A Spy Among Friends is a British espionage thriller television series, starring Guy Pearce and Damian Lewis. It is based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, adapted by Alex Cary and directed by Nick Murphy. It was available to stream on ITVX in the United Kingdom from December 2022, Amazon Prime Video in Canada from February 2023, and MGM+ in the United States from March 2023.
Synopsis
In 1963, Nicholas Elliott (Lewis) is working for Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) as an intelligence officer and is left in turmoil when he learns his close friend and colleague, Kim Philby (Pearce), has been secretly working as a double agent for the KGB since 1934. Elliot interviews him in Beirut and then Philby defects to the Soviet Union.
Cast
Guy Pearce as Kim Philby
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Elliott
Anna Maxwell Martin as Lily Thomas
Adrian Edmondson as Sir Roger Hollis
Stephen Kunken as James Jesus Angleton
Nicholas Rowe as Sir Anthony Blunt
Thomas Arnold as Guy Burgess
Monika Gossmann as Galina
Karel Roden as Col. Sergei Brontov
Anastasia Hille as Flora Solomon
Edward Baker-Duly as Ian Fleming
Radoslaw Kaim as Konstantin Dmitrievich Volkov
Episodes
Production
Principal photography took place in London, England and Romania, and finished in spring 2022.
Broadcast
Broadcast in the United
Kingdom on the streaming service ITVX was moved with a delay in the launch of ITVX from 1 November 2022 to 8 December 2022. In February 2023, the series became available in Canada via Amazon Prime Video. The series became available on MGM+ from 12 March 2023 in the United States.
Reception
Critical reception of A Spy Among Friends was mixed, with Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian writing, "There are plenty of small thrills to be had from a world built on codes and double meanings." Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline Hollywood wrote that the "unfolding of their negotiations" was "not seat-of-your-pants televisual excitement, but it is the stuff of sustained intrigue". Jay Skelton of Reel Mockery called A Spy Among Friends "frustrating to watch". Nick Hilton of The Independent wrote that "there is much to enjoy about A Spy Among Friends".
Accolades
The series was nominated in the best mini-series category at the British Academy Television Awards, announced in March 2023.