Have yourself a merry little first look at Keira Knightley's spy thriller Black Doves

The iconic image of Keira Knightley at Christmastime in London is her standing in the doorway, looking on silently as Andrew Lincoln reveals “To me, you are perfect.” But Netflix’s Black Doves, premiering on December 5, is going to give us a new Keira Knightley Christmas, and this time she’s got a little more agency. An entire espionage agency, in fact! 

Described as a “sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice,” the new series “follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother—and professional spy,” according to a synopsis from Netflix. “For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organization she works for: the Black Doves. When her secret lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Sarah Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (Ben Whishaw) to keep her safe. Together, Helen and Sam set off on a mission to investigate who killed Jason and why, leading them to uncover a vast, interconnected conspiracy linking the murky London underworld to a looming geopolitical crisis.”

Helen is “a bit of a loose cannon,” as Lancashire describes her, while Sam is a “suave, Champagne-drinking assassin” who failed a previous mission “with disastrous consequences,” according to Netflix’s Tudum. Knightley has embraced her turn as an action star, sharing at a Netflix UK event, “It’s been great fun to do all of the fighting. I’ve really enjoyed learning all of the different martial arts that I have been taught.”

Ahead of the Black Doves premiere, Netflix has already renewed the six-episode series for a second season. The show was created by Joe Barton (Giri/Haji, The Lazarus Project), and also stars Luther Ford (The Crown), Adeel Akhtar (Fool Me Once), Tracey Ullman (The Tracey Ullman Show), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Andrew Buchan (Carnival Row), Koji (Warrior), Kathryn Hunter (Andor), Sam Troughton (Mank), Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen-Love), Adam Silver (The Diplomat), Ken Nwosu (Look The Other Way And Run), Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin), and Omari Douglas (Rye Lane). You can check out more first-look images from Black Doves below. 

Sarah Lancashire as Reed in Black Doves; Photo: Netflix/Ludovic Robert

Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley in Black Doves; Photo: Netflix/Ludovic Robert

Ben Whishaw in Black Doves; Photo: Netflix/Ludovic Robert

Keira Knightley in Black Doves; Photo: Netflix/Ludovic Robert