In December 2008, the BBC announced that series 8 would start filming in March 2009 and air late 2009,[19] with both Hermione Norris (Ros) and Richard Armitage (Lucas) returning for series 8. Series 8 started on Wednes...展开day 4 November 2009, at 9 pm on BBC One, with episode 2 broadcast on Friday 6 November at 9 pm on BBC Three. The opening episode of series 8 drew in 6 million viewers a 25% share of audience numbers between 9 pm and 10 pm.
The first episode of the series continues from the cliffhanger at the end of series 7, with Harry Pearce being held captive by the Russians. During this episode, Ruth Evershed is reintroduced, having spent her time since series 5 in Cyprus. The only character other than Harry who has been in the programme since its inception, Malcolm Wynn-Jones departs stating simply that he is "too old". His replacement comes in the form of much younger technician Tariq Masood (Shazad Latif).