Hermione on Spooks 'benchmark'

Hermione Norris has revealed the team behind the show feel under pressure to impress fans every series.

The former Cold Feet star, who plays hard-as-nails agent Ros Myers in the award-winning BBC drama about a top team of MI5 agents admits there are high expectations for the show.

Hermione said: "There's a benchmark that's been set definitely, always you feel year on year 'will the scripts be good enough, will the characters reach their potential, will it be as good as it was last year, will it thrill?'"

She added: "So there's definitely a sense of responsibility from everybody, because the benchmark has been raised and it seems to raise itself and raise itself. And there is definitely a sense of 'Gosh can you reach that again?' - across the board I think."

The show is so top secret and fast-paced the cast aren't allowed to see their scripts until the last minute, but Hermione insists she doesn't mind.

She said: "In a way it's easier. Because it's like learning information and it's so immediate that your brain changes to become like a sponge. I'd rather just have one script to look at. I mean they are quite late, maybe if they came maybe the week before not the night before... But if it's that much information to take in, if you've got a pile of scripts, I think I'd get overwhelmed if I thought 'Oh my god I've got to learn all of that'. I'd rather have just one script at a time because they're quite complex storylines and you can get your head round one story."

:: Spooks is on BBC One on Wednesdays at 9pm.