ONE of my favourite shows returned to our screens this week — the BBC’s Spooks.

We picked up from the end of the last series when Hermione Norris’s Ros was killed in a hotel explosion.

The aftermath saw spy chief Harry assassinate the ex-Home Secretary in his Scottish retreat for his part in Ros’s demise.

And the ever-mysterious Lucas and new guy Dimitri tackled Somali terrorists/pirates intent on doing bad in the UK. I was utterly gripped as the container ship loaded with explosives headed for the south coast — and my hometown Plymouth — to the point where I wanted to phone home and check family and friends were in safe places!

And I sighed with great relief as the actual target was unveiled to be the Houses of Parliament: Get those bad guy politicians instead.

OK, so budget cuts may be showing a bit but Spooks still far outweighs a lot of other TV dramas.

It has retained a style all of its own, despite the cuts, and proves that the biggest of bucks don’t have to be spent to make quality TV.

For me, Spooks beats American import 24 hands down. While there are continuing plots, you can happily sit down and watch each episode as a stand-alone work rather than something integral to the greater being.

In all, it’s dark, gritty, very, very smart and pretty much perfect.