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Berlin Station sees Richard Armitage hunting a whistleblower

The Australian
12:00AM December 13, 2017


You could be forgiven for watching the opening scenes of Berlin Station, which starts tonight, and thinking you are watching Richard Armitage in Spooks circa 2008-10.

Of course he has enjoyed high-profile roles since, such as Thorin Oakenshield in the Hobbit film trilogy, as well as voicing the main character in Netflix’s surprise hit Castlevania earlier this year. And others will recall his Mr Darcy-esque turn in the 2004 period melodrama North & South; a different genre and audience entirely.

But for many he will remain that tall young man who bravely survived years of torture in a Russian prison, whom we later learned had killed his best friend in Dakar and stolen his identity for the purposes of joining British spy agency MI5.

Created by American spy novelist Olen Steinhauer, Berlin Station is a contemporary thriller set in the US embassy in Germany, with Armitage playing Daniel Miller, a career CIA officer who is hunting a supposed whistleblower known as Thomas Shaw.

It recalls real-life events of recent years, namely the astonishing leaks of US intelligence by Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

The fantastic cast also includes Ashley Judd, Rhys Ifans (Snowden), Leland Orser (Ray Donovan), Michelle Forbes (In Treatment), Richard Jenkins (Olive Kitteridge) and Sylvia Hoeks (Blade Runner 2049).

Executive producer Bradford Winters (Oz, Boss) has commented on how eerily similar the recent German election results were to those fictionally portrayed in the series. “I remember distinctly when the election results came in and the numbers were pretty much (what) we were sort of guessing at in the show. What do you say? I don’t presume any particular powers in that sense,” he told Deadline Hollywood.

For those so inclined, seasons one and two are available to stream tomorrow on SBS On Demand. A third season will begin production early next year.