A Spy Among Friends.
The series stars Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, and dramatises the true story of British spies Nicholas Elliott and Kim Philby, the latter of whom turned out to be a Soviet double agent.
With the show’s debut now just days away, RadioTimes.com has got an exclusive first-look clip from the upcoming series – and it shows things taking a dramatic turn for the two friends.
In the clip, Lewis’s Elliott and Anna Maxwell Martin’s character Lily Thomas are seen listening back to a tense conversation between Elliott and Philby, in which the former confronts the latter about his Soviet affiliations. You can watch the full clip below.
In the clip, as their discussion goes on, Philby says Elliott’s accusations are “simply not worth dignifying”, before Elliott also implies Philby is responsible for the death of his second wife Aileen. Elliott says Philby is a “man on the brink” and that he knows he feels responsible for Aileen’s death, adding “how could you know after everything you put her through?”.
The series is based on the book A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre and was first reported to be in development back in 2020.
Lewis recently spoke exclusively with RadioTimes.com about his role in the series, saying he was drawn to Elliott despite Philby being the “rock and roll part”.
Lewis explained: “[Philby’s] the one everyone knows, he’s the charismatic, adored, traitor, so you get to play all of that.
“But I get asked to play those characters, thankfully, quite often because, they’re fabulous to play – for example, like Bobby Axelrod in Billions and obviously Brody and Homeland – and we didn’t know anything about Nicholas Elliott.
“I didn’t know anything about Nicholas Elliott until I read the book, so it’s interesting to be the best friend that is duped, and who really represents all of us, because Philby wasn’t only of course just betraying him – that’s the most intimate betrayal – but he betrayed a generation of people.
“And I just enjoyed the tragedy of loving and adoring someone for 30 years, and enabling their treachery repeatedly. And then being the guy that was sent out to interrogate him in order to bring him home to stand trial. It was an awfully tragic arc.”
All six episodes of A Spy Among Friends will be streaming on ITVX from 8th December 2022. Check out more of our Drama coverage or find out what’s on with our TV Guide and Streaming Guide.
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