London Spy starts on BBC Two - Monday 9 November - 9pm

[sadwidow28]

A new 5-part thriller is starting on BBC 2, 9th November at 9pm

A romance between an MI6 code genius and an ordinary man promises happiness. But tragedy strikes when the spy dies in suspicious circumstances, forcing his lover to pursue the truth behind his death.

Have a look at the trailers and write-ups and see if you fancy watching it and joining in this MN thread.

''You might be the most innocent person I know'' - This is a clip from episode 1: On a walk by the sea, Danny flirtatiously questions whether Alex did background checks on him before going on their date.

Was it her number Alex said he didn't need to write down?

No, Danny said that it was Pavel's number - not that I know who Pavel is!

I also queried why Sara (flatmate) was looking in the tin box in Danny's drawer. That is where Danny had placed the capsule.

We don't know enough about the mysterious people in the flat opposite. Danny sees lights on and images moving behind the blinds. In episode one Danny noticed all the cigarette ends under the window - and we also saw a white van parked up 'watching Danny' with cigarette smoke coming through a side window. I thought that these people may have listening devices (that is, 'within range', rather than bugging Danny's apartment). Danny does keep looking out of the window that that flat. I think we are supposed to think that whoever they are, they are part of the plot.

Oh yeah the name Pavel sounds familiar, maybe he was the lad trying to learn English in Danny's flat in episode 1?

I think Pavel is Danny's housemate, yes.

Have we worked out why Alex had a slightly foreign-sounding accent? Or was that just his diction? Cos CR, if she was his mum, was v RP. Hungry dad was silent mind.

Still, even if HungryDad was forrin, doesn't look like they spent much time with Alex.

I've still got no idea about his accent. It IS really odd though.

Could Alex/Alastair spent time studying abroad?

I thought the "parents'" place was supposed to be in Scotland too.

I agree with whoever upthread said Danny 's courtyard looked like it was in Berlin. Referencing lots of Cold War spy stories. It definitely has shades of Rear Window, too.

When were the initial flashbacks with Mark Gatiss meant to be? Danny looked exactly the same as he does now but think is meant to be when he was very young and before Scottie took him under his wing?

When Danny was having the 2nd blood test I thought he saw the blood from his finger and took the test pack so that he could get a sample of his blood himself as he suspected that the doctor was giving him a fake result. But then the way the doctor spoke to him and asked him for the needle seemed like she was worried that he would harm himself.

Wasn't the giving of the pill in the last episode to back up the fact that he is HIV positive and (in Scottie's words) a way to discredit his character?

Was also thinking while Danny was desperately trying to persuade away the positive test by saying the police did it that actually Alex did give him HIV and he really didn't know him like he thought he did?

No, after Scottie took him under his wing, because I think the whole point of that scene was to show that Danny walked out as soon as it became clear that there was going to be risky sex, which he had promised Scottie never to do again. The other young man chewed up the condom as a sign he wasn't expecting to use one. At least, that's what I thought!

Can't wait for episode 4!

Rollergirl I don't think Danny knew he was HIV+ until he'd been given the pill and his housemate spoke about it with him, although we're not sure how she found it.

Appreciate people saying Alex's family home was in Scotland, but I wanted to find out where the real property used for filming is located. I think I've found it and it was filmed at Shirburn Castle? which is a few miles south of Thame in Oxfordshire. Parts of the exterior have also been shot as the Midsomer Priory Maybe the maze is the one at Hever Castle?

Oh well done, EN! I had tried and failed to find that out. I could be utterly wrong about thinking it was in Scotland, but that would make sense of why he had to be invited to stay in the house rather than just go for lunch, say.

This is a good find. Probably stuffed with spoilers. I haven't read all of it yet.

Sorry I meant that Alastair's family were meant to be based in Scotland but the filming actually took place in Oxfordshire.

Gasp that link's where I traced Shirburn from

I thought it might be! My googling yesterday was clearly rubbish as I didn't find that. Thoroughly enjoyed scrolling through. Gosh, I'm a sad case.

I really wouldn't say there were spoilers in that, now I've skimmed through it. I don't count knowing that they've been filming in a particular spot as a spoiler, given that we have no way of knowing what they were doing there. Have we seen the scenes yet filmed on Hampstead Heath and at the Brunswick Centre in Bloomsbury? I see they did quite a lot of filming in Camden and Hampstead. I think that's probably where Scottie's suppose to live. For some reason I thought he was meant to be in West London.

quirky I know I am very, very sad on these detective threads (laughs at my username!) but I have to say that I watched episodes two and three again and I couldn't find a reference to Scotland.

I watched Sara OPENING Danny's mail (which I hadn't noticed before) and telling him that Alex's parents wanted to meet him. But there were TWO train tickets!

Who used the 2nd train ticket? Hmmm?

...unless it was an OUT and a RETURN. We get those separates instead of one return ticket?

Also, you get two separate tickets if you have a reservation - one entitling you to travel and one for the reservation.

Yes I think returns are always done with two tickets, so the machine can eat one at the end of each journey.

You get about twenty-seven tickets for even the most modest train journey, don't you?

I think it's for the express purpose of confusing you, so they can ambush you when you're on the train with no way out, tell you you haven't got the crucial part of your ticket, and force you to pay again.

I don't remember seeing the Brunswick Centre yet, but I've only watched the first two. And yes, I think Scottie lives in Hampstead.

ENtertainment', I think the 'pretend parents' were filmed at Shirburn Lodge* which is in the grounds of Shirburn Castle. I haven't found the scruffy maze though. In the production, Danny could see it out of a castle window and looking at Shirburn Castle photos, there is no maze. (The maze at Hever Castle looks too well trimmed.)

Brad Pitt filmed Fury in the village of Shirburn (December 2013).

Shirburn Castle was also used as Midsomer Priory in Midsomer Murders.

Ten minutes to go!

I am here..... Chardonnay poured

Help youselves!

Don't mind if I do. Chin chin

Ah - Danny had to get in the bath to make sure there were no wires or bugs on him.

Thanks, sadwidow!

Well that turned out to be a boring code!

Why does Alex talk like Audrey Hepburn?