Gemma Arterton is returning to the spy genre with new ITV series Secret Service, after one of her first film appearances was in a James Bond film.
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Arterton played Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace, the oft-maligned 2008 entry into the franchise, which was Daniel Craig's second time in the role.
Now, reflecting on that film, Arterton has revealed that she didn't understand the film's plot as she was filming it.
Appearing on The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, Arterton said of Quantum of Solace: "No one understood that film."
When asked by Moyles's co-host Dominic Byrne whether she understood it while filming it, she said: "No. No. I didn't know what was going on."
Byrne then said he had tried to watch the film two or three times, to which Arterton said that that's more than she has.
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This conversation led Rafe Spall, Arterton's co-star in Secret Service, to reveal that he has never seen a Bond film, saying he gets that "it's part of the fabric of our culture" and that it's "fantastic", but "it's a bit like Star Wars", in that "It just doesn’t get me going".
Secret Service is based on the novel of the same name by ITV News anchor Tom Bradby, and stars Arterton, Spall, Mark Stanley, Alex Kingston, Roger Allam, Amaka Okafor and Khalid Abdalla.
The synopsis for the series says that it follows "senior MI6 officer Kate Henderson (Arterton). On the surface, her life appears ordinary—a civil servant married to Stuart (Spall) with two teenage children".
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The synopsis continues: "However, to those who don’t know her well, Kate’s true role is heading the Russia Desk at the Secret Intelligence Service.
"When her undercover operations reveal alarming evidence that a high-ranking UK politician may be a Russian asset, Kate finds herself in a desperate race to uncover their identity.
"As a brutal murder thrusts her team into the spotlight, Kate must navigate the dangerous world of espionage while trying to hold her family together and protect her reputation."
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
