Toby Jones, Stephen Graham and Vicky McClure's The Secret Agent thriller is now on Netflix

The synopsis, courtesy of the BBC, reads: "Soho shopkeeper Verloc is paid by the Russian Embassy to spy on an anarchist cell. The Russians demand that Verloc orchestrates a bomb attack that will be blamed on the anarchists and provoke a British crackdown."

Playwright Tony Marchant adapted the formidable text to the screen, with our contemporaneous review giving "full marks" for his streamlining efforts, given the complex time-hopping and perspective-shifting nature of the source material.

The review by Ben Dowell adds that Toby Jones is "excellent" as lead character Anton Verloc, while Line of Duty star Vicky McClure gives a "moving" turn as his wife, Winnie, who has suffered a troubled past.

The positive write-up was based on the first episode alone, concluding that the series succeeded "in making this as much a human domestic tragedy as a political spy thriller about a world in trouble".

Notably, later episodes garnered a more mixed response as the show veered away from the source material, with Marchant making changes that not all viewers appreciated.

Nevertheless, few could argue with the talent of the cast, which also includes Adolescence star Stephen Graham as Chief Inspector Heat and Baby Reindeer's Tom Goodman-Hill as Assistant Commissioner Stone.

The show was also notable for reuniting The Last Kingdom stars Ian Hart and David Dawson, who appear here as the anarchist known as the Professor and a cold Russian Embassy staffer named Vladimir.

The Secret Agent was filmed shortly after the pair debuted as fan-favourite priest Father Beocca and the pious King Alfred the Great in the BBC/Netflix adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's historical novels.

If the cast and plot have you intrigued, head over to Netflix, where you can find The Secret Agent streaming now.

The Secret Agent is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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