“The perfect British spy”: Elisabeth Moss’ The Veil is the “gold standard” espionage drama coming to Channel 4

She's been hailed "the perfect British spy" and now Channel 4 is giving us the chance to see The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss in action in espionage drama, The Veil. The series, which originally aired on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK last year, centres around the ultimate game of cat and mouse - and, as spy thrillers go, it's a gold standard series indeed.

Arriving on Channel 4 imminently, the brilliantly twisty, high-stakes series has two women at the heart of it: Imogen (Elisabeth Moss), who works for MI6, and Adilah (Yumna Marwan), who’s suspected of being a high-level ISIS operative. The pair travel from Istanbul to Paris and London, with one of them in possession of a secret that the other needs to expose. Written by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, it’s a globe-trotting thriller that won’t disappoint.

Ahead of The Veil's imminent arrival on our screens, here's everything you need to know about the spy series, including the cast, plot and the Channel 4 release date.

What is The Veil about?

The six-part spy thriller explores the surprising and fraught relationship between two women, MI6 spy Imogen (Elisabeth Moss) and suspected ISIS operative Adilah (Yumna Marwan), who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret (you might be able to guess who), while the other has a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost. All the while, the CIA and French DGSE must work together to avert potential disaster.

a person stands on a promenade with a crowd of people in the background

Hulu

The question is, will Imogen be able to get to the truth in time? And will she be able to prevent a catastrophic terrorist attack? Like all good spy thrillers, we get a glimpse into Imogen’s personal life, too, with flashes from her past haunting her along the way. No spoilers, but we also see the appearance of a mysterious man played by James Purefoy throughout.

Who's in the cast of The Veil?

Hulu

The cast of The Veil includes:

Elisabeth Moss as Imogen Salter
Yumna Marwan as Adilah El Idrissi
Dali Benssalah as Malik Amar
Josh Charles as Max Peterson
Thibault de Montalembert as Magritte
James Purefoy as Sir Michael Althorp
Dan Wyllie as Guy
Joana Ribeiro as Sandrina
Haluk Bilginer as Mr. Demir
Alec Secăreanu as Emir
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Johnson
Nadia Larbioune as Nour
Keyla and Neyla Bara as Yasmina
Phill Langhorne
Aron von Andrian

Is The Veil any good?

Hulu

Yes - unsurprisingly, Elisabeth Moss has been praised for her performance and has been described as "the perfect British spy", with Rolling Stone declaring that she "kicks ass". Variety has called The Veil a "fascinating spy thriller". So, if you're a fan of spy series like Slow Horses and The Agency, we'd highly recommend tuning in.