WEEKEND TV
GRAHAM KIBBLE-WHITE
WHEN you are dealing with the world of espionage, you can never be quite sure what is fact and what is fiction.
Filming for Spooks, on BBC One from Monday, takes place on an industrial estate in the south-east of London.
With rusting fire escapes and peeling paint, it looks like just the sort of gritty, urban environment in which we would expect to see our heroes staking out some evil international terrorist.
Inside, there is frantic action taking place on the programme's Thames House set, as the team of super-spies tackles yet another life-or-death problem right on their doorstep.
In between takes, the actors retire to their dressing rooms, all signed with their character's name rather than their own - just to add to the confusion.
Behind one of these doors is Adam Carter, aka Rupert Penry-Jones, his latest in a string of spy roles. Off-screen, his real choice of career is not perhaps that surprising. The 34-year-old admits: "I'm from an acting family - both my parents are in the business."
Mum is Angela Thorne, best known for starring opposite Penelope Keith in To The Manor Born, while dad, Peter Penry-Jones, has been in the industry for over 30 years, most recently appearing in the Harold Shipman docu-drama. Nevertheless, neither were keen to see their son step on to the stage.
"Acting wasn't always the way my career was set to go," says Penry-Jones. "But I started doing school plays in secondary school and I was better at that than anything else, so that's what I ended up doing.
"My parents weren't happy about that at first, but when they came and saw me in a few productions and realised I was dedicated to it, they backed me up."
The performance gene is obviously strong in his family, as his brother Laurence has also taken up the craft, most famously enjoying a stint in daytime soap Doctors, playing Dr Oliver Berg. "He's just finished at the National Theatre in a play called The Mandate," reveals his proud brother. "Now he's 'resting'. "
Luckily, there's no sign of rivalry between the two. "We support each other as much as we can and go and see each other's shows," says Penry-Jones. "Although I didn't watch all of Doctors, I try to catch pretty much everything he does."
Nonetheless, whenever the clan get together, they resist the temptation to swap notes. "We don't talk shop a lot," he says.
Although Penry-Jones has enjoyed a string of film and television appearances as long as your arm - including an acclaimed turn as Donald Maclean in the factual drama Cambridge Spies - 2004 was really the year he came to prominence.
With Matthew MacFadyen (who played original lead Tom Quinn) electing to leave Spooks part-way through its third series, a new hero was required to fill his shoes.
Enter steely MI6 operative Adam Carter. For Penry-Jones and his alter ego it was initially tough to gain acceptance.
"Joining the show was good, but difficult as well," he says. "People were leaving and new crew were arriving. The cast was very close, so it was a bit like coming into school a few years after everyone else."
Thankfully, it didn't take long for things to gel. "In the end it was fine and everyone was very welcoming. It's a very friendly bunch. Plus, it was such a great part to come in on and my character's introduction was bled so well into the show, I didn't feel too bad about it."
With memories of Tom, Zoe and Danny fading fast, things are very different for Penry-Jones this year.
"It's been much better this series because I feel more established and don't have to worry about what kind of character Adam is. I was working it all out last year, but this time I can just get on with it. I feel far more comfortable about him, and where he's coming from.
"The emphasis this time around is on the storyline of the week and focusing on the particular problem we're dealing with," he adds. "The plots are very, very strong - the best so far, I think.
"The personal journeys of the characters have been put to one side a bit to begin with, and the show is more story-focused. But, in part that's been because of these special episodes we've done which came into the schedule late. So it's been really hard to get a through-line on the characters."
Those episodes make up the programme's explosive opening two-part special, which guest-stars former EastEnder Martine McCutcheon. It details the team's attempts to track down a rogue bomber who has laid charges across London.
Recorded earlier in the year, it tragically foreshadowed the real- life campaign of terror in the city in July and for a time it was rumoured the BBC were going to pull the episodes. However, it is back in the schedules, and Penry-Jones, for one, is proud of the work they have done.
"I think the reason the programme has stayed at the quality it has - and in fact I reckon it's got better - is because it's not as character-based as some other shows. It's not about a particular person, it's about a group of people who are doing something that everyone is very interested in.
"With all the terrorist activity going on in the world, in some ways Spooks happened at exactly the right time. It's caught the country's imagination. Viewers all want to know who the people are who are supposed to be keeping us safe, and this is our pretend version of that.
"I love the ensemble nature of it," he continues. "I think it's fabulous to have such a high quality cast. Hopefully, I'm coming back next year again - we're still deciding. Anything goes in Spooks and in fact anyone can go. So, everyone's desperately worried that they're going to get killed in the next episode, but that's what keeps it all alive. It certainly makes sure we're all on our toes."
With high drama and intrigue a part of Penry-Jones's everyday nine-to-five, he's still able to unwind after the director calls cut.
"It's quite an intense series to work on," he admits, "but it's not one of those jobs that you take away with you. Sometimes as an actor, when you go home you can feel really down if it's been a depressing show you've been working on. But with this, you can leave it all behind at the end of the day."
He's certainly got his hands full on the domestic front. Last year, he and his partner Dervla Kirwan had a daughter, Florence.
"Fatherhood is great, very good," he says proudly.
• Spooks, BBC One, Monday, 9pm