Strike Back

24 hours before the invasion of Iraq: John Porter leads a Special Forces unit on a mission to extract a hostage held by terrorists. Porter and his men are confronted by a young Iraqi boy, a potential suicide bomber and events take a tragic turn. Iraq 2010: British TV news journalist Katie Dartmouth is kidnapped. Major Hugh Collinson, Head of Section 20 British Military Intelligence, recognises one of the kidnappers - it is the suicide bomber As'ad, now a young man. Begging to be involved in the rescue, and adamant that his knowledge is vital, Porter is reactivated.

Returning to the site of the 2003 hostage extraction and battling the memories of that disastrous night, Porter becomes the hostage taker. Capturing one of the terrorists, Porter engineers a move to where the kidnapped TV news journalist Katie Dartmouth is being held. Back at Section 20, the politics of the situation take hold: Collinson and SAS Commander Chris Pemberton are over ruled by Whitehall, as James Middleton categorically denies their request to send in another SAS unit.

Harare, Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe makes a live address at the National Assembly. As he leaves Mugabe is shot. Back in London, news reports state that Zimbabwean officials claim the British government is behind the assassination plot which resulted in the death of one of Mugabe's body-doubles. Section 20's Collinson is tasked with making the problem go away and Porter is despatched to Zimbabwe, under the guise of a diamond dealer. Arrested for smuggling, Porter is thrown into the same prison as Masuku, the man arrested for the assassination.

Colonel Tshuma leads the hunt for Porter and Masuku as the fugitives attempt to rendezvous with Layla and escape Zimbabwe. Porter informs Layla that Masuku was tasked by the British government with killing Mugabe and he is bringing him in. Back in London, at Section 20 the hunt is on for a double agent. As the pair trek through the Zimbabwean bush, they try to stay one step ahead of Tshuma's men. But Tshuma has a secret weapon, a bushman tracker. Cornered on a cliff's edge, with a helicopter overhead Porter and Masuku know there's only one way to go...

Section 20, London: An investigation is launched into how British air support in Southern Helmand Province in Afghanistan failed, and it's discovered that encryption codes were hacked into in the field. Evidence leads to a former missile guidance engineer, Gerald Baxter who served in Iraq but was dismissed, suffering with PTSD. Collinson sends Porter to Afghanistan to investigate. Posing as an arms dealer who can sell illegally gained ISAF missile codes, he is kidnapped by his contact and taken to meet Baxter. But the Americans locate them and attack the camp, capturing Porter and Baxter.

Collinson meets US representative Frank Arlington in London. The Americans want the British government to apologise to the families of the Marines killed in the friendly fire missile incident. Collinson refuses to accept responsibility for a situation that the CIA created by using Baxter. Back in Pakistan, Zahir Sharq is exploiting Baxter's fragile mental state and playing 'Russian Roulette' with his and Porter's lives. In the UK, events surrounding the ill-fated 2003 hostage extraction start to become clear.

British sergeant Michael Stonebridge recruits help from Ex-Delta Force operative Damien Scott when Section 20 agent John Porter is kidnapped by a Pakistani terrorist. The two then uncover clues to a possible terrorist attack at a New Delhi hotel and race to foil it.

Scott and Stonebridge discover that the terrorists in the hotel are searching for Mahmood. Grant learns that Latif's real goal is to capture a Pakistani chemical scientist who worked with the weapons inspection team in Iraq in 2003.

Stonebridge, Scott, and Marshall stake out a trio of suspects in South Africa who might have some information about Latif. Ex-IRA leader, Daniel Connolly heists an armored truck in Cape Town.

At a remote facility outside Cape Town, Connolly closes in on his WMD prize, while Stonebridge and Scott are faced with dilemmas that could have far-reaching implications on their organization - and on the thread that connects them to Latif.

Stonebridge and Scott pose as aides for arms dealer Gerald Crawford to negotiate the release of hostage, Dr. Clare Somersby.

The first attempt to rescue Clare ends with Scott in the hospital and Stonebridge in pursuit with Crawford and Jacoub. Tahir takes Clare to a Janjaweed camp. Soldiers look for Scott at the hospital. Grant threatens Maggie about her story.

Stonebridge and Scott go to Kosovo to exchange a prisoner for kidnapped European Union officials.

Scott and Stonebridge are held captive with the four EU hostages in the wilderness of Kosovo. Hasani plans to sell Dana as a sex slave, and Allen, the double agent who has been providing information to Latif.

The boys are called away after MI5 trace Latif to the Chechen rebels country hideout, which turns out to be an abandoned vast Soviet area tunnel complex. They go in with support from Georgian commandos, who are eliminated by explosives. Latif escapes with some cahoots, who were screened for surgery. Some turn up in Budapest, where a rld security summit is held, carrying the neuro-toxin and a sophisticated bomb found in the tunnels. Damien has also found indications of foul play since his Iraq set-up army booting.

Latif is finally in Section 20's clutches. The team frantically tries to discover the bombers' target and for that they need Latif to talk. Scott and Stonebridge go after the bombers. Latif's henchmen attack Section 20 command.

Scott and the mysterious agent Rachel Dalton are in the Kenyan desert securing the transfer of a Libyan functionary seeking asylum. Back in Britain, Stonebridge is training Section 20 recruits. Nothing goes as planned for either of them.

Taken hostage in Mogadishu by Waabri and his girlfriend Asmara, Scott and Dalton escape with the help of Stonebridge and Richmond. Sinclair is replaced as leader of Section 20. Michael and Kerry rekindle their relationship.

Still tracking down the triggers in Algeria, Scott and Stonebridge ally with Markunda, an exotic leader of a nomadic tribe to catch Othmani, the brother of an Al Qaeda leader, El Soldat.

El Soldat's forces are preparing to assault the farmhouse where Stonebridge, Scott, Markunda, and Othmani are holed up. Sinclair continues to question Dalton's command style. Karl Matlock continues to make inroads to acquire the triggers.

Section 20 races to intercept a former South African nuclear scientist, Peter Evans, from Matlock. At the airport, they run into a team of Mossad agents who want to kill Evans. Section 20 learns that Knox is behind loss of the triggers.

Stonebridge's mistake allows Matlock to capture Evans. He makes amends by enlisting Ava Knox to go against her father. Sullivan tries to convince Rebecca to leave Mossad.

Political prisoner and former Zimbabwe leader Walter Lutulu is broken out of prison by Matlock. Section 20 is breached and its members imprisoned with dire consequences.

Lilian Lutulu learns who orchestrated her father's assassination. Scott makes a promise to her to kill Knox. Down one critical person on the team, Section 20 raids Knox's camp in an attempt to retrieve the triggers.

Stonebridge warns he can't guarantee to regain control over his obsession with wife-killer Craig. One of the now assembled warheads is transported by South Nigerian anti-western rebels, represented by reputable lawyer Christian Lucas, with terrible consequences. Damien still hopes on collaboration with CIA renegade Christy, but can she be trusted?

Knox turns on his incompetent Nigerian partners. Mike gets his confrontation with Craig and the nuclear bombs are traced to Cairo, this time for financial blackmail purposes.

A Section 20 operation in the Bakka Valley goes badly resulting in Baxter's death. Stonebridge and Scott are enjoying a well-deserved vacation. Recalled to duty, they team up with Kim Martinez to track and capture the killer in Colombia.

After Kamali's escape, Section 20 tries to capture him by breaking into his safe deposit box in a downtown Bogata bank. Dalton continues to track down the people in Beirut who gave her up.

Section 20 tracks facilitator James Leatherby to Beirut and continues to use Kamali in operations on al-Zuhari and Leatherby. Meanwhile Dalton is making bad decisions as she lets her emotions get the better of her.

When Leatherby takes Kamali's daughter, Ester, hostage, Section 20 attempts a brazen rescue mission. Meanwhile Dalton interrogates Sofia for information. The escape ruse that Kamali uses has surprising consequences.

The tracking of McKenna leads Section 20 to Budapest. At Dalton's funeral, Richmond learns that she has a son. Section 20 acquires an optic drive with a message from al-Zuhari about an attack. It seems the IRA and Al-Zuhari have joined forces.

The IRA interrogates Locke; they want the new protocols for NATO. While Section 20 is closing in on the terrorist base, the IRA planning its own attack on the British Embassy.

Scott and Stonebridge go undercover in a Russian prison to prevent a hacker from breaching the firewalls of the hard drive. Stonebridge continues to struggle with his focus.

Stonebridge gets direct knowledge of Al-Zuhari's plan. Still imprisoned at Black Bear, Scott looks for an escape. Meanwhile Suspicions about Kamali continue to mount and Ulyanov's vendetta against Scott and Stonebridge intensifies.

Scott and Stonebridge keep their promise to Leo and protect Ester. Richmond and Martinez follow up on new intelligence. Section 20 attempts to stop a potential threat onboard a train.

Locke makes a deal with Ulyanov to capture Kamali as Kamali's team attempts to deploy the weapon at Ramstein AFB.

The daughter of Thailand's British ambassador is kidnapped, so Stonebridge, Scott and the rest of the team sign up for another do-or-die trying adventure.

Section 20 tries to track down the culprits behind the embassy attack, but the key to cracking the case is gangster Ray McQueen, who has been taken into custody by corrupt cops. Locke and Scott attempt to free McQueen with the help of a tuk-tuk and Bangkok's number one driver.

Locke realises ambassador's wife Mei Foster is a North Korean agent working with the Yakuza, and the team must work out what they're up to and what their connection to Office 39 is. Meanwhile, Scott learns his son, who he's never met, is coming to Thailand and before long they come under attack from the Japanese gangsters.

Section 20 forms an uneasy alliance with two CIA mercenaries in Thailand to take Shiro into custody, but they are caught in a shootout as they close in on the Kokura Foundation depot where he and Mei Foster, aka Li-Na, plan to exchange Vanadium for drugs. Meanwhile, Scott has a heart-to-heart with his errant son Finn.

Scott and Stonebridge covertly enter North Korea, where the pair attempt to infiltrate a heavily-guarded smelting plant and blow up the stolen Vanadium that Li-Na secured for the regime. Discovery will be considered an act of war by the authorities and they use Finn to try to lure them into the open.

Scott and Stonebridge make a major mistake and fall into the clutches of North Korean agent Li-Na, leaving Locke having to defy orders to get them out.

The battle with Li-Na moves to Europe as Section 20 searches for a way to get back on her trail, while Locke gets an unexpected opportunity to confront his arch-enemy.

Section 20 discovers that Li-Na is planning to mount a nuclear attack in Europe, while Locke puts himself in the firing line when he neglects his mission in order to avenge the murder of his son.

Locke and his team go rogue once more as they defy Whitehall to travel to Geneva, where he is convinced Li-Na and Kwon are preparing to attack the United Nations HQ.

The action adventure reaches its explosive finale as the members of Section 20 try to thwart Li-Na's plot to bomb the United Nations HQ in Geneva.

Director Daniel Percival and Executive Producer Andy Harries chat about why South Africa provided the ideal filming location for Chris Ryan's Strike Back. Cast members Colin Salmon, Shelley Conn and Richard Armitage also chat about filming in South Africa.

Get an insight into what makes Chris Ryan's Strike Back seem so real and authentic with this short film of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. Actor Richard Armitage discusses his training regime, and set armourer Olly Steel shows what weapons were used in the show. Actor Andrew Lincoln chats about playing the role of a soldier, and there's footage of an on-set Helicopter briefing.

Director Daniel Percival and Executive Producer Andy Harries discuss the making of Chris Ryan's Strike Back. Cast members Richard Armitage, Andrew Lincoln, Jodhi May, Shelley Conn, Orla Brady and Colin Salmon are interviewed on location about their characters and the main storylines of the series.

A 25 minute feature about the making of Strike Back Project Dawn. There's a chat with Executive Producer Andy Harries, and Director Daniel Percival shows us around the hi-tech set of the intelligence unit, Section 20. There are also interviews with cast members Philip Winchester, Sullivan Stapleton, Amanda Mealing, Rashan Stone, Eva Birthisle, Michelle Lukes and Jimi Mistry. As if that wasn't enough, there's also exclusive footage of cast members training and rehearsing for one of the series' action sequences!

Strike Back cast member Eva Birthisle attends a handgun briefing, learning how to look convincing when firing a replica weapon. There's also footage of a rifle briefing, and actors Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton test their shooting skills at a firing range.

A 10 minute feature about the Scott versus Igor fight scene from Strike Back Project Dawn. There are interviews with actor Sullivan Stapleton and movie stunt fighter Hennie Bosman, footage of Sullivan in training, fight scene rehearsal footage, and the finished fight scene from the series.