SpooksIt might be frequently preposterous, but Spooks manages to do something achieved by few British dramas - it's good.

So we're welcoming the exciting spy drama back with open arms as it returns for a gripping eighth series.

Picking up where the last series left off, Section D is in a state of panic following Harry's kidnapping by dastardly FSB agent Viktor Sarkisian.

It seems the worst fears of Ros (Hermione Norris) and Lucas (Richard Armitage) are confirmed when the Sacred Army of Righteous Vengeance (SARV) posts footage of Harry's execution on the internet.

But the game might not be entirely up for the MI5 boss - and it's a good job too, as Peter Firth's performance makes this show. Ros refuses to believe Harry is dead and leads the team on a search and rescue mission.

Cue lots of tense music, a few casual death threats and a couple of dead ends while the ever-pathetic Jo looks around helplessly (we've got nothing against Miranda Raison's performance, but after three years of learning to do spying it's about time this character actually did some).

Luckily, help arrives from an unexpected and very welcome source in the shape of former MI5 wonder-woman Ruth Evershed (Nicola Walker).

Full of helpful intel as always, Ruth reveals that Harry once thwarted a clandestine operation to smuggle weapons-grade uranium into Iraq, and only he and Ruth are privy to its true whereabouts. Now a group of rogue intelligence officers want it back and they don't care who they have to kill to get it.

When Ruth and her family are kidnapped, the race is on for Section D to find them before they are killed and discover whether Harry is still alive. Cue more tense music.

Glossy, glamorous and gratuitous it may be - but it's great.

Episode two follows on BBC3 on Fri 6 Nov at 9pm

Find out when Spooks is on TV.