Ruth Evershed

Ruth Evershed is a fictional Senior Intelligence Analyst seconded from GCHQ to MI5, featured in the British television series Spooks, also known as MI-5 in the United States. Ruth was played by Nicola Walker from the time the character joined the show in 2003, until Walker left to have a baby in 2006. She returned in 2009 and continued her role until her character's death in the final episode of series 10. Background Ruth was a graduate of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where she studied classics. After obtaining her degree she applied for a job in GCHQ. It is established that she was fluent in multiple languages including Greek, French, Latin, Russian, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Wu Chinese. She proclaimed that her Cantonese is "horrible". Initial tenure Ruth was introduced in Series 2 as an intelligence analyst, seconded from GCHQ. Although initially asked to spy for GCHQ, her supreme intelligence amongst other qualities quickly made her an established and trusted member of the team. She formed strong bonds with Tom Quinn, Zoe Reynolds, Danny Hunter and in particular Harry Pearce. During her time in MI5, a romance starts to develop between Ruth and Harry. Although at first they refuse to act on their feelings, refraining from ever mentioning that something more existed between them, Harry is eventually goaded to act when he is called on his relationship with Ruth by Juliet Shaw after a failed coup d'état from within the British intelligence community at the start of Series 5. In the next episode, he finally asked her to dinner, which she accepts. The date goes well and they bond over their desire to travel for something other than their work, and Ruth is intrigued by Harry's implicit offer that she could travel with him on such a tour. But Ruth, ashamed when people start rumours about their relationship, calls it off at the end of the episode.