Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw Joined by Adeel Akhtar, Tracey Ullman on Netflix Spy Series ‘Black Doves’

BAFTA winner Adeel Akhtar (“Fool Me Once”), Tracey Ullman (“The Tracey Ullman Show”), Finn Bennett (“True Detective: Night Country”) and Luther Ford (“The Crown”) have joined the cast of Netflix spy series “Black Doves.”

The previously announced cast includes Keira Knightley (“Boston Strangler”) Ben Whishaw (“Passages”), Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley”), Andrew Buchan (“Carnival Row”), Andrew Koji (“Warrior”), Kathryn Hunter (“Andor”), Sam Troughton (“Chernobyl”), Ella Lily Hyland (“Fifteen Love”), Adam Silver (“The Diplomat”), Ken Nwosu (“Look the Other Way and Run”), Gabrielle Creevy (“In My Skin”) and Omari Douglas (“Rye Lane”).

More from Variety

• Nielsen Streaming Top 10: 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Debuts With Nearly 2.6 Billion Minutes Watched, Doubling 'One Piece's' U.S. Debut

• Fox, Netflix Quietly Built Sports Ad Deal That Wasn't Based on TV Ratings (EXCLUSIVE)

• Oscar Winner 'The Boy and the Heron' Heading to Netflix Outside U.S. and Japan

The series is written and created by “The Lazarus Project” showrunner Joe Barton. Set against the backdrop of London at Christmas, “Black Doves” follows Helen Webb (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 (Koji) is assassinated, her spymaster, the enigmatic Reed (Lancashire), calls in Helen’s old friend Sam (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” is produced by Barton’s Noisy Bear and Elizabeth Murdoch-founded Sister (“Chernobyl”) for Netflix. Barton executive produces for Noisy Bear alongside Jane Featherstone (“This Is Going To Hurt”) and Chris Fry (“Giri/Haji”) for Sister and Knightley. The series is directed by Alex Gabassi (“The Crown”) and Lisa Gunning (“The Power”). Harry Munday (“Kaos”) is producing.

Best of Variety

• New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week 

• From 'The Idea of You' to 'Apples Never Fall': The Best Book-to-Screen Adaptations to Read This Year

• All the Godzilla Movies Ranked

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.