MI-5 (TV Series)

Frequently Asked Questions (2004)

Peter Firth: Harry Pearce

Quotes 

• Adam Carter : You're not gonna weaken on me, are you, Harry?

  Harry Pearce : Never been known to.

• Adam Carter : You know what I like about you, Harry, is you never say that imagine if it was your daughter stuff.

  Harry Pearce : Imaginative compassion may be a very good thing, but it's not always useful in this job.

• Harry Pearce : And I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself. You know, kept it secret.

  Ruth Evershed : Of course. Isn't that what we're meant to be good at?

• [last lines] 

  Harry Pearce : [referencing the news playing in the background]  See, wrongs righted, evildoers brought to heel, miracles performed. Is there no end to our goodness, Ruth?

  [handing her a piece of paper] 

  Harry Pearce : I got down to the final two, and they parachuted a late contender into the job.

  Ruth Evershed : But that's good, isn't it? It's what you wanted.

  Harry Pearce : Yes, but it's still annoying when the best man for the job is passed over for a politician. It seems you were right.

  Ruth Evershed : Yes, but I'm pleased.

  Danny Hunter : Yeah, well I'm not. There's a scratch on the floor of my flat. Seems the removal men weren't careful enough after Fiona moved out.

  Harry Pearce : My point exactly. I wouldn't be involved in any of these crucial issues if I were DG. We'll get the removal men in and set Adam on them. He'll get to the bottom of it, if anyone will. Off out, are we, Ruth?

  Ruth Evershed : Yes. I'm only three days late. And if anything happens between here and the pods, please don't tell me.

  [walks away] 

  Harry Pearce : [pauses]  Ruth?

  Ruth Evershed : I'm not listening!

  [Harry laughs] 

• Ruth Evershed : Harry, I'd like to ask about your personal strengths and weaknesses.

  Harry Pearce : This isn't the right time, Ruth. Haven't you noticed we're under some pressure?

  Ruth Evershed : Which is why this is just the right time.

• Harry Pearce : It's too easy to always look abroad, to think that's where the main danger is coming from. We need to look closer to home.

• Ruth Evershed : Harry, is there any area that we don't touch?

  Harry Pearce : Ethics, here?

  Ruth Evershed : I'm serious. Say, to do with his family. Morgan's daughter, Mary. She's eight. She needs liver transplant. They're looking for a donor. She has her mother's surname. That's why we didn't find it before. And look, he calls her all the time. I mean, it's quite possible that I just never came across this particular piece of information.

  Harry Pearce : You mean, because you don't trust Adam might do with it?

• Ruth Evershed : I think you should be prepared to answer questions on four main areas. Uh, the state of readiness of the service, your character and operational experience, and most importantly, the nature of the present threat. How far do we go to combat it? How far do we go in all senses?

  Harry Pearce : Is there anything we shouldn't be doing? Yes, I like that.

  Ruth Evershed : Yeah, how about the other candidates? Do we, do we know who they are?

  Harry Pearce : Of course not.

  [Ruth looks at him expectantly] 

  Harry Pearce : Nor, Ruth, could I openly approve of anyone trying to find them out.

  Ruth Evershed : But if a list of them happened...

  Harry Pearce : --to find its way onto my desk? Then I'd have to send it back to its rightful owner, unopened.

• Adam Carter : Who found this stuff?

  Harry Pearce : Ruth.

  Adam Carter : She can't have been happy about the uses we might put it to.

  Harry Pearce : I think she very nearly didn't bring it to me at all.