Tom Quinn
Encyclopedia
Tom Quinn is a fictional character
in the BBC
espionage
television series Spooks
, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism
division of MI5
. He is portrayed by British actor Matthew Macfadyen
. In the first two series, Tom is the chief of Section D. The character was in the first and second episode of the third series but was decommissioned as a result of sabotaging an operation. He appeared again in the final ever episode of Spooks (season 10 finale), hired as an 'outside agent' to kill a Russian extremist.
Series creator David Wolstencroft
believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet hardest to work on. During the second series, the producers were unsure whether Macfadyen would return for the third; because of this, Tom was originally killed in the second series finale. However, when Macfadyen decided to appear in the first two episodes of the third series, series writer Howard Brenton
had to "unkill him." Reaction towards the character by fans were positive, though critics criticised Macfadyen's portrayal.
(Richard Armitage
) during an operation in Russia
. Throughout the first series, Tom engages in a relationship with Ellie Simm (Esther Hall
), who knows him as "Matthew Archer", a civil servant
in IT
. In the second episode, Tom performed an undercover
operation with fellow officer Helen Flynn
(Lisa Faulkner
) to recruit the wife of right-wing businessman, Robert Osbourne, who was believed to incite race riots throughout the country. However, during the operation, Osbourne discovers they are spies and attempts to get his hands on information regarding MI5 operations. When Tom fails to cooperate Osbourne tortured Flynn with a deep fryer before killing her. Tom is able to escape and works with Harry to have Osbourne assassinated for retribution. When Tom is shot during a Turkish Consulate raid in the third episode, Tom is forced to admit his true identity and profession, which temporarily puts a strain on their relationship. In the series one finale, Tom has his home protected in order to keep Ellie and her daughter Maisie safe. However, in the end of the finale, he inadvertently brings home a laptop
rigged with C4
; Ellie and Maisie become trapped in the house with the bomb. The bomb fails to detonate. However, by the end of the second series premiere, Ellie leaves Tom, claiming that he will always choose his job over her.
Later in the second series, Tom starts a brief relationship with Vicky Westbrook (Natasha Little
), which he ends due to her behaviour after an EERIE (Extreme Emergency Response Initiative Exercise) in the fifth episode. In the following episode, Vicky retaliates by posting his phone number in Soho
telephone boxes and clubs, garnering him unwanted attention. While Tom has Sam Buxton (Shauna Macdonald
) find and destroy every leaflet, CIA
liaison Christine Dale (Megan Dodds
) makes Vicky stop the harassment. At the end of the episode, he starts a relationship with Dale, which superior Harry Pearce
(Peter Firth
) disapproves of, demanding that he end it. In later episodes, a shift in consciousness starts to interfere with Tom's work, such as when he goes undercover to stop a renegade British Army
major. In the series two finale
, he learns from Dale that an American assassin, Mickey Karharias, is visiting the UK. It is later revealed Karharias was actually killed, and the entire operation was orchestrated by supposedly dead CIA agent Herman Joyce (Tomas Arana
), who is seeking revenge on Tom for ruining his daughter's life when Tom recruited her. Joyce frames Tom for assassinating the Chief of the Defence Staff
. While Tom attempts to prove his innocence, Harry corners him, forcing Tom to wound Harry and escape into the North Sea
. At the end of the episode, the team assumes he drowned
.
In the third series premiere episode, Tom survives and poses as a vagrant
in order to find Joyce in a church; Tom murders Joyce and leaves his body outside Thames House
in an attempt to prove his innocence. When it does not, Adam Carter
(Rupert Penry-Jones
) tracks down Joyce's wife and makes her confess to their plan to frame Tom, clearing him of all charges. Tom is reinstated as Head of Section. However, in the next episode, he undergoes a "conscience
explosion" and sabotages an operation to lure a terrorist
cell into buying "red mercury
", because he did not like what was being done to the scientist in order for him to attempt to create it (which includes forging gambling
debt
, prompting the man's wife to leave him. He also develops a severe alcohol problem). As a result, Tom is decommissioned and takes early retirement from MI5. In the book Spooks: The Personnel Files, Tom is revealed to have married Christine Dale following his retirement and to have founded a private security company called 'Trans Atlantic Security'.
The character is briefly referred to by Ruth in episode 3 of season 3 (she calls Adam Carter "Tom") but not referred to again until Lucas North enters MI5 in the first episode of season 7. He asks "how did Tom Quinn work out?" to which Harry replies "took early retirement".
In the final ever episode (season 10 finale) Tom briefly returns, hired by Harry Pearce as an "outside contractor" to eliminate the head of a conspiracy of Russian nationalists who tried to derail the move to a closer Russian-U.K. relationship. This scene, while brief, makes it clear that Tom is still involved in spying and is more ruthless than he was while working for MI5 (he was decommissioned in season 3 for "an attack of conscience"). It also adds a twist on Tom's reasons for setting up Trans Atlantic Security as he is clearly working as a freelance assassin.
described Tom as not disillusioned, but "sort of becomes a human being."
Series creator David Wolstencroft
believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet the hardest work compared with other characters, because he was Spooks primary protagonist
. Wolstencroft chose a job in Information Technology
(IT) as the cover story Tom used in his relationship with Ellie, because he felt that in real life people are reluctant to ask questions about IT work. To portray the character, actor Matthew Macfadyen followed the scripts, and did not want to deviate from them, as he did not believe doing so would be useful. Macfadyen was also keen to explore parts of Tom from within him for influence.
During production of the first series, Macfadyen, along with co stars Keeley Hawes
and David Oyelowo
were wary of playing the lead characters in their mid-twenties, but since felt they earned the right to be in the series. During production of episodes three and five of the first series, Macfadyen burst a blood vessel on one of his eyes
. Macfadyen compensated by wearing sunglasses
in order to hide it. Halfway through filming series two, Macfadyen got to carry a gun
for the first time in the series; he was disappointed in not carrying one in the first series.
Though Macfadyen enjoyed working in the series, he began to feel "very sluggish and fed up" with playing the same character for two years. When the producers knew Macfadyen planned to leave, they did not know whether or not he would appear in the beginning of the third series. Howard Brenton, who wrote the series two finale, originally killed Tom off by drowning him while trying to escape onto the North Sea, while labouring under the impression that he was not to return. The producers would have continued the third series without Tom, however when they heard the actor would be prepared to return for the first two episodes of the third series, they were rewritten to include his character Tom. Brenton had to "unkill him."
in EastEnders
.
Critical reaction towards the character were generally mixed. In a DVD review of the first series, Michael Mackenzie of Home Cinema thought Macfadyen was not a very good actor and believed "he seems to be in some sort of contest with Keanu Reeves
to see how long he can maintain the same lifeless facial expression," but thought the character himself, particularly his personal life, mostly worked well for the most part as it continues "as a standard soap opera
." In review of the second series, Dennis Landmann of MovieFreak praised the "drama and intensity that builds around his character," noting Tom's somewhat "haunted soul" and the last five minutes of the last episode "were so powerful they affected how I felt for the next couple of days; I kept thinking about the character and the tragic events that happened to him." In the third series, Mackenzie praised the episode where Tom tries to clear his name, but thought his exit was "not particularly satisfying." However, David Blackwell of Enterline Media thought that his farewell scene was "one of [his] best moments of the first two episode (in addition to the way Tom acts in the opening episode)."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
television series Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
division of MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
. He is portrayed by British actor Matthew Macfadyen
Matthew Macfadyen
David Matthew Macfadyen is an English actor, known for his role as MI5 intelligence officer Tom Quinn in the BBC television drama series Spooks and for starring as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.In June, 2010 Macfadyen won a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting...
. In the first two series, Tom is the chief of Section D. The character was in the first and second episode of the third series but was decommissioned as a result of sabotaging an operation. He appeared again in the final ever episode of Spooks (season 10 finale), hired as an 'outside agent' to kill a Russian extremist.
Series creator David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft is a Scottish television writer and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama Spooks and its spin-off series, Spooks: Code 9. Wolstencroft was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1969 and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, later going on to read history at...
believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet hardest to work on. During the second series, the producers were unsure whether Macfadyen would return for the third; because of this, Tom was originally killed in the second series finale. However, when Macfadyen decided to appear in the first two episodes of the third series, series writer Howard Brenton
Howard Brenton
-Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal...
had to "unkill him." Reaction towards the character by fans were positive, though critics criticised Macfadyen's portrayal.
Character arc
Tom Quinn joined Section D in 1996, where he eventually became Head of Section D following the imprisonment of predecessor Lucas NorthLucas North
Lucas North, formerly known as John Bateman, is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series Spooks , which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. North is portrayed by British actor Richard Armitage...
(Richard Armitage
Richard Armitage (actor)
Richard Crispin Armitage is an English actor famous for his roles as John Thornton in North and South, Guy of Gisborne in Robin Hood, and Lucas North in Spooks...
) during an operation in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Throughout the first series, Tom engages in a relationship with Ellie Simm (Esther Hall
Esther Hall
Esther Hall is an English actress who has had high profile roles in a number of television dramas.Born in Manchester in 1970 and brought up in Cheshire, she took A levels in Manchester before training in Theatre Arts for three years at the University of Leeds Bretton Hall College where she gained a...
), who knows him as "Matthew Archer", a civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in IT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
. In the second episode, Tom performed an undercover
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
operation with fellow officer Helen Flynn
Helen Flynn
Helen Flynn , played by Lisa Faulkner, is a fictional administrative officer appearing in the first two episodes of the BBC spy drama Spooks, known in the United States as MI-5...
(Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...
) to recruit the wife of right-wing businessman, Robert Osbourne, who was believed to incite race riots throughout the country. However, during the operation, Osbourne discovers they are spies and attempts to get his hands on information regarding MI5 operations. When Tom fails to cooperate Osbourne tortured Flynn with a deep fryer before killing her. Tom is able to escape and works with Harry to have Osbourne assassinated for retribution. When Tom is shot during a Turkish Consulate raid in the third episode, Tom is forced to admit his true identity and profession, which temporarily puts a strain on their relationship. In the series one finale, Tom has his home protected in order to keep Ellie and her daughter Maisie safe. However, in the end of the finale, he inadvertently brings home a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
rigged with C4
C-4 (explosive)
C4 or Composition C4 is a common variety of the plastic explosive known as Composition C.-Composition and manufacture:C4 is made up of explosives, plastic binder, plasticizer and usually marker or odorizing taggant chemicals such as 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane to help detect the explosive and...
; Ellie and Maisie become trapped in the house with the bomb. The bomb fails to detonate. However, by the end of the second series premiere, Ellie leaves Tom, claiming that he will always choose his job over her.
Later in the second series, Tom starts a brief relationship with Vicky Westbrook (Natasha Little
Natasha Little
Natasha Little is a British actress. She is best known for her work on British television, but has also featured in many film and theatre roles.- Early life :...
), which he ends due to her behaviour after an EERIE (Extreme Emergency Response Initiative Exercise) in the fifth episode. In the following episode, Vicky retaliates by posting his phone number in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
telephone boxes and clubs, garnering him unwanted attention. While Tom has Sam Buxton (Shauna Macdonald
Shauna Macdonald
Shauna Macdonald is a Scottish television and film actress.-Biography:Shauna Macdonald was born in Malaysia and shortly after moved back to her family's native Edinburgh, Scotland, before moving to Glasgow to train at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.She and her husband, the actor Cal...
) find and destroy every leaflet, CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
liaison Christine Dale (Megan Dodds
Megan Dodds
Megan Lynne Dodds is an American stage and television actress.-Biography:Megan Dodds was born in Sacramento, California, and after High School she enrolled in a community college where she was cast as Bananas in John Guare's The House of Blue Leaves...
) makes Vicky stop the harassment. At the end of the episode, he starts a relationship with Dale, which superior Harry Pearce
Harry Pearce
Sir Henry James "Harry" Pearce KBE is the fictional head of the Counter-Terrorism department of MI5, featured in the British television series, Spooks...
(Peter Firth
Peter Firth
Peter Firth is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC show Spooks, of which he is the only actor to have starred in every episode of the show's 10 series lifespan...
) disapproves of, demanding that he end it. In later episodes, a shift in consciousness starts to interfere with Tom's work, such as when he goes undercover to stop a renegade British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
major. In the series two finale
Smoke and Mirrors (Spooks)
"Smoke and Mirrors", known as "Pit of Secrets" in the United States, is the tenth and final episode of the second series, and the 16th episode overall of the British television series Spooks. It first aired on BBC One on 11 August 2003. The episode was written by Howard Brenton, and directed by Sam...
, he learns from Dale that an American assassin, Mickey Karharias, is visiting the UK. It is later revealed Karharias was actually killed, and the entire operation was orchestrated by supposedly dead CIA agent Herman Joyce (Tomas Arana
Tomas Arana
-Life and career:Arana was born in Auburn, California. He grew up in San Francisco and studied classical theatre at the prestigious American Conservatory Theater and at the City College of San Francisco. Afterwards he relocated to New York and acted in off-Broadway productions...
), who is seeking revenge on Tom for ruining his daughter's life when Tom recruited her. Joyce frames Tom for assassinating the Chief of the Defence Staff
Chief of the Defence Staff (United Kingdom)
The Chief of the Defence Staff is the professional head of the British Armed Forces, a senior official within the Ministry of Defence, and the most senior uniformed military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Prime Minister...
. While Tom attempts to prove his innocence, Harry corners him, forcing Tom to wound Harry and escape into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. At the end of the episode, the team assumes he drowned
Drowning
Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....
.
In the third series premiere episode, Tom survives and poses as a vagrant
Vagrancy (people)
A vagrant is a person in poverty, who wanders from place to place without a home or regular employment or income.-Definition:A vagrant is "a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging;" vagrancy is the condition of such persons.-History:In...
in order to find Joyce in a church; Tom murders Joyce and leaves his body outside Thames House
Thames House
Thames House is an office development in Millbank, London, on the north bank of the River Thames adjacent to Lambeth Bridge, designed originally as commercial head offices...
in an attempt to prove his innocence. When it does not, Adam Carter
Adam Carter
Adam Henry Carter is a fictional character from the BBC espionage television series Spooks, which follows the exploits of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of MI5. He is portrayed by British actor Rupert Penry-Jones...
(Rupert Penry-Jones
Rupert Penry-Jones
Rupert William Penry-Jones is an English actor, best known for his role as Adam Carter in the British television series Spooks, also broadcast under the title MI-5.-Family life:Penry-Jones was born in London on September 22, 1970...
) tracks down Joyce's wife and makes her confess to their plan to frame Tom, clearing him of all charges. Tom is reinstated as Head of Section. However, in the next episode, he undergoes a "conscience
Conscience
Conscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
explosion" and sabotages an operation to lure a terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
cell into buying "red mercury
Red mercury
Red mercury is a 19th-century term for protiodide or iodide of mercury. It was commonly recommended for use as an antisyphilitic as late as 1913, most notably during the early years of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiments. Taken orally, it caused hematemesis...
", because he did not like what was being done to the scientist in order for him to attempt to create it (which includes forging gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
, prompting the man's wife to leave him. He also develops a severe alcohol problem). As a result, Tom is decommissioned and takes early retirement from MI5. In the book Spooks: The Personnel Files, Tom is revealed to have married Christine Dale following his retirement and to have founded a private security company called 'Trans Atlantic Security'.
The character is briefly referred to by Ruth in episode 3 of season 3 (she calls Adam Carter "Tom") but not referred to again until Lucas North enters MI5 in the first episode of season 7. He asks "how did Tom Quinn work out?" to which Harry replies "took early retirement".
In the final ever episode (season 10 finale) Tom briefly returns, hired by Harry Pearce as an "outside contractor" to eliminate the head of a conspiracy of Russian nationalists who tried to derail the move to a closer Russian-U.K. relationship. This scene, while brief, makes it clear that Tom is still involved in spying and is more ruthless than he was while working for MI5 (he was decommissioned in season 3 for "an attack of conscience"). It also adds a twist on Tom's reasons for setting up Trans Atlantic Security as he is clearly working as a freelance assassin.
Characteristics
Tom Quinn is depicted as "serious, focused and popular" with his team, as well as "deeply intelligent", with "impeccable instincts." Throughout the first series, Tom has a relationship with Ellie Simm. In the first few episodes, Tom deals with keeping his true identity secret, but not being truthful to Ellie is "eating away at him." Ultimately, Tom tells her the truth, and she later leaves him in the beginning of the second series as a consequence. Throughout the second series, Tom's "journey" has evolved slowly, where his attitude to his work has changed, and his conscience has "kicked in", finding himself questioning the world he is in. In Tom's final episode, writer Howard BrentonHoward Brenton
-Early years:Brenton was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, son of Methodist minister Donald Henry Brenton and his wife Rose Lilian . He was educated at Chichester High School For Boys and read English Literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge. In 1964 he was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal...
described Tom as not disillusioned, but "sort of becomes a human being."
Conceptual history
David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft is a Scottish television writer and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama Spooks and its spin-off series, Spooks: Code 9. Wolstencroft was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1969 and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, later going on to read history at...
believed that writing Tom was the most fun, yet the hardest work compared with other characters, because he was Spooks primary protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. Wolstencroft chose a job in Information Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) as the cover story Tom used in his relationship with Ellie, because he felt that in real life people are reluctant to ask questions about IT work. To portray the character, actor Matthew Macfadyen followed the scripts, and did not want to deviate from them, as he did not believe doing so would be useful. Macfadyen was also keen to explore parts of Tom from within him for influence.
During production of the first series, Macfadyen, along with co stars Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes
Keeley Hawes is an English actress and model, known for many television roles. She is best known for her roles as Zoe Reynolds in Spooks and Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes and Lady Agnes in the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs...
and David Oyelowo
David Oyelowo
- Background :Oyelowo was born in Oxford, England of Nigerian descent. He is married to actress Jessica Oyelowo and they have three sons.Oyelowo first attended a youth theatre after being invited by a girl to whom he was attracted. He then studied Theatre Studies for A level and his teacher...
were wary of playing the lead characters in their mid-twenties, but since felt they earned the right to be in the series. During production of episodes three and five of the first series, Macfadyen burst a blood vessel on one of his eyes
Red eye (medicine)
In medicine, red eye is a non-specific term to describe an eye that appears red due to illness, injury, or some other condition. Conjunctivitis and subconjunctival hemorrhage are two forms of a red eye....
. Macfadyen compensated by wearing sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
in order to hide it. Halfway through filming series two, Macfadyen got to carry a gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
for the first time in the series; he was disappointed in not carrying one in the first series.
Though Macfadyen enjoyed working in the series, he began to feel "very sluggish and fed up" with playing the same character for two years. When the producers knew Macfadyen planned to leave, they did not know whether or not he would appear in the beginning of the third series. Howard Brenton, who wrote the series two finale, originally killed Tom off by drowning him while trying to escape onto the North Sea, while labouring under the impression that he was not to return. The producers would have continued the third series without Tom, however when they heard the actor would be prepared to return for the first two episodes of the third series, they were rewritten to include his character Tom. Brenton had to "unkill him."
Reception
The character gained Matthew Macfadyen recognition during his tenure on Spooks, but since his departure, Macfadyen stated that "no one notices me now." Fan reaction of the character were positive. In the "Best of Drama" viewer polls at BBC Online, Macfadyen was voted fifth in the "Best Actor" category, ahead of co-star Peter Firth, who was voted 21st. He would later be voted fourth in 2003, and then fifth again in 2004; co-star Rupert Penry-Jones was voted third in the same category. Furthermore, the scene entitled "Tom's death (or was it?)" in the cliffhanger of series two, was voted second in the "Favourite Moment" category in 2003, beaten only by the return of "Dirty Den" WattsDen Watts
Dennis Alan "Den" Watts is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by actor Leslie Grantham. He became well known for his tabloid nickname, "Dirty Den"....
in EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
Critical reaction towards the character were generally mixed. In a DVD review of the first series, Michael Mackenzie of Home Cinema thought Macfadyen was not a very good actor and believed "he seems to be in some sort of contest with Keanu Reeves
Keanu Reeves
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor. Reeves is perhaps best known for his roles in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Speed, Point Break and the science fiction-action trilogy The Matrix...
to see how long he can maintain the same lifeless facial expression," but thought the character himself, particularly his personal life, mostly worked well for the most part as it continues "as a standard soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
." In review of the second series, Dennis Landmann of MovieFreak praised the "drama and intensity that builds around his character," noting Tom's somewhat "haunted soul" and the last five minutes of the last episode "were so powerful they affected how I felt for the next couple of days; I kept thinking about the character and the tragic events that happened to him." In the third series, Mackenzie praised the episode where Tom tries to clear his name, but thought his exit was "not particularly satisfying." However, David Blackwell of Enterline Media thought that his farewell scene was "one of [his] best moments of the first two episode (in addition to the way Tom acts in the opening episode)."