Spy drama Spooks returns to BBC One for a tenth and final series later this month.

CultBox caught up with lead writers Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley to find out more…

> Read the first part of our exclusive interview with Sam and Jonathan.

What was your reaction when you found out that Series 10 would be the last?

“Gulps, grins, sweating. Knowing that we’d be writing the last ever episode, wrapping up one of the most popular shows on British TV… it’s an exciting responsibility, a daunting honour. We’ve always been fans – and that’s why we think it’s absolutely the right decision. The show deserves to end properly, on a high.

“When Kudos asked for our opinion, we said we’d hate to see it cancelled on a cliffhanger – it just wouldn’t be right, or fair on the fans. Call us suck-ups, but you have to really admire Kudos for having the confidence to kill off a very successful show – purely because it’s the right thing creatively.”

How many different ideas for the final ever scene did you go through before you settled on the one that we’ll see?

“Countless. Some of them survived for weeks, and we could still quote them by heart. Might blither on about them on the DVD commentary (if anyone’s that interested!).”

Can you reveal the most outlandish unused ending idea that you came up with?

“Very early on, we talked about Harry detonating a nuclear bomb in Siberia… there was a lot of blinking round the table when we pitched that one…”

Are you prepared for the wrath of Ruth/Harry fans if they don’t get the ending they’re hoping for?

“There will always be a hardcore of Ruth/Harry fans who will be immensely cheesed off if they get anything less than Ruth riding in on a unicorn to marry Harry in a white suit. And you never know, maybe that’s what it will be!

“On the other hand, there are plenty of viewers who love the uncompromising toughness of Spooks. And both viewpoints were always well represented around the table, trust us.

“We can’t please everyone, nor should we try to – we can only try to create an ending that is faithful to the spirit of the show, the characters, and reflects the ten years of great drama.”

Did you or any of the cast keep anything from the Grid set as a souvenir when filming was completed?

“There was a lot of “bagsying” going on. The large “Regnum Defende” insignia was nabbed by one of the Execs and there are vague plans to mount some AK47s on the Kudos office wall. The only thing we managed to swipe was a small piece of fake glass from the final episode. Shocking result for us really.”

With the show ending in 2011, does that mean Spooks: Code 9 can now be considered canon?

“We never discussed it. Our only priority was getting the ending right in itself.”

What have you got coming up post-Spooks?

“The rough idea is to get our own show made now – we’ve got a few things in development, including a couple with Kudos. Sadly nothing we can talk about yet.”

Are you involved in Morton, BBC One’s new spy drama from Kudos, or are you ‘done’ with spies for the time being?

“We’re not involved in Morton, just looking forward to watching it. We’d never say never to another spy show, the genre is just too fertile.”

> Read the first part of our exclusive interview with Sam and Jonathan.

> Order the Series 10 boxset on Amazon.

Watch BBC One’s teaser trailer Series 10…