The WORST episodes of Spooks

Every episode of Spooks ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Spooks!

A tense drama series about the different challenges faced by the British Security Service as they work against the clock to safeguard the nation. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, and the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a highly secure suite of offices known as The Grid.

Last Updated: 9/2/2024Network: BBC OneStatus: Ended
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Episode 4
star
6.81
295 votes

#1 - Episode 4

Season 7 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/3/2008

The team is stunned to discover that Al-Qaeda's number three wants to negotiate. It's a risk, but Harry and the team have to take this chance for peace.

Directors: Peter Hoar
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
7.17
415 votes

#2 - Episode 3

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 6/16/2003

MI5's mainframe has been hacked into. But Tom and his team think they have found a lead in the form of an I.T. teacher, so Zoe is sent undercover to get close to him and find out his secrets. Will they be able to stop the culprit before the inner sanctum is breached and every agents' identity revealed?

Directors: Rob Bailey
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 8
star
7.26
379 votes

#3 - Episode 8

Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/29/2004

The baby of a celebrity couple is kidnapped and they call in MI5. Fiona goes in undercover to gather more information about the couple against Adam's wishes.

Directors: Bill Anderson
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3
star
7.33
304 votes

#4 - Episode 3

Season 7 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/28/2008

With Lucas back within MI5 he reveals that the Russians interrogated him about Operation Sugar Horse, the most secret ongoing spy operation MI5 ever had. If the Russians know about it, then MI5 has a very high level mole. Harry seeks out his mentor, The Spycatcher, to help him find the mole. Ben is undercover with an Al-Qaeda cell; they are planning to bomb London and what looks like a dry run unexpectedly turns live.

Directors: Peter Hoar
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 6
star
7.37
247 votes

#5 - Episode 6

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/16/2006

Adam and Zaf try to find a group of terrorists who have infiltrated Britain. Ros oversees a visit by a delegation of Saudi princes offering a guaranteed oil supply in exchange for nuclear expertise, but the Saudi Trade Centre is attacked by terrorists.

Directors: Andy Hay
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 2
star
7.37
502 votes

#6 - Episode 2

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/9/2003

A fellow agent informs Tom that young boys and men from a mosque in Birmingham are being trained as suicide bombers. They need an undercover spook, but who should or can go?

Directors: Bharat Nalluri
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 3
star
7.39
283 votes

#7 - Episode 3

Season 4 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/19/2005

Far-right political party The British Way is threatening democracy so Adam and Fiona go undercover to infiltrate and destroy its campaign.

Directors: Alrick Riley
Writer: Ben Richards
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
7.39
514 votes

#8 - Episode 3

Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/4/2010

Section D is forced to welcome an FSB officer onto the Grid to help track down Aibek, a rogue nationalist from the ex-Soviet state of Azakstan. Aibek is in the UK to find the last known sample of the nerve agent 'Paroxocybin'. The chase is on, but will the team find a way to stop the nerve agent falling into the wrong hands without ruining Anglo-Russian relations? Meanwhile, Lucas's personal life takes a passionate turn.

Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
7.41
661 votes

#9 - Episode 3

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 5/27/2002

Whilst on a routine check of the bugs in the Turkish Embassy, Zoe and all the other people in the embassy are taken hostage by terrorists who wish to negotiate the release of their parents from prison. If Zoe's cover as a PR consultant is blown she will almost certainly be killed. Things worsen when Harry realises that the attack on the embassy was all just a distraction from something much, much bigger.

Directors: Rob Bailey
Writer: Simon Mirren
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 4
star
7.42
354 votes

#10 - Episode 4

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 9/26/2005

Adam infiltrates a truck carrying illegal immigrants across Europe in order to stop a would-be terrorist.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 2
star
7.47
525 votes

#11 - Episode 2

Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/27/2010

The pressure is on for Beth when she goes undercover for MI5 for the first time. She is tasked with protecting an influential oil baron, Robert Westhouse, when the team receives intel that an assassination attempt will be made on him at a meeting of top oil dealers. But an unexpected ambush throws things off course, and threatens to dredge up her murky mercenary past. Meanwhile, Lucas visits someone who never expected they would see him again.

Writer: David Farr
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 7
star
7.48
380 votes

#12 - Episode 7

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/22/2004

While a deadly hacker turns Britain upside down, Danny decides whether to reveal all to Will, MI5 hunts the source down to an Islamic mosque with the help of MI5's best computer programmers. But things get suspicious when Ruth, close onto the tail of the hacker, goes missing and so does a member of the special team...

Directors: Bill Anderson
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 4
star
7.48
557 votes

#13 - Episode 4

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/4/2002

MI5's best officer, Peter Salter, seems to be joining the enemy. President Bush is scheduled to visit and it seems as though Salter is trying to stop the peace, is this all part of his mission or is he in fact a triple-agent?

Directors: Rob Bailey
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 4
star
7.50
393 votes

#14 - Episode 4

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/1/2004

The latest round of Middle East peace talks are abruptly halted when a key delegate is killed. With the peace process derailed MI5 starts to investigate a newspaper mogul and renowned Israeli extremist, and a group he's associated with called the November Committee. Can MI5 prevent an assassination attempt on a pro-Palestinian British MP?

Directors: Cilla Ware
Writer: Ben Richards
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 7
star
7.52
400 votes

#15 - Episode 7

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/21/2003

A French scientist has gone renegade and taken a top secret weapon called Firestorm with him, which he is threatening to sell to the highest bidder. Now he has ended up in the UK, and MI5 is forced to work with French Intelligence. But the British want the technology. They have to steal the technology without the French finding out, using an agent that if caught has no affiliation to Five. But there is a burglary at Harry's flat which puts the operation in jeopardy. Or does it?

Directors: Ciaran Donnelly
Writer: Simon Mirren
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 1
star
7.52
815 votes

#16 - Episode 1

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 5/13/2002

An abortion doctor is executed by an American pro-life terrorist; Mary Kane. An informant reveals that this is just the tip of the iceberg as Mary has 20 more bombs and plans on using them. To make matters worse she has started training more pro-life groups, within the UK.

Directors: Bharat Nalluri
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 1
star
7.53
373 votes

#17 - Episode 1

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/12/2005

When a devastating bomb explodes in central London, causing multiple deaths, a terrorist group with a hatred for human life claim responsibility. With their leader facing extradition, the bombers announce that crippling attacks will be launched at ten hour intervals until he is released.

Directors: Antonia Bird
Writer: Ben Richards
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 5
star
7.55
351 votes

#18 - Episode 5

Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/8/2004

Saturday morning. Danny and Colin practice their firing technique on MI5's gun range. Zoe and her fiancé Will are still madly in love. Ruth watches old movies at home whilst longing for real-life romance. A North Sea mission places additional stain on all relationships...

Directors: Justin Chadwick
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
7.55
245 votes

#19 - Episode 3

Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/25/2006

Zaf goes deep undercover to infiltrate an Al-Qaeda cell that is planning an attack on the UK. When Adam learns that the terrorists are on a suicide mission he tries to prevent them from reaching their target, but events soon spiral out of control.

Directors: Julian Simpson
Writer: Ben Richards
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 2
star
7.55
367 votes

#20 - Episode 2

Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/18/2004

Harry reawakens sleeper agent Fred Roberts, a renowned chemist and family man. As Fred becomes more deeply involved with deadly terrorists, Tom has a crisis of conscience which could jeopardise his career.

Directors: Jonny Campbell
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 3
star
7.56
389 votes

#21 - Episode 3

Season 3 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/25/2004

Danny and the team must uncover the truth behind an assassination attempt on a famous novelist.

Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 2
star
7.57
366 votes

#22 - Episode 2

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/13/2005

Zafar and Adam race against the clock to uncover the latest bomb. As a new ultimatum is issued and Tash mysteriously disapears, the team is forced to deal with the possibility of a mole within their own organisation.

Directors: Antonia Bird
Writer: Ben Richards
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 2
star
7.57
723 votes

#23 - Episode 2

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 5/20/2002

Tom and Helen must go undercover and befriend the wife of a suspected hardcore racist in order to prevent a racewar. Meanwhile Zoe and Tessa learn that a boatload of refugees is due to dock at Dover in the next few days. Things worsen when the operatives realise the two things may be connected and their covers may be blown.

Directors: Bharat Nalluri
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Episode 1
star
7.61
481 votes

#24 - Episode 1

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/2/2003

With Tom's family trapped in his house with a bomb, and nothing Tom or the other spooks can do but watch on. There is a huge explosion and the credits begin. However, there is no time to focus on these events as a Serbian warlord has been seen entering the UK vowing revenge for the death of his sons in a NATO bombing raid. Zoe is sent undercover to track him down, and stop any more deaths.

Directors: Bharat Nalluri
Watch Now:Amazon
Episode 4
star
7.65
435 votes

#25 - Episode 4

Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/11/2010

When a highly skilled trio of Chinese agents arrive in London for 48 hours only, the team must find out why they are here. Ruth goes undercover in a major scientific research corporation where one Chinese scientist, Jiang, proves to be the ultimate prize. Beth activates an asset from the Chinese Security Services to be Section D's mole on the inside, but has she activated him too soon? Lucas makes a decision that could change his course forever.

Directors: Paul Whittington
Watch Now:Amazon