Plot
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a seven-part BBC2 spy drama written by Arthur Hopcraft, adapted from John le Carré's eponymous 1974 novel. The serial, which stars Alec Guinness, Alexander Knox, Ian Richardson, Michael Jayston, Bernard Hepton, Anthony Bate, Ian Bannen, George Sewell and Michael Aldridge, was broadcast from 10 September to 22 October 1979. George Smiley, the ageing master spy of the Cold War and once heir-apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears.
Cast
as George Smiley
as Peter Guillam
as Sir Oliver Lacon
as Mendel
Creator
Network
Status
Ended
First Aired Date
September 10, 1979
Last Aired Date
October 22, 1979
Production Companies
BBC
Paramount Pictures
Type
Miniseries
Number of Season
1
Number of Episodes
7
Links
Gallery
Reviews
I tried to watch this drama series a year or so ago and didn’t get far. It isn’t bad but it has a slow pace, which I am usually fine with, but I am not into spy stories. I gave it a second try recently and had no trouble finishing it this time. There is some action and a small amount of drama, but mostly it is conversation and a slow-burning tension running through it. I confess I occasionally…
With the Cold War at it's height, the head of the British counter-espionage agency - "Control" (Alexander Knox) is giving a clear impression that he is losing the plot. He is visibly ailing so his subordinates gather like vultures waiting to take his place. His preferred candidate is the redoubtable, semi-retired, "Smiley" (Sir Alec Guinness) and pretty swiftly we discover that is because the old…
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Limited Series
1979|7 Episodes
George Smiley, the ageing master spy of the Cold War and once heir-apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears.
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