Black Doves
Black Doves is a British spy action thriller television series created by Joe Barton. The series, starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire, is developed by Sister and Barton's production company Noisy Bear for Netflix. The series is about a spies-for-hire organisation that obtains secrets for the highest bidder. Ahead of its premiere on 5 December 2024, it was renewed for a second series.
The series was well received by critics, and Knightley was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama for her performance.
Synopsis
Helen, the wife of the Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, learns that her secret identity as a spy is in danger after her lover is killed by London's underworld. Her employers, the Black Doves, a spies-for-hire organisationthat retrieves industrial, political or diplomatic secrets for the highest biddersend Sam, an old friend, to protect her.Cast
Main
- Keira Knightley as Helen Webb
- Ben Whishaw as Sam Young
- Sarah Lancashire as Reed
Recurring
- Andrew Buchan as Wallace Webb, Secretary of State for Defence and Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon.
- Andrew Koji as Jason Davies, a Ministry of Justice civil servant.
- Omari Douglas as Michael, Sam's ex-boyfriend
- Sam Troughton as Police Commissioner Stephen Yarrick
- Ella Lily Hyland as Williams
- Isabella Wei as Kai-Ming Chen
- Adam Silver as Arnie
- Nathan Stewart-Jarrett as Zack
- Agnes O'Casey as Dani, Wallace's new assistant
- Tai Yin Chan as Wu Lin
- Charlotte Rice-Foley as Jacqueline Webb, Wallace and Helen's daughter
- Taylor Sullivan as Oliver "Oli" Webb, Wallace and Helen's son
- Molly Chesworth as Marie, the Webb family's nanny
- Ken Nwosu as Bill
- Andy Cheung as Ambassador Jun Chen, Kai-Ming Chen's father
- Kathryn Hunter as Lenny Lines
- Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor
- Luther Ford as Hector Newman
- Finn Bennett as Cole Atwood, a CIA agent and Kai-Ming Chen's associate
- Dan Li as Chang Hao, a Chinese envoy
- Adeel Akhtar as Richard Eaves, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
- William Hope as Mitch Porter, CIA station chief
Guest
- Hannah Khalique-Brown as Maggie Jones, an assistant in a jewelry shop
- Thomas Coombes as Phillip Bray, a tabloid reporter
- Lizzie Hopley as Beth
- Antonia Campbell-Hughes as Georgina "George"
- Julian Wadham as Andy
- Jennifer Armour as Vanessa Robinson, the diplomatic secretary at the Embassy of the United States, London
- Timothy Harker as Les Mullery, Director General of MI5
- Paapa Essiedu as Elmore Fitch
- Adam Best as Jim Perryman
- Steve Wall as Frank
- Tracey Ullman as Alex Clark
- Angus Cooper as Trent Clark, Kai-Ming Chen's boyfriend
Episodes
Production
The project was announced by Netflix in April 2023. Barton also produces through Noisy Bear, alongside production company Sister.Filming began in London in October 2023. That month, Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw were added to the cast, along with Andrew Buchan, Omari Douglas, Andrew Koji, Kathryn Hunter, Sam Troughton, Ella Lily Hyland, Adam Silver, Ken Nwosu and Gabrielle Creevy. In March 2024, Adeel Akhtar, Tracey Ullman, Finn Bennett and Luther Ford were added to the cast. In August 2024, ahead of its première, Netflix renewed the show for a second series.
Barton derived the series name from the Black Dove, his local pub in Brighton.