- "Are we going to have to come over the river and potty-train you people?"
- ―Jools Siviter
Jools Siviter is the fictional department head at MI6, featured in the British television series, Spooks. Siviter was played by Hugh Laurie.
Although his service and MI5 ostensibly work together, Siviter is usually represented as an antagonist, competing with Harry Pearce for resources, acclaim and occasionally working at cross purposes.
Siviter generally conforms to the stereotype of a condescending upper class English patrician, who barely bothers to disguise his contempt for those he perceives to be of lower class, inferior intellect or membership in what he calls the 'little sister' organisation, MI5. He is often seen wearing business suits and smoking cigars or having a drink.
Despite insisting that MI5 rigidly observe the delineation of responsibility that stipulates MI6 has control over all operations outside the UK, ironically, he has no compunction about breaking it himself and running assets inside the UK, including conducting surveillance on MI5 agents such as Peter Salter and framing a cabinet minister.
His exact position in MI6 is unclear, but the fact that he deals with Harry Pearce as an ostensible equal implies that he is a Section Head. He has alluded to serving in Russia and France in the past.
Siviter had previously worked in MI5, as he worked in Section X along with Harry Pearce and Oliver Mace when he was seconded there in 1993 as is mentioned in Harry’s Diary.
Siviter is a fan of opera, specifically Wagner. He states that he enjoys 'buggering skinheads', indicating that he may be homosexual, but it is possible that this was simply an attempt to shock a woman annoyed at him for texting in a theatre.
In Spooks: The personnel files, Jools is revealed to be married to Hillary Watt QC, who prosecuted Zoe Reynolds in Persephone, in a newspaper clipping. The newspaper article also states that he lives in Hampshire and has 2 young children, working as a foreign office civil servant (although it is not clear if Jools has changed department since he last appeared in screen, possibly explaining his absence, or if this is just a cover story to obscure his real work as an MI6 agent.)
Siviter did not appear in the show after the first series probably due to portrayer Hugh Laurie's relocation to the USA in order to appear in the medical drama, House. He is however mentioned as a senior MI6 operative in a historical operation in Paris at the time of the death of Princess Diana. This information was used by Zafar Younis as part of the fictional story of how the Security Services could have assassinated the Princess in the series four finale ‘Diana’
In Harry's Diary, it's revealed that Siviter went to America with Harry also writing "Uplifting news in this dark times: Jools Siviter has just been expelled from Washington for ‘committing an ‘obscene public act’ during a Wagner opera. Rumour has it that his next posting will be Baghdad. I hope he enjoys it".