Bill Nighy to reprise role as MI5 spy Johnny Worricker

Bill Nighy is to reprise his role as MI5 spy Johnny Worricker in the second and third parts of The Worricker Trilogy written and directed by David Hare.

Turks & Caicos and Salting The Battlefield follow Page Eight, which aired on BBC Two in August 2011 and starred Rachel Weisz, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis and Michael Gambon.

Janice Hadlow, Controller of BBC Two, says: “David Hare’s outstanding films and incredible cast are testament to BBC Two’s commitment to original British drama and I am delighted to welcome him back to the channel.”

In the story viewers will see that Johnny Worricker has walked out of his job at MI5. Going to the airport apparently to choose his destination at random, his presence on the obscure islands of Turks & Caicos brings him a new problem: he is being forced by the CIA to deal with a group of ambiguous Americans who are on the islands for a high-level conference on the world financial crisis.

At the same time, an old girlfriend, Margot Tyrrell, is being asked to betray her boss in London in order to establish an illicit connection between the prime minister and dark goings-on in the war on terror.

In the third instalment Johnny Worricker and Margot Tyrrell are on the run across Europe, with MI5 hard on their heels. But life in exile is proving much harder than either of them expected. Worricker knows that his only chance of resolving both his personal and his professional lives is if he returns home to confront the powerful prime minister, Alec Beasley. In a duel of wits between the two men, there will be only one winner.

Writer and director David Hare says: “We have assembled a most extraordinary cast for these two films. I think there may be two reasons – first and foremost, because so many actors want to appear alongside Bill Nighy, but secondly, because people responded so strongly to the feeling of Page Eight – all the fun of spy fiction, I hope, but, for once, bang up to date and based in the real intelligence dilemmas of the last 10 years.”

Page Eight aired in 2011 and was the first film in an intended trilogy about the British domestic security service, MI5. After the death of the Head of the organization, Johnny Worricker, an intelligence officer, is aware of a plot to hand control of the organization directly over to the Prime Minister, Alec Beasley. The Emmy-winning film was seen on BBC Two and PBS. The three installments are produced by Carnvial Films.

Gareth Neame, Managing Director Carnvial Films says: “After the success of Page Eight I am delighted to be working with David Hare on his next films. Once again David has gathered a world class cast alongside Bill Nighy whose portrayal of Johnny Worricker captivated audiences in 2011.”