The ‘horrific’ true story that inspired new spy drama Black Doves on Netflix

Black Doves is finally out on Netflix, and the creator of the show has revealed it was partly based on a true story. He’s spoken about the real life events that inspired the new thriller.

Six-part series Black Doves follows a woman called Helen. She gets herself into a dangerous romance. Helen embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is. The Netflix synopsis adds: “When a spy posing as a politician’s wife learns her lover has been murdered, an old assassin friend joins her on a quest for truth — and vengeance.”

That might seem far-fetched, but it turns out Black Doves isn’t too far from something that already happened.

via Netflix

Is Black Doves based on a true story?

In short, the entire show isn’t real as there is no actual organisation called the Black Doves. But, the writer has said the show was inspired by “horrific” real life events.

Speaking to Radio Times, show creator Joe Barton said: “I had been reading as well about those spy cops, those guys, and they infiltrated that environmental group and had ended up having children with it.

“I mean, a really horrific story, much darker than this. But I was like, OK, that idea, that duplicitousness of having a pretend marriage lasting years and years and years and then it’s disappeared. That was really part of, I think, the inspiration for it as well.”

Black Doves takes inspiration from the 2010 spy cop scandal. This was a scandal involving London officers who infiltrated protest groups as undercover agents.

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It was said in the media a number of police officers had entered into romantic and intimate relationships under false personas. At least 139 police officers was sent undercover to infiltrate over 1,000 political groups, all assuming false identities. Senior officials didn’t know of the operation, and the officers involved got into relationships with targeted protest groups.

They lived with these partners, who believed they were their false personas. At least four of the officers are known or alleged to have fathered children with women they met during deployments.

Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time, called the revelations “profoundly shocking and disturbing”.

Black Doves is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.