page_title: Spooks (series 1)
section_title: Broadcast, ratings and impact
hierarchical_section_title: Spooks (series 1) / Broadcast and reception / Broadcast, ratings and impact
caption_attribution_description: English: A graph created on Microsoft Excel to show the viewership of the first series of British spy drama Spooks
context_page_description: The first series of the British spy drama television series Spooks began broadcasting on 13 May 2002 on BBC One, and ended on 17 June 2002. It consists of six episodes. Spooks follows the actions of Section D, a counter-terrorism division of the British Security Service. Among the storylines, main character Tom Quinn faces dilemmas living a double life with his girlfriend, who at first does not know he is really a spy, and Tessa Phillips is running phantom agents for monetary gain. Matthew Macfadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner, Esther Hall, Heather Cave, Hugh Simon and Greame Mearns are listed as the main cast.
  Kudos Film and Television developed Spooks after releasing Channel 4 medical drama Psychos in 1999, though the company initially faced friction from television networks which saw no potential in a post-Cold War spy show. The producers later successfully pitched the series to the BBC after the networks' commissioning teams were replaced.
context_section_description: Before broadcasting began, the BBC considered airing the show on a Saturday night timeslot as its research found that any potential viewers were less likely to watch television on Saturdays than most other nights of the week; the BBC hoped that Spooks would boost its timeslot. However, the series instead broadcast on Mondays. The series began broadcasting on 13 May 2002 on BBC One during the 9 to 10 pm timeslot, and continued on every Monday night until 17 June 2002, with the exception of the fourth episode, which was viewed on Tuesday 4 June starting at 10 pm, due to an overrun of the coverage of Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The episodes were also repeated on the digital channel BBC Choice. In the US, the first series aired in mid-2003 on A&E. However, each episode had approximately ten minutes edited out to accommodate for advert breaks. The DVD release of the series in America contained the uncut episodes. The first series was later repeated on BBC America, alongside the second series starting in June 2007.
  The Spooks producers were hoping the ratings for the pilot would achieve at least six million viewers; at the time this was considered acceptable ratings by the BBC, as it would allow them to further consider Spooks' future. The first episode ended up with an overnight rating of 9.2 million viewers, with a 41 per cent audience share, easily winning its time slot, and nearly doubling the numbers of ITV1's Helen West, which was viewed by 4.8 million at the same slot. The second episode dropped to 7.8 million, but was still the most seen series in the timeslot. Although the series won its timeslot again in the third episode, "One Last Dance" faced competition from The Kumars at No. 42 on BBC Two, and was down to seven million. The different timeslot for episode four meant that it dipped below six million; however, ratings recovered to over seven million by the series finale. With consolidated figures factored in, the first series was seen by an average of 7.49 million viewers. After two episodes aired, the BBC began considering renewing the show for a longer second series as it had proved popular among the key demographics of viewers aged 16 to 34 years. The renewal was officially announced by the BBC's Head of Drama Commissioning Jane Tranter in December 2002.
  Within the fortnight of the show's launch, MI5 noted a surge in a number of applications to the organisation as a result of the series. Out of the 10,000-plus applications per week to MI5's website, more than 2,500 people applied following the end of a Spooks episode, while before the episodes broadcast, only a handful of new applications were entered. MI5 welcomed the show's impact on the public, despite the officers' views that Spooks was "unrealistic and far-fetched", and could give viewers a false impression of how the organisation operates.
caption: Final ratings for the first series
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