Spy/Master is a Romanian thriller set during the Cold War and is loosely based on the exploits of a real-life spy. It stars Alec Secăreanu (Happy Valley) as Victor Godeanu, the Romanian president’s right-hand man who is also a secret agent for the Russians. With his cover about to be blown, Victor defects to the US but must avoid the KGB and his own government’s spooks, while his family face the fall out back home.
This top multi-lingual spy thriller also stars The Mummy’s Parker Sawyers, Deutschland 89’s Svenja Jung and The Trial of Christine Keeler star Aidan McArdle and former Hollyoaks star Nico Mirallegro.
Here’s everything you need to know about Spy/Master on BBC4 and HBO Max….
Spy/Master release date
Spy/Master is six-part series that launches in the UK with a double bill at 9pm and 9.50pm on BBC4 from Saturday May 4 2024, while all six episodes will be available to stream as a box set on BBCiPlayer from that date. The series has already been shown in the US on HBO Max from May 2023.
Is there a trailer for Spy/Master?
Yes there's a trailer for Spy/Master that follows Soviet spy Victor as he defects to the US and see how his family back home are caught up in the fallout of the biggest defection from the Eastern bloc. Take a look below...
Spy/Master plot
Spy/Master spans one week in the life of Victor Godeanu, the right-hand man and most trusted advisor to Romanian President Nicolae Ceaușescu (Claudiu Bleonț).
With his government about to uncover that he’s a secret agent for the Soviets, Victor defects to the US during a diplomatic trip to Germany. It’s huge news for the Americans and Victor is helped by undercover Stasi agent Ingrid Von Weizendorff (Svenja Jung) and up-and-coming CIA agent Frank Jackson (Parker Sawyers). However the Stasi and Romania’s own spies are soon on Victor’s tail, and it looks as though his wife and daughter may face the consequences back home.
As a Soviet double agent, Victor’s knowledge of Russian secrets could be of great use to the Americans. But with Ceaușescu helping to facilitate peace talks between Egypt and Israel, President Jimmy Carter’s US administration is keen not to rock the diplomatic boat during the Camp David talks, leaving Victor, who is unhappily married with a teenage daughter, in limbo and fearing for his life.
Spy/Master cast — Alec Secăreanu on playing Victor Godeanu
Alec Secăreanu plays defector Victor in Spy/Master. "The stakes are high," says Secăreanu. "Western intelligence doesn’t have a lot of information about what’s happening in the East, so Victor knows he has leverage. Victor cannot allow himself to show any vulnerability,’ he explains. ‘He knows when to push the right buttons to get something out of them. He’s constantly playing this chess game as he goes along."
Secăreanu was born in Romania just a few years after the events depicted in the series, and experienced the huge changes that came about after the overthrow of the Communist regime. "After 40 years of communism, Romania was a very scarred nation," he says. "My parents spent all of their youth and the first part of their adulthood under communism, and I was born in 1984, so I was five and a half when Ceaușescu was executed on TV on Christmas Eve 1989. That is still a very vivid image in my mind."
* Alec Secăreanu has previously played Darius Knezevic in the third series of Happy Valley and has also starred in Ammonite, Baptiste, Strike Back, God’s Own Country and The Bike Thief.
Parker Sawyers on playing CIA agent Frank Jackson
World on Fire star Parker Sawyers plays CIA agent Frank Jackson in Spy/Master. While defection is a life-or-death matter for Victor, landing such a big fish could represent a significant career opportunity for the man trying to bring him under the protection of the United States.
"Frank is very ambitious and chomping at the bit for something he can get his teeth into," says Sawyers, who played former US President Barack Obama in the 2016 biopic Southside with You. "Then along comes Victor, and he’s got this project that can really catapult him into the higher echelons of the CIA, and he can go back to America a hero."
Who else is starring in Spy/Master?
The Spy/Master cast also includes The Empress’ Svenja Jung as undercover Stasi agent Ingrid Weizendorff, Aidan McArdle (Tell Me Everything) plays Walter Simpson, Nico Mirallagro (Rillington Place) plays John Miller and Connor Lowson is Scott Dunlop. Ana Ularu,, Laurentiu Banescu, Conor Lowson and Alexandra Bob also star.
Behind the scenes and more on Spy/Master
Spy/Master is produced by Proton Cinema and Mobra Films. It was created and written by Adina Sădeanu and Kirsten Peters, with all episodes directed by Christopher Smith and produced by Ioanina Pavel. The executive producers are Johnathan Young, Anke Greifeneder, and Antony Root, and co-producers include Viktória Petrányi and Tudor Reu.
Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “A classic spy drama set at the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master is an atmospheric, complex thriller, dripping with style and suspense.”
