Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley, who wrote five episodes of last year’s Series 9, told CultBox: “In the early days it focused a lot on the characters’ home lives and the toll their work took on their personal relationships. As it’s grown, it’s become a bigger, more political show.”

They continued: “The stories have higher stakes, are more complex and fast-moving – but the characters are still at the centre of everything.”

They added: “After all these years, it’s got a clear identity – brilliantly maintained by the top people at Kudos who launched the show and still work on it very closely – so thankfully, we know if we ever stray too far off the path, we’ll be gently herded back towards it.”

Spooks will return for a tenth series this Autumn.