Helen Flynn
Encyclopedia
Helen Flynn played by Lisa Faulkner
, is a fictional administrative officer appearing in the first two episodes of the BBC spy drama Spooks
, known in the United States as MI-5. The violent death of the character in the second episode sparked a record number of complaints.
The Flynn character is a relatively new MI5
recruit; according to the fictional Spooks: Harry's Diary,, she joined Section D (devoted to counter-terrorism) not long before January 2002. She is the flatmate of junior officer Danny Hunter
.
In the second episode of the first series
, "Looking After Our Own," Section D is investigating Robert Osborne, believed to be responsible for inciting race riots. Section chief Tom Quinn and junior officer Zoe Reynolds
are to go undercover and befriend Osborne's wife. When Zoe is called away to work on another assignment, Helen is asked to take her place. Keen to move up through the ranks of the service and possibly attracted to Tom Quinn as well, she is eager to participate in the operation. She and Tom pose as man-and-wife teachers of a computer course in which Mrs. Osborne has enrolled. Tom and Helen succeed in winning her over, but the deeply suspicious Osborne discovers that they are spies, and they are taken to the kitchen of his plant for interrogation. To force information from Tom, Osborne tortures Helen by dipping her hand into a deep fat fryer. When Tom will not comply, Osborne forces her head in, then shoots her.
Although the immersion of Helen's face in hot oil and her being shot occur off screen, her violent death "still caused many viewers to register complaints and believe the incident was actually shown in graphic detail." The killing of Helen drew 154 complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 2002, the highest number that year. The series creator and writer of the episode, David Wolstencroft
, has said that he wrote the scene to convey to the Spooks audience that every character in the series would be at risk. By the end of the third series of Spooks, none of the initial main trio of spies were left, and the show became notorious for the frequency with which main characters are killed or forced to leave MI5. A LastBroadcast poll issued in January 2010 asked viewers to vote for the Spooks character with "the most shocking death scene," and Helen Flynn came in first, with 49% of the votes. Her name features on the Wall of Remembrance shown in the final episode of the series, alongside other fallen MI5 officers.
Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...
, is a fictional administrative officer appearing in the first two episodes of the BBC spy drama Spooks
Spooks
Spooks is a British television drama series that originally aired on BBC One from 13 May 2002 – 23 October 2011, consisting of 10 series. The title is a popular colloquialism for spies, as the series follows the work of a group of MI5 officers based at the service's Thames House headquarters, in a...
, known in the United States as MI-5. The violent death of the character in the second episode sparked a record number of complaints.
The Flynn character is a relatively new MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
recruit; according to the fictional Spooks: Harry's Diary,, she joined Section D (devoted to counter-terrorism) not long before January 2002. She is the flatmate of junior officer Danny Hunter
Danny Hunter
Danny Hunter is a fictional character appearing in the first three seasons of the BBC television series Spooks, known as MI5 in the United States. The character, played by British actor David Oyelowo, is a Junior Case Officer in Section D, the counter-terrorism department of MI5...
.
In the second episode of the first series
Looking After Our Own (Spooks)
"Looking After Our Own" is the second episode of the first series of the British television series Spooks. It first aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2002. The episode was written by series creator David Wolstencroft, and directed by Bharat Nalluri...
, "Looking After Our Own," Section D is investigating Robert Osborne, believed to be responsible for inciting race riots. Section chief Tom Quinn and junior officer Zoe Reynolds
Zoe Reynolds
Zoe Reynolds is a fictional case officer in the counterterrorism department of MI5, featured in the British television series, Spooks, also known as MI5 in the United States. The character was played by Keeley Hawes...
are to go undercover and befriend Osborne's wife. When Zoe is called away to work on another assignment, Helen is asked to take her place. Keen to move up through the ranks of the service and possibly attracted to Tom Quinn as well, she is eager to participate in the operation. She and Tom pose as man-and-wife teachers of a computer course in which Mrs. Osborne has enrolled. Tom and Helen succeed in winning her over, but the deeply suspicious Osborne discovers that they are spies, and they are taken to the kitchen of his plant for interrogation. To force information from Tom, Osborne tortures Helen by dipping her hand into a deep fat fryer. When Tom will not comply, Osborne forces her head in, then shoots her.
Although the immersion of Helen's face in hot oil and her being shot occur off screen, her violent death "still caused many viewers to register complaints and believe the incident was actually shown in graphic detail." The killing of Helen drew 154 complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 2002, the highest number that year. The series creator and writer of the episode, David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft
David Wolstencroft is a Scottish television writer and author. He is best known as creator of the BAFTA award-winning TV spy drama Spooks and its spin-off series, Spooks: Code 9. Wolstencroft was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1969 and grew up in Edinburgh, Scotland, later going on to read history at...
, has said that he wrote the scene to convey to the Spooks audience that every character in the series would be at risk. By the end of the third series of Spooks, none of the initial main trio of spies were left, and the show became notorious for the frequency with which main characters are killed or forced to leave MI5. A LastBroadcast poll issued in January 2010 asked viewers to vote for the Spooks character with "the most shocking death scene," and Helen Flynn came in first, with 49% of the votes. Her name features on the Wall of Remembrance shown in the final episode of the series, alongside other fallen MI5 officers.