Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Netflix series Black Doves.
The image of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw at the end of episode one of Black Doves – she covered in blood, he taking the wheel after being reunited with his old friend – is undeniably a striking start to Netflix’s hit Christmas thriller.
But creator Joe Barton has revealed the scene almost didn’t happen.
Towards the end of episode one, Ben’s character, Sam, jumps in to protect his old friend Helen, who he’s not seen in years.
Joe told Variety: “That moment was about bringing Sam and Helen back together and trying to do it in a fun, shocking way. He comes in and rescues her and it’s like fireworks – this guy that’s her best friend she hasn’t seen in years is just back, and it’s a literally explosive moment.
“But it was weird, because it’s kind of the most violent moment in the show and we had a lot of conversations about it because there is more violence later, but there’s nothing as gory as that. And so we were thinking, is it in keeping with the rest of it?”
In the end, Joe said, he and the team decided to stick with the scene as the sight of “Keira Knightley covered in brains” was “such an arresting image”.
“Later on, there’s another one where she’s very heavily pregnant, and she shoots a guy and gets, again, blood-spattered,” he said. “But again, that moment was the full show encapsulated: home life, spy life, motherhood, murdering. You’ve got everything in one image.”
“The first time she gets properly spattered, I didn’t think it’d be quite as much as that actually,” Joe admitted.
Black Doves also features Sarah Lancashire as a key member of the titular spy group, with Andrew Buchan, Andrew Koji and Omari Douglas among the supporting cast.
So far, the show has received near-unanimous praise from critics, and on Monday, Keira earned her first Golden Globe nomination in 17 years for her work in the show.
A second run already confirmed to be in the works.