TCM Crime Scene Behind the Scenes at Spooks Q&A Transcript

Many of you may remember the Q&A that Matthew Macfadyen attended back in September 2008.

Thanks to the detective work of amelie, who has found the following transcript from The Biography Channel of the event.

Some of Matthew's responses are below:

Matt, do you still watch ‘Spooks’, and if you do, as a spectator or do you still feel involved?

Matthew: I seem to have accumulated children and walk around with wipes, so I don’t have a cultural life at all. I’d like to be marooned on a desert island with a TV and a few box sets, one of which would be ‘Spooks’.

How much advice to do you get from the actual secret services?

Matthew: “He was the most laid-back man you ever met – totally in control of himself. We asked him all sorts of questions: Is there a canteen? Can you take your own sandwiches? Have you ever used the…final solution? That one was worrying – Nick thought for a very long time, before just saying “It’s a grey area’…!”

‘Spooks’ is shot all over London – is the show a big, demanding machine?

Matthew: “Yes, very tiring, but also energising as well.”

Matthew: “There’s a point when your mind just shuts down and you can’t get the lines in your head. You have to start sticking signs on other people’s chests…”

Were you aware that ‘Spooks’ would become so big?

Matthew (Actor - Tom Quinn): “No, and I was frightened. By four weeks in, I thought it wasn’t working.”


What attracted you to the series?

Matthew: “The writing. It’s always about the writing. 80% of scripts aren’t very good. This had interesting, unconventional, anonymous anti-heroes. There was no reflected glory for saving the world – you saved the world and went home to a dodgy domestic life of lying to your partner.”



....They then found Matthew Macfadyen the next day.

Simon (Head of Drama, Kudos): “In Matt’s casting session, Steven was playing Keeley’s role. Matt kept turning on these amazing emotional performances, while Steven kept bursting into laughter!”

Bharat (Director): "Did we really ask Matt to audition for us? I mean really?!"