Smiley's People

Synopsis

Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for.

First Air Date: 1982-09-20

Last Air Date: 1982-10-25

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 6

Created By: John le Carré

Networks: BBC Two

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Alec Guinness as George Smiley
Eileen Atkins as Madame Ostrakova
Bill Paterson as Lauder Strickland
Bernard Hepton as Toby Esterhase
Anthony Bate as Oliver Lacon
Ingrid Pitt as Elvira
Michael Byrne as Peter Guillam
Beryl Reid as Connie Sachs
Andy Bradford as Ferguson
Tusse Silberg as Alexandra Ostrakova

Seasons

Miniseries (1982)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: A Mother's Assistance (1982-09-20)

Once more, George Smiley is brought out of retirement to look into the murder of an old colleague.
Ep. 2: The General's Big Fish (1982-09-27)

Smiley takes a trip to investigate his friend's flat for clues. After finding a series of clues that lead to something bigger, Smiley interrogates a man about Vladimir's whereabouts. And lastly, a picture of two men in bed with a woman stirs things up.
Ep. 3: Gathering Friends (1982-10-04)

The investigation of Vladimir's murder leads Smiley to interrogate his latest suspect. Smiley is told to stop investigating the case by a man on a motorcycle, and he just blows him off. Smiley's next stop is Oxfordshire, speaking to a mother and a daughter about the case.
Ep. 4: The Rogue Elephant (1982-10-11)

Smiley continues his investigation, now looking for a man named Otto in a small fishing community, only to find his decaying body in his boat, and a mysterious chalk mark he's seen before. Smiley talks to the now-perpetually afraid woman.
Ep. 5: Alexandra Tatjana (1982-10-18)

Smiley and his co-workers read through an extremely long deathbed confession. Using an undercover name, Smiley travels to Berne to attempt to find the missing pieces of the murder mystery. Meanwhile, we are introduced to a woman in an asylum.
Ep. 6: Smiley's Lighter (1982-10-25)

Smiley interrogates a diplomat by showing him a series of photographs, and in turn, closes in on the person who killed Vladimir. He is lead to the asylum, and ironically, things eventually become clearer.