Killing Eve: Everything you need to know about the hit series
Series four will be the last ever series!
Last updated 7th Apr 2022
It was the show everyone couldn't stop talking about when it first dropped in 2018 - so it's no surprise that Killing Eve was renewed for a second season almost immediately. The spy thriller, which was adapted from Luke Jennings' Villanelle novels by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, averaged almost 1 million viewers per episode when it originally aired.
Starring Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh and Doctor Foster actress Jodie Comer as Eve Polastri and Villanelle respectively, the series captivated not only the UK, but America as well.
Killing Eve season 3 left fans utterly shocked by all the twists and turns, desperate to know what's happened in the aftermath. Season four is officially underway, but with the bittersweet fact that it will be the final ever series of Killing Eve. Here's everything we know about the show, including a potential spin-off show...
. 🚨Be warned - this article contains spoilers.🚨
Is there a season 4 of Killing Eve?
Yes! The BBC confirmed that there would be a fourth season of Killing Eve back in January 2020 - before the third had even aired.
However, after production was halted due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the BBC confirmed in March 2021 that series 4 will be the final ever season! Sharing a video on social media, Killing Eve bosses also confirmed the news that the final episodes will air in 2022, with filming starting in Summer 2021. Jodie Comer then confirmed that there were two months of filming left in August 2021.
In December 2021, BBC surprised fans with a first look at season four, that teased Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer, finding herself in the ‘House of the Holy’ in an attempt to ‘shed her label as a monster’ whilst Eve Polastri, played by Sandra Oh, is seeking vengeance in a very convincing blonde wig.
When was series four of Killing Eve released?
The fourth season of Killing Eve landed in the UK on Monday 28th February.
Check out these photos from Killing Eve series four:
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series 4 first look
Killing Eve series four trailer:
Is there a Killing Eve spin-off show?
While the fourth season of Killing Eve is sadly the last, there has been talk of a spin-off show. It was announced in April 2022, that BBC America and AMC Networks were in the early stages of creating a show which follows the story of Carolyn Martens.
What happened in season three of Killing Eve?
Read our full recap of everything that happened in Killing Eve season three.
When did Killing Eve season three air in the UK?
The air date for Killing Eve season three was moved forward for both the UK and the US, and the first episode was released at 6am on 13th April on the BBC iPlayer. Each episode was then released each Monday, with an airing on Sunday evenings.
BBC confirmed the news that Killing Eve would be getting a third season just one day after the second series began airing in the US. Along with the news of a third season came the update that Phoebe's role of showrunner will be taken over by Suzanne Heathcote, who will serve as the show's lead writer and executive producer.
Of the new role, Phoebe said, "I’m very excited that the Killing Eve baton is being passed onto another incredible writer for Season 3. We can sleep soundly knowing these characters are safe in Suzanne Heathcote’s hilariously murderous hands."
Is Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Killing Eve?
Phoebe also dropped hints that she could be set to appear in the third season, telling the Mirror, "I was like, I am going to write myself a part so that I can be murdered by Jodie."
Phoebe also revealed that she quite fancied one of the lead roles for herself, but ultimately decided that she wasn't right for either part, "I just had a really strong instinct that there should be this age gap because I just felt like it was something I hadn't seen. I'm not a 25-year-old Jodie Comer – I mean, let's be frank.
"And I don’t know if I could have scaled a wall quite like she could have done, and I'm not in my early 40s either."
This isn't the first time Phoebe has expressed a desire to be murdered by Jodie, telling Radio Times, "We talked about it! They were going to kill me! But by the time we were writing it, I'd weirdly written myself out of the casting bracket. I'd love to be murdered by Jodie."
Which awards has Killing Eve won?
The show has been nominated for and won plenty of awards since it first aired in 2018. It won the 2019 British Academy Television Awards for Best Drama Series, Best Leading Actress for Jodie Comer as Villanelle and Best Supporting Actress for Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens.
Sandra Oh made history with her Golden Globe win in 2019 for Best Actress – Television Series Drama, as well as Jodie winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Jodie was nominated in the 2020 British Academy Television Awards for Leading Actress, but lost out to Glenda Jackson for Elizabeth is Missing. She's also been nominated at the TV Choice Awards for Best Actress, going up against Brenda Blethyn in Vera, Daisy Edgar-Jones in Normal People and Michelle Keegan in Our Girl.
The show has also been nominated for four Emmy Awards: Outstanding Drama Series for the show, Outstanding Drama Actress for both Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Fiona Shaw.
Killing Eve: Meet the cast
Jodie Comer as Villanelle / Oksana Astankova
Jodie Marie Comer is an actress from Liverpool, and portrays the antagonist Villanelle / Oksana Astankova in Killing Eve.
Jodie started out her acting career way back in 2008 at the age of just 15, having attended a weekend theatre school and winning a competition at a local drama festival.
She then had small parts in Holby City, Waterloo Road, Doctors, Casualty and Silent Witness, before landing the role of Chloe Gemell in E4 series My Mad Fat Diary. She played Ivy Bolton in Lady Chatterley's Lover, and got another big break as Kate Parks in Doctor Foster opposite Suranne Jones. Jodie also played Elizabeth of York in The White Princess, a sequel to The White Queen starring Rebecca Ferguson. She's made waves since she started out, and has now starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Star Wars, Free Guy and The Last Duel.
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri
Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress who starred as MI5 officer Eve Polastri, the agent who was hunting Villanelle.
She began her career in showbiz at an early age, performing in school plays before forgoing a place at university to study at the National Theatre School and going on to star in biographical TV films of two significant female Chinese-Canadians, Evelyn Lau and Adrienne Clarkson.
She's most well-known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang in Grey's Anatomy, having starred in the show from Season 1 to Season 10. She also had voice roles on various Disney Channel TV shows, as well as showing off her more comedic side in The Princess Diaries as Vice Principal Gupta.
Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens
Potterheads will recognise actress Fiona Shaw AKA MI6 operative Carolyn Martens as Aunt Petunia Dursley from the Harry Potter film series. Carolyn had rather questionable motives during Killing Eve - although she was on the hunt for Villanelle, she was blind to some facts after viewers discovered she'd had an affair with Russian operatives Vladimir Betkin and Konstantin Vasiliev.
The Irish actress was awarded a CBE in 2001, having worked extensively in theatre for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and winning the Olivier Award for Best Actress twice.
During the 1990's, she starred in three period drama films - Persuasion as Mrs. Croft, Jane Eyre as Mrs. Reed and Anna Karenina as Lydia, but her biggest film role was Aunt Petunia, starring in all eight of the films.
Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev
Danish actor Kim Bodnia plays Villanelle's handler, Konstantin Vasiliev in Killing Eve, and a romantic past was hinted at with Carolyn Martens, Fiona Shaw's character. He has mostly starred in European films throughout his character, and is quite famous for his role in Scandinavian noir crime television series The Bridge as Martin Rohde. He also plays Vesemir in the second season of The Witcher on Netflix.
Harriet Walter as Dasha
English actress Harriet Walter joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the former Russian gymnast (and assassin) Dasha. It soon becomes clear that Dasha is an old associate of Villanelle, and the pair were reunited in season three... with some tragic consequences.
Stage and screen actress Harriet Walter also plays the role of Caroline, Countess of Brockenhurst in ITV drama Belgravia, and she's also appeared in popular series such as The Crown, The End and Succession.
Owen McDonnell as Niko Polastri
Irish actor Owen McDonnell portrayed Eve's Polish-British husband Niko Polastri in Killing Eve. Although he wasn't a huge character, he was shown to be a loving and caring husband to Eve, but as the show went on and she became more obsessed with Villanelle, cracks started to show in their relationship and he eventually left their apartment.
It had looked like Niko was murdered in front of Eve's eyes in season three, but it was later revealed he'd survived the attack.
Owen is best known for playing Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll in RTÉ Television's Single-Handed, but has also had roles on Spooks and Silent Witness, as well as sitcom Mount Pleasant.
Sean Delaney as Kenny Stowton
Sean Delaney plays Kenny Stowton, the hacker and online specialist that Eve and Carolyn hire to assist in their investigation. It later becomes apparent that Kenny is, in fact, Carolyn's son, and even he begins to despair at his mother's actions regarding the case around Villanelle.
Much to the sadness of viewers, Kenny was thrown off the top of a building at the start of season one, with viewers still keen to find out who murdered him.
Sean previously appeared in an episode of Midsomer Murders, but Killing Eve has been his breakout performance.
Raj Bajaj as Mo Jafari
Actor Raj Bajaj joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the role of Carolyn's MI6 protégée Mo Jafari.
In the past, Raj has enjoyed parts in shows such as Doctor Who, Doctors and most recently, Netflix movie A Christmas Prince.
Steve Pemberton as Paul
English actor and comedian Steve Pemberton's role in season three of Killing Eve is a small one, but still worth a mention. Steve plays the role of Paul who works for the Foreign Office, and was brought in to oversee tasks carried out by Carolyn's team.
Of course, Steve has appeared in many popular TV shows in the past, including things like Death In Paradise, Good Omens, The League Of Gentleman and Midsomer Murders.
Yuli Lagodinsky as Irina
After being held hostage by Villanelle in season two, young actress Yuli Lagodinsky returned in season three, playing the role of Konstantin's daughter Irina.
This is Yuli's first major on-screen role.
Gemma Whelan as Geraldine
Killing Eve fans were first introduced to Gemma Whelan's character Geraldine in episode two of season three. The actress plays the role of Carolyn's daughter who struggles after the murder of her brother Kenny.
Gemma has appeared in a number of popular shows prior to Killing Eve, including her role as Yara Greyjoy in Game Of Thrones. The actress also starred in ITV drama White House Farm, the 2020 adaptation of Emma and is a regular on Upstart Crow.
Camillie Cottin as Helene
We don't know much about her character yet, but French actress Camillie Cottin joined the cast of Killing Eve in season three, playing the role of 'The Twelve' member Helene.
Camillie has appeared in movies like Allied (2016), Call My Agent (2015) and Dumped (2018).
David Haig as Bill Pargrave
David Haig is a 63-year-old British actor who played Bill Pargrave, Eve's MI5 associate who joins her at MI6 before tragically being stabbed to death by Villanelle. He is most well known for his breakout role as Bernard in Four Weddings and a Funeral before reuniting with fellow co-star Rowan Atkinson in BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line.
He later had a role on The Thick Of It as Steve Fleming alongside Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Joanna Scanlan, and was awarded an MBE in 2013. He's also a prolific stage actor, and has even written a play based on the life of Rudyard Kipling, which he later starred in alongside Daniel Radcliffe. He appeared in 2016 film Florence Foster Jenkins with his Four Weddings co-star Hugh Grant, as well as Meryl Streep.
Darren Boyd as Frank Haleton
Darren Boyd played Frank Haleton in Killing Eve - Eve's supervisor at MI5. Although Frank initially seemed to be an overbearing boss who couldn't take a joke, he was later discovered to be a mole for the Russians, and was targeted by three assassins - one of whom was Villanelle. Unfortunately for him, she got him in the end, despite Eve's best efforts.
Darren has had an extensive stage career, and has also appeared in TV comedies like Saxondale and Royal Wedding, about the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer alongside Jodie Whittaker. He more recently starred in Sky Atlantic's Fortitude as the creepy Markus Huseklepp, and had roles in Luther and Lucky Man.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Elena Felton
Kirby Howell-Baptiste is a British actor from London. She played Eve's friend and assistant Elena Felton, who transferred to MI6 with her when she started to work for Carolyn.
Fans of The Good Place will recognise Kirby as Simone, the Australian neuroscientist who has a brief relationship with main character Chidi Anagonye. She also appeared in House of Lies, is a recurring character on Netflix's LOVE as well as on HBO comedy-drama Barry with Bill Hader.
Kirby left the show in season one.
Nina Sosanya as Jess
Nina Sosanya joined the cast for season two as Jess. She was described as: 'an experienced Intelligence Officer. Jess is unbelievably clever and hilarious. Having studied Arabic at SOAS, she was basically asking to be recruited. A calm, experienced presence in MI6, she has absolutely no time for the posh, white men who have failed upwards within the organisation and makes it known. The reason she hasn't been highly promoted is because she refuses to suck up or play the game.'
Nina is a well-known actress in the UK, having starred in noughties series Teachers as well as Love Actually. She's also an established theatre actress, and has performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company on a number of occasions. She also starred in comedy series Twenty Twelve, and BBC dramas Silk and Hustle. She's had main roles in W1A, Marcella and Strike Back: Retribution.
Edward Bluemel as Hugo
Hugo was another new character for series two, played by Edward Bluemel. He was described as follows: 'No one has ever said "no" to Hugo in his entire life. This is a man-boy so used to getting what he wants that people automatically just give it to him. Hugo wafted through Eton and Oxford, and was absolutely delighted to get the tap on the shoulder (from an old friend of Daddy's). He's not remotely surprised or grateful that, in his twenties, he is in a major Counter-Terrorism department in MI6. He's totally disrespectful to his elders and betters entitlement personified, but unfortunately, he is also completely irresistible. Kenny absolutely hates him.'
Edward starred as Marcus Whitmore in Sky's A Discovery of Witches, in Liam Neeson blockbuster The Commuter and also caught the eye of many during his turn as Maeve Wiley's older brother Sean in Netflix's Sex Education. He is also an experience theatre actor, having starred in productions such as The Winter's Tale and King Lear.
When did Killing Eve series two air on TV?
Killing Eve season 2 began airing in the UK on Saturday 8th June. Not only were all the episodes available to stream on BBC iPlayer from then, but they also aired weekly on BBC One, having starting on Saturday 8th June at 9.15pm with the finale airing on 27th July.
Killing Eve season two aired on BBC America on 7th April 2019 at 8pm. The first season aired in the US in April 2018 and was broadcast in the UK in September 2018.
How can I watch Killing Eve online?
Killing Eve seasons one-three are currently available on the BBC iPlayer. It is not yet available on Netflix, but the first series can also be bought from Amazon Prime to stream.
What book is Killing Eve based on?
Killing Eve is based on Codename Villanelle, a fictional thriller novel written by British author Luke Jennings which was published in 2018. It was originally published as four e-book novellas available on Kindle, entitled Codename Villanelle, Villanelle: Hollowpoint, Villanelle: Shanghai and Odessa.
There is also a sequel novel, entitled No Tomorrow, which was released as a paperback in March 2019.
Luke Jennings spoke out about what inspired him to write the character of Villanelle in July 2020, telling the BBC that she "just came to him" fully formed, and that she "didn't enormously change" from then.
He said, "I'd often thought of the idea of never having to worry about money. You could live the life you wanted but in return you have to every so often, just go and kill someone. She is the person who says 'Yes' to that deal. You know, it suits her, it really works for her."
Luke then spoke out about Villanelle's captivating personality, "I always wanted to see how far I could push it, and how appalling I could make the character and have people still root for her.
"There's no part of her life that she isn't in charge of. Here is somebody who is notionally answerable to her boss, but does what she likes and lives exactly the life that she wants. And just at the end of doing some really gruesome killing, she just sort of walks away happily into the sunlight and moves on."
Villanelle's style
Villanelle's clothing and outfits is something that was built into her character from the very start, not something that the TV production team came up with. Luke said, "She likes her clothes and this is what this series caught very accurately. I was always very specific about the clothes and the fact she dresses for herself. It's not to attract other people, it's not to attract attention or men, she just buys things just because she can."
Is Killing Eve a true story?
We certainly hope not! Killing Eve is based on a fictional novel by Luke Jennings, so we're pretty sure it's safe to say that there isn't actually an assassin wandering the streets named Villanelle. But who knows...
Where is Killing Eve filmed?
As Eve follows Villanelle all over the world, filming locations have been listed as Tuscany, Paris, Berlin, Romania, Cheshunt, Turville, London and West London Film Studios.
According to online sources, the 'Viennese Cafe' opening scenes for the series were shot at the Bar Garibaldi in Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany, and Eve's operations base has been recognised by viewers as Warwick House Street, just off Trafalgar Square in London.
When Villanelle came face to face with Eve's associate Bill Pargrave in season one, they come out of the Berlin Friedrichstraße station and go into the Fabric nightclub opposite Smithfield Market in London. The cast and crew also visited Nell's Café, a roadside cafe off the A2 in Kent.
Of the multiple filming locations, writer and producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge said, "We’ve been all over the shop! We’ve been to Paris, Berlin, Tuscany, London and Romania - we were filming the Russian element of the story there.
"We really wanted to have a sense of scale, and how Villanelle could be thrown into any corner of the world to do a job and then for Eve to follow and show the realities of travelling."
Executive producer Sally Woodward Gentle added, "We didn't want to find one location that doubles for everything, so we set ourselves the rather awkward challenge of filming a story where the series is set. And so we filmed in Tuscany for Tuscany, and we filmed in Paris and Berlin, and we filmed in Romania.
"They are all extraordinary locations that all feel incredibly different. But what we also wanted to find were what I call the ‘grubby operatics’ of those areas. We didn’t want to be skipping around the Eiffel Tower or leaning up against the last bit of the Berlin Wall. We wanted to show different sides of those cities. We tried to find locations that people hadn't used before but were quintessentially of that town."
Phoebe Waller-Bridge on the 'empowering' nature of Killing Eve
Speaking to Andrew Marr, Phoebe revealed that women everywhere are feeling "oddly empowered" by seeing women like this on TV. She said, "I think people are slightly exhausted by seeing women being brutalised on screen.
"We’re being allowed to see women on slabs the whole time and being beaten up, and in some ways that’s important to see because it shows the brutality against women. Seeing women being violent, the flipside of that is refreshing and oddly empowering."
She also revealed why there's not much blood in the series, "Strangely, there’s hardly any blood, there’s hardly any gruesomeness that we were allowed to show... There’s a man on the slab but no bits on show. We have just as much respect the other way around.
"BBC America, the original channel, said we couldn’t have that much blood on show, we couldn’t be too grotesque. The challenge was to make it feel very violent without actually showing anything. That’s a very different experience for the audience."
Who are the Twelve in Killing Eve?
The Twelve are an enigmatic group of people who order Villanelle who to kill, instructing her through her handler Konstantin Vasiliev, played by Kim Bodnia. Even three seasons in, we still don't know much about who the Twelve are, except that sneaky Paul also worked for them in season three.
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