Spooks

I just need a file. It's in Five's archive. It's called Albany... Look at me, John.

I want to get this over with and disappear.

And I want you to disappear as well but I'm not going to help you to do it.

Why did you decide to turn up now? I had to see you.

What do you want?

"I need that Albany file."

You think blackmailing me is the best way to get it? Do this and I'm gone.

You can carry on, whatever life you want.

I did what you asked, now you and I are done.

You didn't do this for me, you did this for you.

I'll fix things.

We can be together.

It's got to be forever this time, John.

This programme contains some violent scenes.

Harry. Sit down, sit down.

Just checking out the new Home Office app.

It's worth a download.

Well, I have some very exciting news.

After several hundred hours of extremely delicate phone calls, Operation Horizon is a go.

With the same chair? Same deal, same chair.

Total secrecy, press lockout.

Top people on the Israeli and Palestinian sides are signed up and ready to pow-wow.

This is an historic opportunity to bring about peace in the Middle East.

Home Secretary, these talks always do one of two things. Collapse spectacularly or fizzle out.

Well, if anyone can stop that from happening, it's this chair.

His codename for the duration is Lighthouse. Perfect, eh?

The beacon.

Guiding us through the dark crags.

Just think, if the foundations of a lasting peace were laid in little old Blighty.

Rather a shame the whole thing's clandestine, but you can't win 'em all.

I'll liaise with all sides re security arrangements.

I spent a year in that part of the world. After graduating.

My dalliance with long-haired do-gooding, you know.

But I've seen at firsthand what this conflict has done to those people.

On all sides.

We have a solemn responsibility to this process.

Anything you need.

Home Secretary.

PHONE RINGS

The President touches down in five hours.

Operation Horizon is his brainchild.

It's top secret, small-scale exploratory talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

The President's getting tough on Israel.

He's demanded a freeze on settlement buildings as a precondition.

The right wing there don't like it, but others feel

he offers the region the best chance for peace in decades.

So our job is to protect the talks to make sure they go ahead.

Now, three six-hour windows have been arranged with cover stories. The first is a visit to Buck House.

But instead of spending the day with the corgis, he'll go out the back,

into unmarked vehicles and over to the delegation hotel.

And, before you ask, yes, er, the Queen is in on it.

So someone actually made her sign the Official Secrets Act?

But it's delicate. A sharp word, the wrong food, any perceived inequality in treatment.

So we buy them the same toys. That way they can't argue.

Both delegations are in the same hotel to rule out any suggestion of favouritism.

It's The Prince Edward.

Central location but totally securable and all surrounding buildings will be emptied.

The key players. On the Israeli side, Levi Cohen, lead negotiator.

Worked within the peace process for 30 years. This is Anna Cohen, his daughter.

She's ex-army, but now a rising star of Israeli politics.

Now, she's tough, but she's a moderate, like her father.

Anna was kidnapped by a splinter Palestinian jihadi group in 2001.

Her father, then a defence minister, would not approve an army plan to rescue her.

His own daughter? Why? It was a volatile time. If he had approved the plan,

it could have sparked a cycle of violence that would have lasted for years.

He had no choice. They don't get along.

Only reason they'll be in a room together is for these talks.

So do you know the family then?

Yes.

I'm going to be at the hotel as a favour to Levi.

On the other side,

Harun Ibrahim, Palestinian lifer.

Former advisor to Arafat. The other man is his deputy, Raed Elwan.

He's seen as the more progressive thinker.

If we can manage to close the gap on this thing, which seems unlikely,

we'll be doing the world a great service.

Both delegations will be assigned a Home Office liaison.

So are we working with them? Not exactly.

The delegation would never accept MI5 close protection so you're Home Office staff on baby-sit drill.

Make sure the delegations are safe, and separate, until the talks begin.

Ruth and Tariq will co-ordinate, but we're relying on your charm.

And you want Beth? Well, these are Middle East peace talks, we expect complications.

Lucas, emergency contact from the CIA.

A journalist called Dana Morrison has contacted them

asking for confirmation that the President is chairing a secret peace summit.

They've denied it, obviously, but she's running the story anyway.

How the hell did she find that out? They don't know. When does she go to press? This afternoon.

An attempt to derail the talks?

Yeah, maybe. And if word gets out, Lighthouse will have to cancel, so I'm bringing her in.

Prepare yourself for the inevitable harangue about press freedom.

Keep me informed.

I won't ask how long it's been because the answer

would make me feel very old, but I hear you are now a Duke.

Has it gone to your head, Harry?

I'm a knight, Levi. And on the day I became one, so did an 80-year-old disc jockey

and a champion shot-putter, so I don't dine out on it, no.

What about you? Are you hopeful?

That's not a term that's useful in what I do.

Although, with Lighthouse onboard, I can't help it, Harry.

We could really move on this time.

I'm delighted to hear you say that.

What about Anna? How's she?

She still hasn't forgiven me, if that's what you mean.

But she's excited about these talks.

She may hate her father, but she loves Israel.

Now, if you pretend you're still on Tel Aviv time, like me, we can have a whisky.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Miss Cohen? I'm Richard Fox, your Home Office liaison.

I hope you like the suite. It's the best in the hotel.

Come in, Mr Levendis, and stop wasting air.

I don't know if my office briefed you, but my name is Richard...

Dimitri Levendis, born in north London to Greek immigrant parents.

MI5 Field Officer, Section D.

Formerly a promising military career including the Special Boat Service.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Ah.

Hello, gentlemen. I'm Sarah Clayton, from the Home Office.

Raed Elwan. Mr Ibrahim is...saving his energies for the discussions.

Well, I hope the suite's to your liking. It's the best in the hotel. With our compliments.

Thank you. Without fail.

I'm sorry?

Every time I am abroad, I am brought dates.

"The Arab will like dates", they think.

My people have swept and secured the suite.

We do not need the help of a foreign intelligence officer.

But our chairman is setting a different note, so you can stay.

Did you know that prolonged periods of malnutrition can cause diabetes?

No.

A gift from my captors.

Along with insomnia, and, of course,

what you're trying not at look at.

I've seen worse.

If there's anything else we can help you with, please ask.

Will you stop fighting every war the Americans ask you to?

I think that's a notch above my pay grade.

But I can assure you, we're all behind a peaceful resolution.

If the public knew about these talks, you'd see that.

Then it is well they will be spared the disappointment of their failure.

If the President is chairing talks between Israel and Palestine,

then the public have a right to know about it. So no, Miss "Hall", I'm not going to sign that.

Instead, I'm going to take your overtures as confirmation

of my source's report and go to press. Today.

This is a matter of principle.

Normally I'd agree. But these talks need to be kept secret.

If you blow them open, we can't guarantee security and they'll be cancelled.

So why do them in secret?

The President feels they only have a chance out of the spotlight.

Having them in public brings a certain pressure not to compromise.

Maybe, but it is always in the public good to know. Almost always.

I see pictures you don't see.

I read transcripts you never will.

I've watched people destroy their bodies for causes that began hundreds of years ago,

in countries they've never even visited.

This isn't some abstract, political goal you're putting at risk, Miss Morrison,

it's a living thing.

DIALLING TONE

Lucas? Harry, the journo's playing ball.

We'll get to work on her source.

How's Levi? I'm with him now.

He's old beyond his years.

The business he's in does that to you. But he's excited, too.

He feels with Lighthouse coming there's really some hope this time.

We cannot compromise on security but we must give these talks every chance.

Understood.

Problems?

Ah, you wouldn't tell me if there were.

I think you are the only person I know whose silence is truly reassuring.

I get tongue-tied.

You know, for a seasoned negotiator, Levi,

your mind is remarkably easy to read.

One day she'll realise that what you did was right, at the time.

And the one time she needed my support...

The e-mails from Dana Morrison's contact are anonymous and brief.

They just say that Lighthouse is chairing secret talks. Can you pinpoint who sent them?

Not 'who', but I can do 'where'.

Well, I can think of a few groups in Lebanon that would have an interest in sinking the talks.

Even when he's the most sympathetic President the Palestinians have dealt with in years?

If anyone's likely to force Israel to make concessions, it's him.

I've got another location. Seven e-mails sent.

Six from Lebanon, the last one from an internet cafe...yesterday.

Pull the browsing history an hour either side of the time that e-mail was sent.

News, map sites...

What maps was he looking at?

That's The Prince Edward.

So someone in Lebanon knows who, when and where.

OK, we treat this as a priority one threat to the talks.

Get me passenger manifests from all flights out of Beirut, border control data. We may not need those.

He's booked a room at a hostel five minutes away from the cafe. He's already here.

OK, I'm in the room.

Just going to do a sweep.

Lucas, you need to hurry. We don't know how long you've got.

There's nothing here, it's clean.

Here we go.

This looks professional. I've got a large amount of sterling and euros, Swiss passport, no photograph.

I've got a notebook,

lots of handwritten Arabic.

Two boxes of 9mm hollow point ammo

but there's no weapon so we have to assume our man is armed.

"An armed, unknown hostile who knows about the talks."

This changes things, we need to inform the delegations.