Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw Star in Christmas Spy Thriller Black Doves
Adeel Akhtar, Finn Bennett, Luther Ford, and Tracey Ullman join the series debuting later this year

If you love a Christmas mystery, Black Doves should be on your wish list — even if it’s more ass-kicking than cozy.

This six-episode spy thriller starring Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, Love Actually) and Ben Whishaw (This Is Going to Hurt, A Very English Scandal) as an unlikely spy/assassin duo will offer up high-stakes global intrigue as well as plenty of British wit, knife fights, and holiday (or anti-holiday?) cheer.

For anyone who knows that Die Hard is definitely a holiday movie, Black Doves, created and written by Joe Barton (Giri/Haji, The Lazarus Project), will arrive like a Christmas gift later this year. Read on for everything that’s been declassified about the series so far.

Knightley plays Helen Webb, a quick-witted, down to earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy. For a decade, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire) calls in Helen’s old friend to keep her safe.

Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) is a suave, Champagne-drinking assassin. But having been out of the game since a failed job with disastrous consequences, he’s come home to a London that has moved on without him. As his past threatens to catch up with him, his task is to protect Helen as she investigates who killed Jason and why.

Together, they set off on a mission that will lead them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy. One that links the murky underworld of London to a looming geopolitical crisis — and leads them to question the cost of the moral choices they’ve made.

At the press event Next on Netflix UK on March 14, Knightley summed up the series best: “Black Doves is a very exciting spy thriller set at Christmas in London.”

The cast of Black Doves:
Ben Whishaw plays Sam Young, described by Whishaw as an assassin who’s “returned to London to assist his friend who’s trying to revenge the murder of her secret lover, and sometimes not very successfully…”

Keira Knightley plays Helen Webb, a wife, mother, and undercover spy. For the role, Knightley had to train for hand-to-hand combat. “It’s been great fun to do all of the fighting,” she said. “I’ve really enjoyed learning all of the different martial arts that I have been taught.”

Sarah Lancashire (Happy Valley, Julia) plays Reed, who, in Lancashire’s own words, “is a spy mistress working for the Black Doves. She recruited Helen in good faith, and Helen has been a bit of a loose cannon.”

Four new cast members include Luther Ford (The Crown), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show), and Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once).

The previously announced wider cast includes Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Koji (Warrior), Kathryn Hunter (Andor), Sam Troughton (Mank), Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen-Love), Adam Silver (The Diplomat), Ken Nwosu (Look the Other Way and Run), Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin), and Omari Douglas (Rye Lane).

The series is created and written by Joe Barton.

“I started writing the scripts for this show over last year’s Christmas holidays, fueled by turkey sandwiches and discarded bottles of cream liquor. To be now going into production with a cast and crew full of people whose work I admire so much is unbelievably exciting and I couldn’t be more thrilled to get to see this show come to life.”

The series is directed by Alex Gabassi (The Crown) and Lisa Gunning (The Power). Executive producers are Barton, Jane Featherstone (Chernobyl, This Is Going To Hurt), Chris Fry (Kaos, Giri/Haji) for SISTER, and Knightley. Harry Munday serves as producer.

Black Doves will land on Netflix later this year.