Sir Harry Pearce KBE
Date of Birth: 01.11.1953
First episode: Series 1, Episode 1 Last episode: Series 10, Episode 6 Job: Section Head (Section D) Status: Alive (active) Portrayed by: Peter Firth Harry Pearce was born and raised in Kent, alongside his brother, Ben. His father was a banker who was awarded an OBE in 1971 and his mother was a house wife. He went to boarding school in Sevenoaks, where he was 'popular, outgoing and a particularly fearsome rugby tackler at scrum half'. After taking a gap year where he travelled round the Middle East, he attended Oxford University to study Philiosphy, Politics and Economics. Despite losing his mother in his penultimate year (when he was 21), he graduated with a 2:1. He then undertook a short commission in the army; his maternal grandfather was a WWI soldier and her felt motivated to sign up out of a sense of duty to her memory. Once his commision ended, he joined MI5, completing his training in June 1977. |
He speaks 5 languages (French and German fluently, Hebrew and Spanish competently and a smattering of Arabic).
He married teacher, Jane Townsend just before entering his training without telling her what his profession would be. He told her just after they signed the marriage register, commenting later to Tom that he "likes to have things on paper". They had two children, Catherine (born 25.04.1980) and Graham (born 18.06.1983) but Jane filed for divorce in 1986 citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. Shortly after, this he lost his brother, Ben in the great storm of 1987.
His first posting was in Northern Ireland where his close colleague Bill Crombie was kidnapped and killed in August 1978. Harry was then seconded to MI6 where he was stationed in Paris, under Juliet Shaw. As his marriage deteriorated Harry began an affair with Juliet.
He returned to London in 1980 where he specialised in anti-terrorism. His successes (including saving the life of two serving Prime Ministers; Margaret Thatcher and John Major) led to rapid promotions and he became Head of Section D in at the beginning of 1994, where he has remained.
His name is synonymous with the fight against terrorism at MI5. He's dedicated to his job, and really believes he can make a difference to the country. He is well-respected by his team, so much so that on the occasion that he is suspended and they are told to have no contact with him, they all flout the rules to makes sure he is okay and help clear his name.
He's calm and confident and can usually make the toughest of decisions without showing a flicker of doubt. A keen intellect and uncompromising nature set him apart. But his ability to never let his emotions cloud his judgement is tested to the limit on a couple of occasions.
Throughout the series he grows closer to Intelligence Analyst, Ruth Evershed. Realising he is in love with her, he finally asks her out in series 5, episode 3. The pair enjoy a wonderful night together with Harry "whistling all the way home" but Ruth finishes it at the end of the episode, uncomfortable with the fact that their colleagues are talking about them. Two episodes later Ruth is framed for murder and is forced to sacrifice herself to save Harry’s career. During their final goodbye Harry is about to reveal his love to Ruth, but she urges him to leave things unsaid. The two share a kiss before she leaves.
Her departure hits Harry hard but he carries on, throwing himself back into work. In series 6, Harry receives a letter from 10 Downing Street, informing him that The Queen wishes to bestow a knighthood upon him. In Ruth’s absence Harry's old friend, Connie James accompanies him to the ceremony.
Harry is kidnapped in the final episode of series 7 in an attempt to get him to reveal the whereabouts of nuclear weapons that he stole from Baghdad (the government had smuggled them into Iraq to provide them with justification for the war on terror, so Harry went rogue to stop them). Harry told just one other person of their location; Ruth and in the first episode of series 8, she is ripped from her idyllic life in Cyprus and forced to return to England with her new partner and his son, where she is captured. Harry has since moved the weapons so Ruth doesn’t know their current location and when Harry refuses to reveal it, the kidnappers shoot Ruth’s partner.
Harry’s relationship with Ruth is quite frosty at this stage but, after she returns to the Grid her feelings towards him start to thaw. So much so that Harry proposes to Ruth, but she turns him down, not because she doesn't love him but because after everything they've been she doesn’t think they need to demonstrate their love that way. Ruth is kidnapped by rogue officer Lucas North, who threatens to kill her unless Harry delivers "Albany" a deadly State secret. Harry retrieves Albany and trades it for Ruth's freedom. At the end of the episode she questions him over his decision, little realising that Albany is a fake and isn't in fact a threat to National Security. Harry is then told by the Home Secretary that an investigation is to take place into his entire career and is advised to prepare for life after MI5.
Series 10 opens with Harrys enquiry, where it is revealed that Albany was indeed a fake. Harry defends his decision to trade Albany for Ruth's life citing that it wasn't a threat to national security and that Ruth was far more valuable to the nation than a worthless piece of technology. He has also prepared a report on Ruth which he refuses to let her see.
Britain are holding talks with the Russian, a fact that fills Harry with unease, but he and the team are tasked to ensure that the agreement is not prevented in anyway. It is in this role that he is forced to work with former his former asset, Elena Gavrik. She is married to former KGB agent, Ilya and Harry turned her during his time in Berlin in the Cold War. The two had an affair and Harry believes her son, Sasha, to be his.
These revelations bring his relationship with Ruth to a head, leading her to question whether or not she truly knows him. He urges Ruth to accept the Home Secretary’s job offer as he doesn’t want her involved in the fall out from the operation with the Russians. She does leave but is still very much involved in Section D’s operations. Harry is suspected of being involved in the death of a CIA agent and is to be extratided to the USA so Ruth works with her former colleagues to free him.
It is revealed that Elena had always been a double agent, working for the Russians and that she had lied about Sasha; he isn’t Harry’s son. After this Harry agrees to leave the service with Ruth, but their happiness is short lived. Sasha confronts Harry, believing that he allowed his father to kill his mother. Harry tells Ruth to go inside, but she ignores him. Instead she moves to stand in front of him and stop Sasha advancing towards him. She is accidentally stabbed in the process and dies in Harry’s arms. He is heartbroken at her death and gives her one last kiss before leaving her.
At the very end of the episode Harry visits the memorial naming every MI5 officer he has lost, a memorial that now includes Ruth's name. He then returns to MI5 to work and Section D continues.
He married teacher, Jane Townsend just before entering his training without telling her what his profession would be. He told her just after they signed the marriage register, commenting later to Tom that he "likes to have things on paper". They had two children, Catherine (born 25.04.1980) and Graham (born 18.06.1983) but Jane filed for divorce in 1986 citing ‘irreconcilable differences’. Shortly after, this he lost his brother, Ben in the great storm of 1987.
His first posting was in Northern Ireland where his close colleague Bill Crombie was kidnapped and killed in August 1978. Harry was then seconded to MI6 where he was stationed in Paris, under Juliet Shaw. As his marriage deteriorated Harry began an affair with Juliet.
He returned to London in 1980 where he specialised in anti-terrorism. His successes (including saving the life of two serving Prime Ministers; Margaret Thatcher and John Major) led to rapid promotions and he became Head of Section D in at the beginning of 1994, where he has remained.
His name is synonymous with the fight against terrorism at MI5. He's dedicated to his job, and really believes he can make a difference to the country. He is well-respected by his team, so much so that on the occasion that he is suspended and they are told to have no contact with him, they all flout the rules to makes sure he is okay and help clear his name.
He's calm and confident and can usually make the toughest of decisions without showing a flicker of doubt. A keen intellect and uncompromising nature set him apart. But his ability to never let his emotions cloud his judgement is tested to the limit on a couple of occasions.
Throughout the series he grows closer to Intelligence Analyst, Ruth Evershed. Realising he is in love with her, he finally asks her out in series 5, episode 3. The pair enjoy a wonderful night together with Harry "whistling all the way home" but Ruth finishes it at the end of the episode, uncomfortable with the fact that their colleagues are talking about them. Two episodes later Ruth is framed for murder and is forced to sacrifice herself to save Harry’s career. During their final goodbye Harry is about to reveal his love to Ruth, but she urges him to leave things unsaid. The two share a kiss before she leaves.
Her departure hits Harry hard but he carries on, throwing himself back into work. In series 6, Harry receives a letter from 10 Downing Street, informing him that The Queen wishes to bestow a knighthood upon him. In Ruth’s absence Harry's old friend, Connie James accompanies him to the ceremony.
Harry is kidnapped in the final episode of series 7 in an attempt to get him to reveal the whereabouts of nuclear weapons that he stole from Baghdad (the government had smuggled them into Iraq to provide them with justification for the war on terror, so Harry went rogue to stop them). Harry told just one other person of their location; Ruth and in the first episode of series 8, she is ripped from her idyllic life in Cyprus and forced to return to England with her new partner and his son, where she is captured. Harry has since moved the weapons so Ruth doesn’t know their current location and when Harry refuses to reveal it, the kidnappers shoot Ruth’s partner.
Harry’s relationship with Ruth is quite frosty at this stage but, after she returns to the Grid her feelings towards him start to thaw. So much so that Harry proposes to Ruth, but she turns him down, not because she doesn't love him but because after everything they've been she doesn’t think they need to demonstrate their love that way. Ruth is kidnapped by rogue officer Lucas North, who threatens to kill her unless Harry delivers "Albany" a deadly State secret. Harry retrieves Albany and trades it for Ruth's freedom. At the end of the episode she questions him over his decision, little realising that Albany is a fake and isn't in fact a threat to National Security. Harry is then told by the Home Secretary that an investigation is to take place into his entire career and is advised to prepare for life after MI5.
Series 10 opens with Harrys enquiry, where it is revealed that Albany was indeed a fake. Harry defends his decision to trade Albany for Ruth's life citing that it wasn't a threat to national security and that Ruth was far more valuable to the nation than a worthless piece of technology. He has also prepared a report on Ruth which he refuses to let her see.
Britain are holding talks with the Russian, a fact that fills Harry with unease, but he and the team are tasked to ensure that the agreement is not prevented in anyway. It is in this role that he is forced to work with former his former asset, Elena Gavrik. She is married to former KGB agent, Ilya and Harry turned her during his time in Berlin in the Cold War. The two had an affair and Harry believes her son, Sasha, to be his.
These revelations bring his relationship with Ruth to a head, leading her to question whether or not she truly knows him. He urges Ruth to accept the Home Secretary’s job offer as he doesn’t want her involved in the fall out from the operation with the Russians. She does leave but is still very much involved in Section D’s operations. Harry is suspected of being involved in the death of a CIA agent and is to be extratided to the USA so Ruth works with her former colleagues to free him.
It is revealed that Elena had always been a double agent, working for the Russians and that she had lied about Sasha; he isn’t Harry’s son. After this Harry agrees to leave the service with Ruth, but their happiness is short lived. Sasha confronts Harry, believing that he allowed his father to kill his mother. Harry tells Ruth to go inside, but she ignores him. Instead she moves to stand in front of him and stop Sasha advancing towards him. She is accidentally stabbed in the process and dies in Harry’s arms. He is heartbroken at her death and gives her one last kiss before leaving her.
At the very end of the episode Harry visits the memorial naming every MI5 officer he has lost, a memorial that now includes Ruth's name. He then returns to MI5 to work and Section D continues.