Spooks to end

Show will be 'killed off in its prime' say producers...

11:00 11 August 2011

The next and tenth series of Spooks will be its last, it has been announced.

Kudos, the show's production company, has taken the decision in order to allow the show to end in its prime.

Jane Featherstone, from Kudos told the Guardian that choosing to end the show "was a very difficult decision":

"I feel very sad about it. It was a very difficult decision to make.

"But we didn't want to get to the point where the BBC said, 'We don't really want another one; we wanted to kill it off in its prime."

The final series is set to focus on its one remaining original cast member, Harry Pearce, played by Peter Firth.

Spooks first aired in 2002 and kick-started the careers of actors such as Richard Armitage, Sophia Myles, Rupert Penry-Jones and Keely Hawes.

In a statement, BBC Drama commissioning controller, Ben Stephenson said:

"Kudos created a groundbreaking series in Spooks ten years ago that challenged convention with its topical, fast-paced, contemporary style.

"It quickly became a hit with audiences and established itself as a key part of the BBC One schedule and redefined drama on the channel for a new generation... [I] hope fans will tune in this September to see what promises to be a fittingly high-octane, thrilling finale."