Everything you need to about Black Doves

If you thought the latest series of Apple TV+'s Slow Horses was as good as spy thrillers were going to get this year, we're here to throw a spanner in the works.

For the past year, something rather exciting has been brewing in the TV world and that thing is a six-part Netflix series, which goes by the name of Black Doves. Yes, it's a spy thriller and it's just dropped on Netflix.

Black Doves review - episode one

If you’re after a compelling new drama to hunker down with as the nights draw in, then look no further, because Netflix’s six-part spy thriller, Black Doves, is a must-watch. Created by Joe Barton (the genius behind Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project), it is super smart, gripping, and boasts acting heavyweights: Sarah Lancashire, Ben Whishaw, and Keira Knightley – who is having the time of her life in a deliciously kickass role.

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Knightley is Helen Webb, the intelligent, dutiful wife of UK Defence Secretary Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), whose greatest concern is getting their twins to school on time, preparing for the family Christmas fundraiser, and keeping their gorgeous home tidy (the property porn is top notch).

"Keira Knightley is having the time of her life in a deliciously kickass role."

Only, Helen isn’t who she says she is, but rather, she is a spy working for a mysterious organisation called the Black Doves who she has been covertly passing government secrets to for a decade. She is also having an affair with a civil servant called Jason Davis (Andrew Koji) who, in the thrilling opening sequence, is assassinated on London's picturesque Southbank. If you thought hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, wait until you’ve seen Keira Knightley parted from a lover. It is e-p-i-c.

Stefania Rosini/Netflix

While Sarah Lancashire doesn’t have a lot of screen time in this first episode, she asserts her authority in the scenes she’s in and we are left in doubt as to who spymaster Mrs Reed is. Her school librarian name and demeanour are deceiving because she is not a woman to be trifled with. Displeased with Helen’s extracurricular activities and the possibility of her cover being blown (ending her lucrative connection to Downing Street), Mrs Reed needs to ensure that any threat to Helen is neutralised, so calls in the big (little) guns – Sam.

"Knightley displays such impressive knife skills that even Gordon Ramsay would be jealous."

Always a joy to watch, Ben Wishaw is on top form as ‘trigger man’ Sam who has been off-grid. A man of few words (though those words are always dry and witty), Sam is enigmatic, emotionally distant, and has an excellent approach to quaffing champagne. Most appealing of all, though, is his relationship with Helen and his determination to protect her. Yes, Mrs Reed pays him to do so, but it’s more than that – they have a deep connection and history I’m itching to know more about. Their brother-sister dynamic offers welcome light relief during some incredibly tense, high stakes moments. No spoilers, but the way they reunite is bloody brilliant (bloody being the operative word) with Knightley displaying such impressive ninja moves and knife skills that even Gordon Ramsay would be jealous.

With Jason’s death somehow linked to an unfolding geopolitical situation and Helen hellbent on exacting her revenge on his killer, the stage is set for an addictive thrill ride. Much like your favourite Christmas jigsaw where some pieces easily fall into place and others evade you, by the end of this cracking first episode, you realise you don’t even have the full, intricately woven picture yet and you are desperate to figure it all out.