Spy is one of those "coming to BBC2 soon" series that gets premiered on BBC3 first. I still really don't see what's in it for anyone doing it that way. It's not really exclusive to the digital channels, but by the time the programme's reached BBC2 it's not going to be hot enough to capture much coverage in the press - which must surely mean that not as many people see it as might.
Anyway, I kind of stumbled across Spy last weekend in some kind of BBC3 catch-up (BBC3 is so taken with DOGS at the moment, that it probably said "catch-up" on screen. When a new episode aired on Sunday night it said "Sunday Best" which I took to mean "catch-up" except obviously it wasn't. I digress). It's basically trying to do an SAS: Are You Tough Enough -type thing with volunteers in a Spooks environs. Cue editing done by people who've watched way too much Spooks. Lots of silly graphics, way too much to-camera pieces about how the recruits are feeling, and the like.
I did stick with the programme and I guess I quite liked it, but I felt that we really weren't being told the whole story. In one episode contestants had to get into a stranger's flat, go onto the balcony and be seen drinking a glass of water. When a really feeble cover-story doesn't work, he's arrested by the police when the resident reports him as hanging around. Well that must be nice - being scared out of your wits by a possible prowler just for entertainment purposes. And how does that square with wasting police time? Then in another episode contestants had to get into various work premises and take secret photos of a document therein. We were told that none of the staff knew they were coming. I think we should have been told that the senior manager/chief exec of each business must have been told because otherwise it was straightforward illegal, and we wouldn't have seen various hidden camera footage that we did see.
The "tutors" for the series are all, we're told, former operatives of British or US secret services. Exactly what they did we don't know, because, a specious caption comes up to tell us that their "Details" are "classified". Since this is the case for all three, there's no point in having the caption is there?
There's also a slightly dubious attempt to make it more of a "reality" gameshow by trying to hint at possible relationships that might develop between competitors and their own histories coming into play )a closet homosexual, a father missing his children, etc).
I don't mind all this, but I really think that the makers of these shows should play by the rules and let us know what's what. Is a cameraman living with them in each flat? What do the neighbours make of their "safehouses" if that's the case? Particularly with late night visits from interrorgators and the like.
And please - slightly less arty shots of the disused Strand tube station that's their headquarters. And those hip medium and long shots of competitors and tutors looking moody.
I think I prefer to await Spooks return this autumn.
Posted by adambowie at July 28, 2004 10:04 PM