Jo Portman
Date of Birth: 07.09.1979
First episode: Series 4, Episode 5 Last episode: Series 8, Episode 3 Job: Junior Case Officer Status: Deceased (shot) Portrayed by: Miranda Raison Jo, a history graduate from Durham University, is first introduced in the fifth episode of series four. At that time, she is an aspiring journalist with an inquisitive instinct and becomes embroiled in an undercover operation involving Section D. She immediately recognizes that Adam Carter, at the time posing as a gas engineer, isn’t all he makes out to be and her quick thinking and latent skills are soon put to good use, ensuring the success of Adam and his colleagues. Having earned the respect of Adam and the rest of Section D, she is offered a job as a junior case officer on the grid and gladly accepts the role. |
Jo divides much of her time between grid based activities and field missions. Throughout her tenure on the show, she takes part in many important missions including protecting the Prime Minister’s university aged son in series five, when she successfully helped him elude capture by a reactionary group of anti-government activists.
She develops a deep friendship with Zaf Younis and accepts his offer of a spare room. They live together as friends and there is an obvious attraction between them, but this is never fully explored. and she is hit hard by his disappearance and subsequent death.
She is instrumental in recruiting Ben Kaplan and the two quickly form a strong professional bond. She is captured, tortured and raped when attempting to infiltrate a dangerous gang, 'The Redbacks' and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her ordeal. She returns to work after the death of Adam but still struggles with what happened to her. In Series 8, it is Jo who convinces Ruth to return to MI5, telling her that she is missed on the team and that she should talk to Harry. Harry later jokingly threatens to deport Jo if she becomes entwined in his private life again.
In the third episode of series 8 she and Ros are taken hostage when a group of terrorists storm a meeting of industrial billionaires. After a struggle, Jo is caught in an awkward hold with one of the terrorists. It quickly dawns on Jo that the only way to bring the situation to a close is an act of self-sacrifice, and she silently nods for a now armed Ros to take the shot; killing the terrorist, but sacrificing herself in the process.
She develops a deep friendship with Zaf Younis and accepts his offer of a spare room. They live together as friends and there is an obvious attraction between them, but this is never fully explored. and she is hit hard by his disappearance and subsequent death.
She is instrumental in recruiting Ben Kaplan and the two quickly form a strong professional bond. She is captured, tortured and raped when attempting to infiltrate a dangerous gang, 'The Redbacks' and suffers post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her ordeal. She returns to work after the death of Adam but still struggles with what happened to her. In Series 8, it is Jo who convinces Ruth to return to MI5, telling her that she is missed on the team and that she should talk to Harry. Harry later jokingly threatens to deport Jo if she becomes entwined in his private life again.
In the third episode of series 8 she and Ros are taken hostage when a group of terrorists storm a meeting of industrial billionaires. After a struggle, Jo is caught in an awkward hold with one of the terrorists. It quickly dawns on Jo that the only way to bring the situation to a close is an act of self-sacrifice, and she silently nods for a now armed Ros to take the shot; killing the terrorist, but sacrificing herself in the process.