Betrayal's MI5 Agent John Hughes: The Spy Who Can't Lie
Defusing nuclear devices might be overrated. Driving sports cars underwater or outrunning avalanches rarely features in daily life. However, there is one crucial talent every British secret agent absolutely requires: the ability to lie convincingly. In ITV's new drama Betrayal, agent John Hughes, portrayed by Shaun Evans, appears to lack this fundamental skill entirely.
Colleagues and Family Notice His Honesty
Even his fellow intelligence officers have observed this glaring deficiency. 'You're a terrible liar, you know,' chides his MI5 replacement, Mehreen, played by Zahra Ahmadi. This remark comes after John faces suspension from duty following a violent misunderstanding at a motorway service station that results in two gangsters dead.
His GP wife, Claire, portrayed by Romola Garai, recognises the telltale signs too. When John mumbles about an overnight assignment, it takes her merely thirty seconds to extract the full truth: he wasn't working alone, his fellow operative was female, and they had booked into a budget hotel together. Unsurprisingly, the couple are attending marriage guidance sessions, where Claire reveals to the therapist, 'John works for the security services — MI5. I think I'm not supposed to say that.'
A History of Failed Deception
If John possessed any talent for deception, his wife would never have discovered his affair with another colleague seven years prior. Traditionally, espionage demanded exceptional gifts for subterfuge and double-crossing. Yet, thanks to shows like Claudia Winkleman's The Traitors, we now understand that approximately half the population enjoys lying and executes it proficiently. John Hughes simply isn't part of that half.
Though Betrayal features bloody action sequences and fast-paced plotting, the series emphasises how ordinary the lives of spies truly are. This approach isn't novel; John Le Carré's spies were similarly humdrum and unglamorous, though one doesn't recall hearing so much about their haemorrhoids. It's challenging to maintain a Smiley-like demeanour while dealing with piles.
A Dinosaur in Modern MI5
John Hughes does share one characteristic with James Bond: he's somewhat of a dinosaur. Despite having a female boss, which visibly rankles him, he automatically assumes his rivals are men and consequently frequently misgenders them. In this contemporary era! Furthermore, when the HR department emails him with a voluntary redundancy offer, he immediately phones them, effing and jeffing profusely. Again, in this modern age!
All these elements could veer into unintentional comedy with a less convincing actor in the lead role. As in Endeavour, Shaun Evans proves compellingly watchable without appearing remotely starry. He handles everything from orchestrated violence to childcare with the same hangdog reluctance, as if acknowledging the necessity of his actions while deriving little pleasure from them.
A Glimpse of Vanity
Only once does a note of vanity infiltrate John's demeanour. During a counselling session, his phone rings, and when asked to switch it off, he crows, 'I can't.' For a fleeting moment, we glimpse how inwardly important his job makes him feel. That is one secret he manages to keep successfully, a rare triumph in a life otherwise defined by transparency and failed deception.
