[This article was originally written for the BBC Vision intranet]
Spooks has returned to BBC One and brings with it a dramatic new website, Spooks Interactive. Designed to immerse the visitor in the secretive world of MI5, the online offering features exclusive footage, interactive missions and action for the would-be spy who gets their own desk at 'The Grid' - Spooks' inner sanctum.
Extending the narrative and characters of the television show in a way previously untried by the series before meant it wasn't easy trying to keep a television drama and an online experience pointing in the same direction. As senior content producer Sarah Clay explained: "The challenge is for the two products to be complimentary but not interdependent," she said. "There will always be people who watch the programme but don't visit the website, so we have to make sure the site can still exist as a standalone experience."
But visitors will certainly get added-value from Spooks Interactive. Successful missions result in a sneak peek at next week's show. Kudos, the production company behind the hit drama, filmed scenes and storylines with the cast on set especially for the online venture. They even created a brand new character - the shady Mayfield - to guide the user through their tasks.
The bulk of the digital content was constructed by Hoodlum, an Australia-based interactive agency. Working across different time zones could have presented logistical issues but the process could not have run smoother though, said Sarah. "Interactive video and the character footage shot for the site is very hard to merge together, but Hoodlum were able to put the pieces together," she said. "They even shot certain non-character or set-specific scenes themselves in Australia."
The end result is alarmingly addictive and it's best enjoyed when you can dedicate a length of time to immerse yourself in the missions. It even captivated TV critic Mark Lawson, who described it as "requiring real observational skill" in The Guardian (see related links, right). As Lawson also notes, this level of interaction and production, from one platform to another, is just the beginning. We can only hope that the boys and girls of Spooks prove better at keeping Britain safe than Lawson seemed to be...