What is Black Doves on Netflix about? Plot explained, release date and cast with Keira Knightley

• Keira Knightley is starring in a new Netflix thriller.
• Black Doves also features other big name actors.
• The spy series is set in London over Christmas.

A thrilling spy series starring Keira Knightely will drop on Netflix this week.

Black Doves is set at Christmas, meaning you can add it to your list of festive watches for the year. It marks her first TV role since voicing Tinker Bell in 2011’s Neverland miniseries.

On social media excitement is building. One fan stated they ‘can’t wait’ for the show to arrive.

The show will also feature British TV royalty and another Hollywood star. If you are thinking about tuning in, here’s all you need to know:

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What is Black Doves about?

The synopsis released by Netflix reads: “Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, Black Doves is a sharp, action-filled, and heartfelt story of friendship and sacrifice. It follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a quick-witted, down-to-earth, dedicated wife and mother — and professional spy.

“For 10 years, she’s been passing on her politician husband’s secrets to the shadowy organisation 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.”

Is it any good?

The Irish Times in a review described it as ‘preposterously entertaining’. While ScreenRant labelled it ‘crafty’ and ‘ambitious’.

On social media, one critic compared it to ‘John Wick’ which is bound to get viewers excited. They wrote: “Black Doves is a little bit Slow Horses, a little bit John Wick, a little bit Killing Eve... but still it's own VERY entertaining beast. Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw have incredible BFF chemistry, would happily watch multiple seasons of them together.”

Who is in the cast with Keira Knightley?

The Hollywood star is obviously the big name for this Netflix show but she is not the only star in the cast. Ben Whishaw, Q in the recent Bond films and the voice of Paddington, also has a key role in the series.

Happy Valley titan Sarah Lancashire is also part of the cast, while fans of True Detective: Night Country will recognise Finn Bennett - aka Officer Peter Prior.

The main cast is as follows:

• Keira Knightley as Helen
• Sarah Lancashire as Reed
• Ben Whishaw as Sam

Supporting cast:

• Andrew Koji as Jason
• Andrew Buchan
• Omari Douglas
• Kathryn Hunter
• Sam Troughton
• Ella Lily Hyland
• Adam Silver
• Ken Nwosu
• Gabrielle Creevy
• Adeel Akhtar
• Tracey Ullman as Alex
• Finn Bennett
• Luther Ford
• Isabella Wei

When does Black Doves release on Netflix?

The show will be arriving on the streaming service in just a few days. It will be released on Thursday December 5 and all episodes will arrive then.

Audiences will be able to tune in from 8am GMT. The first season will have six episodes in total.

Will there be a second series?

Netflix has confirmed that prior to the debut of the first season, it has already renewed Black Doves. There is no date for when it will return.

Streaming shows often take multiple years to produce new seasons, so you may have to wait until late 2025 or even longer. Hopefully it doesn’t end on too tense a cliffhanger.

Are you excited for Black Doves - will you be watching it once it releases? Share your thoughts by emailing me: [email protected].