"…startlingly, embarrassingly better than the equivalent American C.I.A. shows like… Alias"
-- New York Times
TOP SECRET MYSTERY & INTRIGUE SURROUND THE SECOND SEASON OF TELEVISION'S HIT SPY DRAMA:
MI-5: VOLUME 2
This Season The Stakes Are Raised On This Exclusive Five-Disc Set Loaded With Over Two Hours Of Bonus
Material Available January 11
NEW YORK - Defending their country and deceiving their loved ones, no one is immune from the eyes and ears of
MI-5. On January 11, the suspense continues as Britain's elite secret service division is back facing new threats
to national security, terrorism, and organized crime with the BBC VideoÔ release of the acclaimed spy drama
MI-5: Volume 2. Featuring all ten episodes of the original British second season of MI-5, this five-disc DVD set
includes over 150 minutes of footage never broadcast in the U.S.
This innovative drama follows the daring exploits of top-flight MI-5 agents in the Section B counter-terrorism
unit who lead a life of lies in order to search for the truth. With the third season premiering on A&E in January
2005, MI-5 has become a favorite with critics -- "…a satisfying fix of action and intrigue with this intelligent and
suspenseful spy drama… This is not your parents' spy story" (Daily Variety) and "one very tense and jarring thriller
that's far smarter than most audiences on these shores are accustomed to…" (The Hollywood Reporter).
The MI-5: Volume 2 DVD set includes riveting bonus features such as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes
featurettes and cast and production interviews. MI-5: Volume 2 will be available for a suggested retail
price of $79.98.
DVD Extras:
The deluxe, 5-disc DVD set reveals the inner workings of the series including:
· Deleted scenes
· Exclusive interviews with the cast and crew
· Behind-the-scenes featurettes
· Commentaries
REVIEW:
This is not a series I had watched from the start. I had seen the ads, but for some reason A&E is not a channel I
turn to frequently. When I received the DVD series, I was anxious to watch -- to see how the British series compared
with what we have here in the U.S.
In some ways, there is no comparison. Each episode is a tightly written drama -- intense in its portrayal of characters
and situations. Tom (Matthew MacFadyen) and the team of agents are marvelous. You get a feel for the intense
nature of their personal relationships -- and their sense of duty. The two constantly pull at each other.
In Episode #2, Alexander Siddig from Star Trek portrays an Algerian who infiltrates an terrorist cell.
He wants to help MI:5 but also wants to help the youth that are being taught that destroying themselvses in this way
will bring them to glory. There are few happy ending in the series.
About MI-5: Volume 2
Like the CIA in America, MI-5 is the defensive security intelligence agency for the UK - an organization that brings
its operatives into mortal danger on a regular basis. The stakes are raised in the new series of the award-winning
MI-5, as the threat to national security increases and the need to thwart the activities of terrorists operating
within the UK becomes more urgent. Tom (Matthew MacFadyen) and the team find themselves at the heart of
the action and must deal with the psychological fall-out of leading such dangerous double-lives. In a world
where the role of the intelligence services and secret agents is being thrown into greater relief, the fast-paced
drama is tied closely to actual events happening around the world.
Episode Guide:
Episode One: A car bomb kills the wife and daughters of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. A British
army base is attacked. When the Irish terrorist group denies responsibility for the second blast and Bosnian war
criminal, Miroslav Gradic, is spotted flying into the UK, the team realizes this could be the start of a revenge campaign.
Episode Two: An MI-5 agent is identified and tortured inside a Birmingham mosque, where the Mullah is
suspected of extremist activities. Before his health deteriorates, the agent tells Tom that boys are being trained
to be suicide bombers. The team urgently needs to put someone else inside the mosque, but there is no one
suitable. Enter Algerian spy lbhn Khaldun, who is in the UK and desperate for a British passport. Can he be
trusted?
Episode Three: Someone is hacking into MI-5's central computer. Files are disappearing and agents are
being lost in the field. The number one candidate is a secondary school teacher, Gordon Blaney, who is face-
matched near an offending computer. MI-5's files link him to a violent socialist group, the SFM. Posing as a
teacher, Zoe is placed in the school. Danny, meanwhile, tries to infiltrate the SFM. Just as they are near to
breaking Blaney, it becomes clear they have been looking at the wrong man. Could it be someone who has
been right under their noses?
Episode Four: After $2 billion is stolen from the last British family-owned bank in London, MI-5 is tasked to
track down the thief and the money. Harry is convinced there is something they are not being told and puts
Danny in the bank, undercover. It becomes obvious that the bank has secrets, and that the government is
protecting it. The question is: what will the British government do with the money if they get to it first?
Episode Five: The team is busy at work when an alarm goes off. It's an EERIE (Extreme Emergency Response
Initiative Exercise), a practice run for a national emergency - in this case, germ warfare in Central London.
As the exercise continues, information dries up, power and phone lines go down, victims try to break into
Thames House - and suddenly Harry gets sick. With their boss in isolation, the team tries to stay calm and
pass the test, but doubts start to set in about whether or not this is for real.
Episode Six: When the President of the United States makes an unscheduled trip to the UK, it's a huge and
complex operation. MI-5 must work with the CIA and the President's security team to ensure his safety
throughout the visit. It becomes a battle for power but as each new threat comes in, it has to be dealt with.
Episode Seven: The French Intelligence Service wants to work in partnership with MI-5 to catch an arms'
expert, whom they suspect of trying to sell Eurofighter technology to the highest bidder. Harry, however,
has 'higher' information. An operation of European unity turns into one of lies and mistrust. Tom tracks
down a thief who managed to break into Harry's house and steal highly classified files and equipment.
Episode Eight: A much-respected journalist and author is assassinated in his office. When MI-5 learns that
he was investigating crimes against human rights in Colombia, the killing ties in with information received
that a leading Colombian sicario (paramilitary) may be setting up in London. Rafa Morientes has a reputation
for savagery and specializes in the murder of human rights activists and trade unionists. MI-5 discovers a
connection between Rafa and the Director of Finance at Petrex, the UK's biggest oil corporation. Could Rafa
be using Petrex to attempt a coup d'état within a British company?
Episode Nine: At an Army barracks, a platoon immaculately performs a practice exercise, led by the highly
regarded Major Curtis. One of the uniformed men moving in perfect synchronicity is Tom, working undercover.
The fire fighters, nurses, teachers, air traffic controllers, council workers and rail unions have all clashed
with the New Labor Government. With the stability of the country under threat, MI-5 receives word of a far
more serious situation: the British Army is planning strike action. MI-5 knows that Major Curtis is at the heart
of this latest move and Tom is on the inside to uncover what is being planned. However, what if Tom agrees
with what Curtis is fighting for?
Episode Ten: When Tom receives a tip that a known American assassin has been sent to Britain by the
Iraqis to assassinate a major British figure he faces a moral dilemma - should he share this confidential
information? When he enlists help from Zoe and Danny, they become suspicious of his motives. All evidence
points at Tom as he claims he's been set up. Renegade MI-5 officer, Tom, goes on the run.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
