Netflix’s ‘Black Doves’ trailer: Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw celebrate Christmas with spy games

Netflix’s big holiday season drama is “Black Doves,” a spy thriller starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw that arrives on the streaming platform beginning on December 5. On Wednesday, Netflix debuted the action-packed first trailer for the series.

Here’s the plot synopsis, courtesy of Netflix: 

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 organization 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.

“Black Doves” was created by Joe Barton, who wrote all six episodes. “I started writing the scripts for this show over last year’s Christmas holidays, fueled by turkey sandwiches and discarded bottles of cream liquor,” Barton told Netflix in October 2023 as the series began production. “To be now going into production with a cast and crew full of people whose work I admire so much is unbelievably exciting, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to get to see this show come to life.”

Alex Gabassi (“The Crown”) and Lisa Gunning (“The Power”) serve as directors of the series. Of note for interested parties: the series has already been renewed for Season 2.