Sarah Lancashire and Ben Whishaw have joined the cast for Netflix's new spy thriller series Black Doves.
The six-part show, which began filming in London last week, is described as "a sharp, action-filled and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice".
The series centres around Helen Webb - played by Keira Knightley - who is a dedicated wife and mother, but also with a secret other life as a professional spy. For the last 10 years she has been passing on secrets gleaned from her politician husband to the 'Black Doves' organisation.
Happy Valley star Lancashire will play the part of Reed, Helen's spymaster, who calls Helen in for her own safety when her lover Jason is assassinated.
Whishaw, meanwhile, has been cast as Sam Young, a former assassin who is brought back into the fold to protect Helen and help her figure out why Jason was killed.
Writer Joe Barton said: "I started writing the scripts for this show over last year's Christmas holidays, fuelled by turkey sandwiches and discarded bottles of cream liquor.
"To be now going into production with a cast and crew full of people whose work I admire so much is unbelievably exciting and I couldn't be more thrilled to get to see this show come to life."
Black Doves is expected to be released on Netflix in 2024.
Neil Wilkes
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