It should come as no surprise that and film producers have always been under the glamorous spell of the fashionable field agent. On-screen spies typically hold just as much fascination for us as the real thing – and how could they not? Drama, intrigue and life-or-death action, coupled with a health dose of girl power, is a potent combination. No wonder the worlds of subterfuge and have always gone hand in hand.
Case in point? 's November cover star Lashana Lynch, who stars as Bianca, the tenacious MI6 operative in the latest adaptation of . In the new TV series, which will air in early October, Bianca is tasked with the relentless, global pursuit of an assassin, known only as The Jackal. ‘Her determination to find and capture The Jackal overshadows everything, turning into an addiction that has the potential to take over her life,’ says the broadcaster.
Lynch has form when it comes to this line of work: in 2021, she played MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond film , so she certainly has some past experience on which to draw. She may also, however, look to the other actresses who have made a career in His Majesty's Secret Service appear quite so alluring. Of course, Dame Judi Dench set the gold standard for on-screen spies with her portrayal of the first ever female M in the series, but we can think of many an inscrutable investigator from which Lynch may also have taken inspiration.
Here, we round up our favourite on-screen spies of all time. Of course, no list of on-screen.
