10 Most Shocking Moments In Spooks
3. Adam's Sacrifice
Rupert Penry-Jones had portrayed Adam Carter as a slightly tougher, albeit equally human successor to Matthew Macfadyen's Tom Quinn.
Having lost a great deal in stepping into Quinn's shoes at Section D, Adam found some comfort in his relationship with Ros Myers, until she was forced to flee from shadow organisation, Yalta. Put to work in Russia on behalf of MI5, Ros returned to London to find Adam desperately trying to prevent Al-Qaeda from detonating a car bomb on Remembrance Sunday.
Stunned by Ros's return, an elated Adam put duty first and bravely drove the car bomb into an unpopulated area. As Big Ben struck in the background, the car bomb exploded, taking Adam with it, but saving countless lives. Ros's new colleague, Lucas North broke the news to her that "Adam Carter is dead", whilst Adam's son, Wes (James Dicker) was orphaned.
Even though Penry-Jones wished to leave Spooks, as he felt that Carter's character arc could not go any further, he was purportedly upset during his last days on the show. The showrunners wisely left audiences guessing as to whether Adam would survive.