It's been more than four years since Killing Eve’s agonising finale and just as we’d given up all hope of the show returning, the almost-too-good-to-be-true news came in that it is… sort of. Enter Honey, the BBC’s "dream" Killing Eve prequel with a romantic twist, otherwise known as the irresistible spy thriller we all need in our lives right now.
The drama, which the BBC has just shared a release date and trailer for, will take us back to 1980s Berlin, where Martha (pronounced Marta) – who we believe to be the younger version of Carolyn Martens, the MI6 officer played by Fiona Shaw in Killing Eve, is a deep cover agent for MI6. And not only is she caught between enemies and threats, she’s also caught in quite the love triangle.
Executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle has described the characters as "smart, violent and highly sexually charged" – which has only made us more excited for the show to arrive on our screens. Until then, here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming series, including the full plot, cast, trailer and release date.
What is Honey about?
The six-part series is a prequel to the BBC’s beloved spy thriller Killing Eve, which starred Jodie Comer (pictured above), Sandra Oh and Fiona Shaw. Set in Berlin in the 1980s and described by the BBC as "a tender and flirty, slick and dangerous darkly comedic Cold War thriller”, it will follow Martha – the younger version of Carolyn Martens, the MI6 officer played by Fiona Shaw in all four series of Killing Eve.
According to the official synopsis, "the series goes deep undercover in 1980s East Berlin to explore a shadowy world of counter espionage and risky but irresistible relations. Marta, 24, is a deep cover agent for MI6. Surrounded by enemies and constantly under threat of her cover being blown, she tries her hardest to avoid detection by Friedrich Bauman, the new Head of Counter Espionage for the Stasi.
"Finding herself caught between Friedrich and the reckless, arrogant (and incredibly attractive…) CIA operative Aaron Neeland, she is blind-sided by desire in this Cold War menage-a-trois.
"The risk of being garrotted or incarcerated is nothing compared to the horrifying ordeal of falling in love. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and bearing your heart and soul? She'd rather have her fingernails ripped off."
Creator Emma Moran has said she’s excited “to dig into the sexy madness of our version of Cold War East Berlin”, calling romantic comedy and espionage "a dream combination for me."
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama, says: "Honey is a smart, playful and irresistible tale of an MI6 agent drawn into a deadly and dysfunctional love triangle. Set against the backdrop of Berlin in the early 80s, this brilliant new series from Emma and the team at Sid Gentle Films Ltd subverts genre conventions in the best possible way and we’re very proud to have it on the BBC."
Is Honey a Killing Eve prequel?
Yes, it would seem so. While the BBC didn't share the rather major detail when they first announced the show, it's since been reported by Deadline that it is. Why the secrecy around it? We have no idea!
Who's in the cast of Honey?
The cast of Honey includes:
- LeAnn Skelly (House of Guinness, The Nevers) as Martha Schmitt
- Nate Mann (Masters of the Air & Licorice Pizza) as Kurt Fischer
- Jannis Niewöhner (Munich: The Edge of War, Napoleon) as Friedrich Bauman
- Rory Kinnear (The Diplomat, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power) as Graham Anderson
- Oliver Cudbill as Stefan Weiss
- Sonita Henry as Anne Anderson
- Victoria Mayer as Ingrid Schimmel
- Valentino Dalle Mura as Rolf Muller
- July Namir as Kamilla Akhmedova
- Julian Niedermeier as Otto Kowalski
- Sofia Oxenham as Greta Abstreiter
- Daniel Zielinski as Tomas Klein
Is there a trailer for Honey?
Yes, you can watch the trailer for Honey below.
Is there a trailer for Honey?
Good news - it's coming soon! Honey will premiere on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday 14th November. In the meantime, you can catch up on all 4 series of Killing Eve on BBC iPlayer.