The ITV adaptation of Tom Bradby's novel 'Secret Service' concluded on Tuesday night, with MI6 officer Kate Henderson uncovering the identity of a Russian asset within the British government. The five-part spy thriller, starring Gemma Arterton as Kate, revealed that her husband Stuart, played by Rafe Spall, was the traitor.
Throughout the series, Kate investigated which of two Labour leadership candidates—Ryan Walker or Imogen Conrad—was working for Russia. In the finale, Ryan became Prime Minister after a leaked sex tape damaged Imogen's reputation. However, Kate discovered that the man in the video was her own husband, Stuart, who had been recruited by Russian intelligence in Prague.
Stuart explained that the Russians had agreed to erase him from the video in exchange for information, initially just government gossip but later details of Kate's MI6 work. Rather than turning him in, Kate arranged for Stuart to flee to Russia, meeting him at the Finnish border to say goodbye.
In the final scenes, Kate informed her superior Zak that she wanted to leave MI6, but he persuaded her to stay and monitor the new Prime Minister, Ryan Walker, whom he still suspected. Kate was seconded to the Cabinet Office to watch for hostile influences and greeted Ryan as he arrived at Downing Street.
Author Tom Bradby noted that the adaptation updated the political landscape, replacing one candidate with a left-wing populist to reflect recent changes in government. The series remained largely faithful to the book, with key adjustments for contemporary relevance.
