'Funny Woman's Gemma Arterton To Join Roger Allam in 'Secret Service'

A little less than a year ago, ITV announced it was commissioning Secret Service, based on the bestselling novel by Tom Bradby, with the author adapting his own work with screenwriter Jemma Kennedy. A political thriller about U.K.-Russia relations that was initially released in 2019, it is the first in Bradby's Katherine Henderson Thrillers series. Since the announcement, there's been little news about the project or a production partner here in the States. However, that may be about to change, as filming is now going forward with an all-star cast led by Funny Woman's Gemma Arterton as the series' titular MI-6 sleuth.

The third Katherine Henderson Thriller novel, Triple Cross, is arriving on shelves and Kindles in April 2025, so ITV's release of the filming announcement is timely and should help spur Bradby's new release right up the best-seller list. Moreover, Arterton is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cast. She'll be headlining the series with Endeavour's fan-favorite, Roger Allam, who plays her boss, C, the be-knighted head of MI-6.

While a political thriller seems probably better suited to BritBox than as a PBS series, Arterton and Allam are two actors who have been on Sunday nights regularly in the States, with shows on PBS. With no American distribution and Funny Woman not looking like it'll land a Season 3, PBS picking up this female-led James Bond-style series is a possibility.