Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Synopsis

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.

First Air Date: 1979-09-10

Last Air Date: 1979-10-22

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 7

Created By: John Irvin, John le Carré

Networks: BBC Two

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Alec Guinness as George Smiley
Michael Jayston as Peter Guillam
Anthony Bate as Sir Oliver Lacon
George Sewell as Mendel
Bernard Hepton as Toby Esterhase
Robert MacNeil as Self – Host (uncredited)
Ian Richardson as Bill Haydon
Hywel Bennett as Ricki Tarr
Michael Aldridge as Percy Alleline
Terence Rigby as Roy Bland

Seasons

Specials (2000)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: John le Carré: The Secret Centre (2000-09-12)

The English novelist, John Le Carré discusses his life as a secret agent and writer in this documentary about spies in fact and fiction.
Ep. 2: Interview with John le Carré

No overview for this episode.
Ep. 3: A Conversation with John le Carré (2002-03-08)

No overview for this episode.
Ep. 4: Michael Jayston Remembers... Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2023-01-02)

Michael Jayston played George Smiley’s right-hand man Peter Guillam in the BBC’s acclaimed 1979 adaptation of John le Carré’s classic spy tale. As part of the BBC’s Centenary of Drama, and over four decades on, Michael now looks back on the experience, recalling what it was like working on what is still considered one of the best television series ever made, and how he held his own acting alongside one of the finest acting talents of the 20th century, the great Sir Alec Guinness.