London Spy: Mid-way Point

We’re a few more weeks down the line in BBC2’s new drama London Spy, and things are starting to heat up a little. Ben Whishaw’s Danny (who still spends an incredible amount of time moping around and smoking cigarettes in front of London landmarks) is getting more and more out of his depth as he discovers the full extent of the conspiracy which killed Edward Holcroft’s Alex, who still continues to make occasional appearances. Danny’s best friend Scottie (Jim Broadbent) has been given a little more screen time and, being that bit more lucid than Danny, is probably the best-developed character around. A brief appearance by Mark Gatiss as ‘man of the night’ Rich was also extremely entertaining, and Charlotte Rampling is ice-cold as Alex’s estranged mother.

But the series is still proving incredibly slow – much of the hour-long episodes is made up of silent movement through busy London streets. Perhaps the proceedings will become a little more active as events spiral towards their conclusion but, judging by the directorial style so far, that seems rather unlikely.