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{{short description|1979 BBC programme based on John le Carré's spy novel}}
{{short description|1979 BBC programme based on John le Carré's spy novel}}
{{About||the novel|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy{{!}}''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''|the 2011 film adaptation|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film){{!}}''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (film)}}
{{About||the 2011 film adaptation|Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film){{!}}''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (film)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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| based_on = {{based on|''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]''|[[John le Carré]]}}
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]''|[[John le Carré]]}}
| writer = [[Arthur Hopcraft]]
| writer = [[Arthur Hopcraft]]
| screenplay = [[John le Carré]]
| screenplay =
| story =
| story =
| director = [[John Irvin]]
| director = [[John Irvin]]
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'''''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''''' is a 1979 British seven-part [[spy]] drama by the [[BBC]]. [[John Irvin]] directed and [[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]] produced this adaptation of [[John le Carré]]'s novel ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' (1974). The serial, which stars [[Alec Guinness]], [[Alexander Knox]], [[Ian Richardson]], [[Michael Jayston]], [[Bernard Hepton]], [[Anthony Bate]], [[Ian Bannen]], [[George Sewell]] and [[Michael Aldridge]], was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. The US version was {{Nowrap|re-edited}} from the original seven episodes to fit into six episodes.
'''''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''''' is a 1979 British seven-part [[spy]] drama by the [[BBC]]. [[John Irvin]] directed and [[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]] produced this adaptation of [[John le Carré]]'s novel ''[[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy]]'' (1974). The serial, which stars [[Alec Guinness]], [[Alexander Knox]], [[Ian Richardson]], [[Michael Jayston]], [[Bernard Hepton]], [[Anthony Bate]], [[Ian Bannen]], [[George Sewell]] and [[Michael Aldridge]], was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. The US version was {{Nowrap|re-edited}} from the original seven episodes to fit into six episodes.


The series was followed by ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' in 1982.
The series, which received widespread acclaim, was followed by ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' in 1982.


==Plot==
==Plot==
[[George Smiley]], deputy to the head of the [[Secret Intelligence Service|British Secret Intelligence Service]], has been forced into retirement in the wake of Operation Testify, a failed spy mission in [[Czechoslovakia]]. Veteran British agent [[Jim Prideaux]] had been sent to meet a Czech general, having been told the general had information identifying a deep-cover Soviet spy planted in the highest echelons of the British Secret Intelligence Service—known as the Circus, because of its headquarters at [[Cambridge Circus, London|Cambridge Circus]] in London.
[[George Smiley]], deputy to the head of the [[Secret Intelligence Service|British Secret Intelligence Service]], has been forced into retirement in the wake of Operation Testify, a failed spy mission in [[Czechoslovakia]]. The Chief of the Circus, known only as [[Control (fictional character)|Control]], had sent veteran agent [[Jim Prideaux]] to meet a Czech general who supposedly had information identifying a deep-cover Soviet spy planted in the highest echelons of the British Secret Intelligence Service—known as the Circus, because of its headquarters at [[Cambridge Circus, London|Cambridge Circus]] in London.


The mission proved to be a trap, and Prideaux was captured and brutally tortured by the Soviets. The Chief of the Circus, known only as [[Control (fictional character)|Control]], was disgraced by Testify and replaced by his rival Percy Alleline. Control's obsession with the possibility of a Soviet mole at the Circus was not shared by others in the organisation, who insist that any leaks and failures at the Circus were due to Control's incompetence. On the contrary, Alleline and the rest of the new leadership team at the Circus believe that ''they'' have a mole, code-named Merlin, working for them in Moscow Centre, the KGB headquarters, passing them secrets in an operation code-named Witchcraft. Others in the British and American intelligence communities have been impressed with the information produced by Witchcraft, and Alleline and his team are regarded as a refreshing change from Control.
The mission proved to be a trap, and Prideaux was shot in the back, captured and tortured by the Soviets. Control was disgraced by Testify and replaced by his rival Percy Alleline. Control's obsession with the possibility of a Soviet mole at the Circus was not shared by others in the organisation, who insist that any leaks and failures at the Circus were due to Control's incompetence. On the contrary, Alleline and the rest of the new leadership team at the Circus believe that ''they'' have a mole, code-named Merlin, working for them in Moscow Centre, the KGB headquarters, passing them secrets in an operation code-named Witchcraft. Others in the British and American intelligence communities have been impressed with the information produced by Witchcraft, and Alleline and his team are regarded as a refreshing change from Control.


More than a year after Testify and the shake-up at the Circus, [[Ricki Tarr]], a British agent gone missing in [[Lisbon]], turns up in England with new evidence backing up Control's theory of a mole at the Circus. While on a routine mission Tarr had been approached by Irina, a low-level Soviet agent who claimed to know the identity of the mole and wanted to trade it for permission to defect. As soon as Tarr informed the Circus of Irina's offer, she was abducted by the KGB and spirited back to Russia. Tarr, convinced he had been betrayed by the mole Irina was going to identify, believed that he would also be targeted and murdered. Returning to London secretly, Tarr contacts Oliver Lacon, a senior civil servant who is the liaison between the Circus and the British Cabinet.
More than a year after Testify and the shake-up at the Circus, [[Ricki Tarr]], a British agent gone missing in [[Lisbon]], turns up in England with new evidence backing up Control's theory of a mole at the Circus. While on a routine mission Tarr had been approached by Irina, a low-level Soviet agent who claimed to know the identity of the mole and wanted to trade it for permission to defect. As soon as Tarr informed the Circus of Irina's offer, she was abducted by the KGB and spirited back to Russia. Tarr, convinced he had been betrayed by the mole Irina was going to identify, believed that he would also be targeted and murdered. Returning to London secretly, Tarr contacts Oliver Lacon, a senior civil servant who is the liaison between the Circus and the British Cabinet.
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==Cast==
==Cast==
{{colbegin|colwidth=}}
{{colbegin|colwidth=}}
* [[Alec Guinness]] as [[George Smiley]] / "Beggarman"
* [[Alec Guinness]] as [[George Smiley]] ("Beggarman")
* [[Alexander Knox]] as [[Control (fictional character)|Control]]
* [[Alexander Knox]] as [[Control (fictional character)|Control]]
* [[Michael Jayston]] as [[Peter Guillam]]
* [[Michael Jayston]] as [[Peter Guillam]]
* [[Anthony Bate]] as Oliver Lacon
* [[Anthony Bate]] as Oliver Lacon
* [[Bernard Hepton]] as [[Toby Esterhase]] / "Poorman"
* [[Bernard Hepton]] as [[Toby Esterhase]] ("Poorman")
* [[Ian Richardson]] as [[Bill Haydon]] / "Tailor"
* [[Ian Richardson]] as [[Bill Haydon]] ("Tailor")
* [[Ian Bannen]] as [[Jim Prideaux]]
* [[Ian Bannen]] as [[Jim Prideaux]]
* [[Hywel Bennett]] as [[Ricki Tarr]]
* [[Hywel Bennett]] as Ricki Tarr
* [[Michael Aldridge]] as Percy Alleline / "Tinker"
* [[Michael Aldridge]] as Percy Alleline ("Tinker")
* [[Terence Rigby]] as Roy Bland / "Soldier"
* [[Terence Rigby]] as Roy Bland ("Soldier")
* [[George Sewell]] as Mendel
* [[George Sewell]] as Mendel
* [[Beryl Reid]] as [[Connie Sachs]]
* [[Beryl Reid]] as [[Connie Sachs]]
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* [[Alec Sabin]] as Fawn
* [[Alec Sabin]] as Fawn
* [[Hilary Minster]] as Boris
* [[Hilary Minster]] as Boris
* [[George Pravda]] as Polyakov
* [[George Pravda]] as Aleksey Aleksandrovich Polyakov
* Duncan Jones as "Jumbo" Roach
* Duncan Jones as "Jumbo" Roach
{{colend}}
{{colend}}
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==Music==
==Music==
The end credits music, an arrangement of "[[Nunc dimittis]]" ("Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace") from the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]] ''(1662), was composed by [[Geoffrey Burgon]] for organ, strings, trumpet, and [[Treble (voice)|treble]]; the score earned Burgon the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for 1979<ref>{{cite news |title=Geoffrey Burgon, British composer |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/09/24/geoffrey_burgon_british_composer/ |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=12 September 2012 |date=24 September 2010}}</ref> and reached 56 on the [[UK Singles Chart]]. The treble on the original recording, [[Paul Phoenix (singer)|Paul Phoenix]], was a tenor in the [[King's Singers]] later in his career.<ref>{{cite news |title=Voices of angels: child stars |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/8141074/Voices-of-angels-child-stars.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=17 November 2010}}</ref>
The end credits music, an arrangement of "[[Nunc dimittis]]" ("Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace") from the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]] ''(1662), was composed by [[Geoffrey Burgon]] for organ, strings, trumpet, and [[Treble voice|treble]]; the score earned Burgon the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for 1979<ref>{{cite news |title=Geoffrey Burgon, British composer |url=http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/obituaries/articles/2010/09/24/geoffrey_burgon_british_composer/ |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=12 September 2012 |date=24 September 2010}}</ref> and reached 56 on the [[UK Singles Chart]]. The treble on the original recording, [[Paul Phoenix (singer)|Paul Phoenix]], was a tenor in the [[King's Singers]] later in his career.<ref>{{cite news |title=Voices of angels: child stars |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/classicalmusic/8141074/Voices-of-angels-child-stars.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=17 November 2010}}</ref>


==Broadcast==
==Broadcast==
The series was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980.
The series was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. In the US. it was broadcast on [[PBS]] as part of its [[Great Performances]] series, and included commentary from [[Robert MacNeil]] and le Carré.<ref name="Oconnor" />


In the US, the syndicated broadcasts were {{Nowrap|re-edited}} from the seven original episodes broadcast in the UK to fit into six episodes.<ref name="The Wall Street Journal 2011-12-02">{{cite news |last=Kung |first=Michelle |date=2011-12-02 |title='Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Miniseries Director John Irvin on the New Film |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/12/02/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-miniseries-director-john-irvin-on-the-new-film/ |access-date=2014-12-26 |quote=the seven-episode series – which was condensed to six episodes for U.S. audiences}}</ref> The overall running time is about the same.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Episode guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006ylbp/episodes/guide |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zabel |first=Christopher |date=2013-05-27 |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Review |url=https://www.doblu.com/2013/05/27/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-1979-review/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=DoBlu.com |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- The UK version runs 4(50)+2(40)+45=325 minutes. The US total given is 324. -->
In the US, the syndicated broadcasts were {{Nowrap|re-edited}} from the seven original episodes broadcast in the UK to fit into six episodes.<ref name="The Wall Street Journal 2011-12-02">{{cite news |last=Kung |first=Michelle |date=2011-12-02 |title='Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Miniseries Director John Irvin on the New Film |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/12/02/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-miniseries-director-john-irvin-on-the-new-film/ |access-date=2014-12-26 |quote=the seven-episode series – which was condensed to six episodes for U.S. audiences}}</ref> The overall running time is about the same.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Episode guide |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006ylbp/episodes/guide |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zabel |first=Christopher |date=2013-05-27 |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Review |url=https://www.doblu.com/2013/05/27/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-1979-review/ |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=DoBlu.com |language=en-US}}</ref><!-- The UK version runs 4(50)+2(40)+45=325 minutes. The US total given is 324. -->


==Reception==
==Reception==
At the time of its release in the United States in 1980, ''[[The Washington Post|Washington Post]]'', television critic [[Tom Shales]] called the series "intricate and fascinating," and described its episodes as "six scintillating and delectable hours."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shales |first=Tom |date=1980-09-29 |title=The Spies Have It |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/09/29/the-spies-have-it/2f885b9f-da8d-48e8-8bf4-96824c94a5a7/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
Le Carré cited the series as his favourite filmed adaptation of his work, attributing this to his experience collaborating with Guinness.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=le Carré, John |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A Conversation with John le Carré |date=8 March 2002 |location=Disc 1 |medium=DVD}}</ref>


''[[New York Times]]'' television critic [[John J. O'Connor (journalist)|John J. O'Connor]] called Guinness's performance "uncommonly brilliant." Guinness, he said, could "say more with a slight parting of his lips than most actors can say while shouting from the rafters. He pointed out that Guinness was superb in the role even though he was older and not as heavy as Smiley was described in the novel. O'Connor praised the supporting cast and said that Hopcrofts's script was "tenaciously faithful to the spirit of the novel."<ref name="Oconnor">{{cite news |last1=O'Connor |first1=John J. |title=TV: Guinness in 'Tinker, Tailor, Spy' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/09/29/archives/tv-guinness-in-tinker-tailor-spy.html |access-date=17 December 2023 |work=The New York Times |date=29 September 1980}}</ref>
In a retrospective review in ''[[The New York Times]]'', Mike Hale lauded Guinness's performance, ("It's conventional wisdom that Guinness's performance is a landmark in TV history, and you won't get an argument here, though if you're watching it for the first time, you may wonder at the start what all the fuss is about.") and cited the production's pacing versus current techniques, stating, "Audiences used to the pace of the modern TV crime or espionage drama will need to reorientate themselves."<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|last=Hale |first=Mike |title=Spycraft Dispensed With Appropriate, Deliberate Speed |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/arts/television/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-with-alec-guinness-review.html |access-date=30 April 2018|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=21 October 2011}}</ref> Retrospective reviewers favourably compared the series with the [[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film)|2011 film version]], also citing le Carré's praise of the original and referring to Guinness's performance.<ref name="LA Times">{{Cite web|date=2011-11-27|title=A Second Look: 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' miniseries|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-nov-27-la-ca-second-look-20111127-story.html|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="NYT" /><ref name="Slate">{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=June |title=Gary Oldman's Good, but Alec Guinness Was Great |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/08/tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_the_new_film_and_the_old_bbc_series_compared.html |access-date=30 April 2018|journal=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|date=8 December 2011}}</ref><ref name="NewYorker">{{cite magazine|last=Lane |first=Anthony |title=I Spy |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/12/i-spy-anthony-lane |access-date=30 April 2018|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=12 December 2011}}</ref>


==Awards==
==Awards and honors==
{|class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Award
!Nominated
!Result
|-
|-
! Year
|1980
! Award
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor#1980s|BAFTA TV Award Best Actor]]
! Category
|[[Alec Guinness]]
! Nominee(s)
|{{won}}
! Result
! Ref.
|-
|-
| rowspan="11"| {{center|1980}}
|1980
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Best Film Cameraman]]
| rowspan="4"| [[British Academy Television Awards]]
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|Best Drama Series or Serial]]
|[[Tony Pierce-Roberts]]
| [[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]] and [[John Irvin]]
|{{won}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/television |title=BAFTA Awards: Television in 1980 |publisher=[[British Academy Television Awards]] |access-date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
|1980
| [[Alec Guinness]]
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress#1980s|BAFTA TV Award Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
|[[Beryl Reid]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
|1980
| [[Beryl Reid]]
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Best Costume Design]]
| {{nom}}
|Joyce Mortlock
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Production Design|Best Design]]
|1980
| Austen Spriggs
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Best Design]]
| {{nom}}
|Austen Spriggs
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[British Academy Television Craft Awards]]
|1980
|[[British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series|BAFTA TV Award Best Drama Series]]
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Joyce Mortlock
|[[Jonathan Powell (producer)|Jonathan Powell]] & [[John Irvin]]
|{{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1980/tvcraft |title=BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 1980 |publisher=[[British Academy Television Craft Awards]] |access-date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction|Best Film Cameramen]]
|1980
| [[Tony Pierce-Roberts]]
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Best Film Sound]]
| {{won}}
|Malcolm Webberley
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Editing: Fiction|Best Film Editor]]
|1980
| Chris Wimble and [[Clare Douglas]]
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Best Graphics]]
| {{nom}}
|Douglas Burd
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Sound: Fiction|Best Film Sound]]
|1980
| Malcolm Webberley
|[[British Academy Television Awards|BAFTA TV Award Film Editor]]
| {{nom}}
|Chris Wimble & [[Clare Douglas]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[British Academy Television Craft Award for Best Titles & Graphic Identity|Best Graphics]]
|1980
| Doug Burd
|Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Actor
| {{nom}}
|Alec Guinness
|{{won}}
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Broadcasting Press Guild|Broadcasting Press Guild Awards]]
|1980
|Broadcasting Press Guild Award Best Drama Series
| colspan="2"| Best Drama Series
| {{won}}
|
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.broadcastingpressguild.org/bpg-awards/1980-2/ |title=1980 Awards |publisher=[[Broadcasting Press Guild]] |access-date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>
|{{won}}
|-
|-
| Best Actor
|1981
| Alec Guinness
|[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries#1980s|Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries]]
| {{won}}
|[[Jac Venza]] <small>(executive producer)</small>, Jonathan Powell <small>(producer)</small> and Samuel Paul <small>(series producer)</small>
|{{nom}}
|-
|-
| {{center|1981}}
| [[33rd Primetime Emmy Awards|Primetime Emmy Awards]]
| [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series|Outstanding Limited Series]]
| [[Jac Venza]], Jonathan Powell, and Samuel Paul
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-great-performances |title=Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Great Performances) |publisher=[[Academy of Television Arts & Sciences]] |access-date=October 16, 2023}}</ref>
|}
|}

== Legacy ==
Writing in 2011, ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' critic Toby Manning wrote that the series "is still unmatched in its evocation of the chilly, cynical cold war era".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Manning |first=Toby |date=2011-01-14 |title=Your next box set: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/jan/14/television-johnlecarre |access-date=2023-12-17 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

In a retrospective review in ''[[The New York Times]]'', Mike Hale lauded Guinness's performance, ("It's conventional wisdom that Guinness's performance is a landmark in TV history, and you won't get an argument here, though if you're watching it for the first time, you may wonder at the start what all the fuss is about.") and cited the production's pacing versus current techniques, stating, "Audiences used to the pace of the modern TV crime or espionage drama will need to reorientate themselves."<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |last=Hale |first=Mike |date=21 October 2011 |title=Spycraft Dispensed With Appropriate, Deliberate Speed |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/arts/television/tinker-tailor-soldier-spy-with-alec-guinness-review.html |access-date=30 April 2018}}</ref> Retrospective reviewers favourably compared the series with the [[Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film)|2011 film version]], also citing le Carré's praise of the original and referring to Guinness's performance.<ref name="LA Times">{{Cite web |date=2011-11-27 |title=A Second Look: 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' miniseries |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-nov-27-la-ca-second-look-20111127-story.html |access-date=2021-07-12 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="NYT" /><ref name="Slate">{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=June |date=8 December 2011 |title=Gary Oldman's Good, but Alec Guinness Was Great |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/12/08/tinker_tailor_soldier_spy_the_new_film_and_the_old_bbc_series_compared.html |journal=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=30 April 2018}}</ref><ref name="NewYorker">{{cite magazine |last=Lane |first=Anthony |date=12 December 2011 |title=I Spy |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/12/12/i-spy-anthony-lane |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=30 April 2018}}</ref>

Le Carré cited the series as his favourite filmed adaptation of his work, attributing this to his experience collaborating with Guinness.<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A Conversation with John le Carré |date=8 March 2002 |medium=DVD |location=Disc 1 |people=le Carré, John}}</ref>


==Home video==
==Home video==
''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' was released on VHS in 1991 (BBCV 4605) and 1999 (BBCV 6788). It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2003 (BBCDVD 1180), and in 2011 bundled with ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' (BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2019 (BBCBD0465).
''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' was released on VHS in 1991 (BBCV 4605) and 1999 (BBCV 6788). It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2003 (BBCDVD 1180), and in 2011 bundled with ''[[Smiley's People (TV series)|Smiley's People]]'' (BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2019 (BBCBD0465).

== See also ==

* [[Tinker, Tailor]]


==References==
==References==
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*{{IMDb title|id=0080297|title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0080297|title=Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy}}


{{John Irvin}}
{{John le Carré}}
{{John le Carré}}
{{John Irvin}}


[[Category:BBC television dramas]]
[[Category:BBC television dramas]]
Line 200: Line 210:
[[Category:Television shows based on British novels]]
[[Category:Television shows based on British novels]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Oxford]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Oxford]]
[[Category:English-language television shows]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:Secret Intelligence Service in fiction]]
[[Category:MI6 in fiction]]
[[Category:British spy television series]]
[[Category:British spy television series]]

Revision as of 17:46, 11 September 2024

For the 2011 film adaptation, see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (film).

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Opening title
Based onTinker Tailor Soldier Spy
by John le Carré
Written byArthur Hopcraft
Directed byJohn Irvin
Starring
Theme music composerGeoffrey Burgon
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes7
Production
ProducerJonathan Powell
CinematographyTony Pierce-Roberts
Editors
Running time
  • UK: 315 min
  • US: 290 min
Original release
NetworkBBC2
Release10 September (1979-09-10) –
22 October 1979 (1979-10-22)
Related
Smiley's People

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 1979 British seven-part spy drama by the BBC. John Irvin directed and Jonathan Powell produced this adaptation of John le Carré's novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1974). The serial, which stars Alec Guinness, Alexander Knox, Ian Richardson, Michael Jayston, Bernard Hepton, Anthony Bate, Ian Bannen, George Sewell and Michael Aldridge, was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. The US version was re-edited from the original seven episodes to fit into six episodes.

The series, which received widespread acclaim, was followed by Smiley's People in 1982.

Plot

George Smiley, deputy to the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, has been forced into retirement in the wake of Operation Testify, a failed spy mission in Czechoslovakia. The Chief of the Circus, known only as Control, had sent veteran agent Jim Prideaux to meet a Czech general who supposedly had information identifying a deep-cover Soviet spy planted in the highest echelons of the British Secret Intelligence Service—known as the Circus, because of its headquarters at Cambridge Circus in London.

The mission proved to be a trap, and Prideaux was shot in the back, captured and tortured by the Soviets. Control was disgraced by Testify and replaced by his rival Percy Alleline. Control's obsession with the possibility of a Soviet mole at the Circus was not shared by others in the organisation, who insist that any leaks and failures at the Circus were due to Control's incompetence. On the contrary, Alleline and the rest of the new leadership team at the Circus believe that they have a mole, code-named Merlin, working for them in Moscow Centre, the KGB headquarters, passing them secrets in an operation code-named Witchcraft. Others in the British and American intelligence communities have been impressed with the information produced by Witchcraft, and Alleline and his team are regarded as a refreshing change from Control.

More than a year after Testify and the shake-up at the Circus, Ricki Tarr, a British agent gone missing in Lisbon, turns up in England with new evidence backing up Control's theory of a mole at the Circus. While on a routine mission Tarr had been approached by Irina, a low-level Soviet agent who claimed to know the identity of the mole and wanted to trade it for permission to defect. As soon as Tarr informed the Circus of Irina's offer, she was abducted by the KGB and spirited back to Russia. Tarr, convinced he had been betrayed by the mole Irina was going to identify, believed that he would also be targeted and murdered. Returning to London secretly, Tarr contacts Oliver Lacon, a senior civil servant who is the liaison between the Circus and the British Cabinet.

Before his ousting, Control had narrowed his list of suspects to five men – Roy Bland, Toby Esterhase, Bill Haydon, Percy Alleline, and George Smiley – all of whom occupied high positions in the Circus. Knowing the Soviet spy is highly placed in the Circus, Lacon cannot trust the Circus to uncover the mole or even allow its personnel to know of the investigation. Smiley, who had been fired along with Control while Control's other four suspects were promoted, is recalled by Lacon and given instructions to expose the mole. With the help of his protégé, Peter Guillam, who is still in the Circus, Smiley begins a secret investigation into the events surrounding Operation Testify, believing it will lead him to the identity of the mole, whom Moscow Centre has given the cover name Gerald.

Smiley learns that Operation Witchcraft uses a safehouse to meet with Aleksey Aleksandrovich Polyakov, a Soviet agent. Polyakov appears to hand over valuable intelligence material but this is actually "chickenfeed", and the operation is a cover by which Gerald passes valuable material to Polyakov. Smiley forces Toby Esterhase to reveal the location of the safe house. Tarr is sent to Paris, where he sends a coded message to Alleline about "information crucial to the wellbeing of the Service". This triggers an emergency meeting between Gerald and Polyakov at the safehouse, where Smiley and Guillam lie in wait.

The mole is revealed to be Bill Haydon. Haydon is debriefed by Smiley but is killed by Jim Prideaux before he can be exchanged with the Russians.

Cast

Production

Shortly before filming began, Alec Guinness asked author John le Carré to introduce him to a real spy to aid him in preparing for his role. Le Carré invited Guinness to lunch with Sir Maurice Oldfield, who served as Chief of the British Intelligence Service from 1973 to 1978. During their meal, Guinness intently studied Oldfield for any mannerisms or quirks that he could use in his performance. When he saw Oldfield run his finger around the rim of his wine glass, he asked whether Oldfield was checking for poison—much to Oldfield's astonishment, as he was only checking how clean the glass was.[1]

The series was shot on location in London, including some of the intelligence agency scenes which were shot in the BBC offices; in Glasgow for scenes in Czechoslovakia, at Oxford University, at Bredon School in Gloucestershire where the character Jim Prideaux was a master, and elsewhere.[2]

Music

The end credits music, an arrangement of "Nunc dimittis" ("Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace") from the Book of Common Prayer (1662), was composed by Geoffrey Burgon for organ, strings, trumpet, and treble; the score earned Burgon the Ivor Novello Award for 1979[3] and reached 56 on the UK Singles Chart. The treble on the original recording, Paul Phoenix, was a tenor in the King's Singers later in his career.[4]

Broadcast

The series was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. In the US. it was broadcast on PBS as part of its Great Performances series, and included commentary from Robert MacNeil and le Carré.[5]

In the US, the syndicated broadcasts were re-edited from the seven original episodes broadcast in the UK to fit into six episodes.[6] The overall running time is about the same.[7][8]

Reception

At the time of its release in the United States in 1980, Washington Post, television critic Tom Shales called the series "intricate and fascinating," and described its episodes as "six scintillating and delectable hours."[9]

New York Times television critic John J. O'Connor called Guinness's performance "uncommonly brilliant." Guinness, he said, could "say more with a slight parting of his lips than most actors can say while shouting from the rafters. He pointed out that Guinness was superb in the role even though he was older and not as heavy as Smiley was described in the novel. O'Connor praised the supporting cast and said that Hopcrofts's script was "tenaciously faithful to the spirit of the novel."[5]

Awards and honors

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1980
 British Academy Television Awards Best Drama Series or Serial Jonathan Powell and John Irvin Nominated [10]
Best Actor Alec Guinness Won
Best Actress Beryl Reid Nominated
Best Design Austen Spriggs Nominated
British Academy Television Craft Awards Best Costume Design Joyce Mortlock Nominated [11]
Best Film Cameramen Tony Pierce-Roberts Won
Best Film Editor Chris Wimble and Clare Douglas Nominated
Best Film Sound Malcolm Webberley Nominated
Best Graphics Doug Burd Nominated
Broadcasting Press Guild Awards Best Drama Series Won [12]
Best Actor Alec Guinness Won
1981
 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Limited Series Jac Venza, Jonathan Powell, and Samuel Paul Nominated [13]

Legacy

Writing in 2011, Guardian critic Toby Manning wrote that the series "is still unmatched in its evocation of the chilly, cynical cold war era".[14]

In a retrospective review in The New York Times, Mike Hale lauded Guinness's performance, ("It's conventional wisdom that Guinness's performance is a landmark in TV history, and you won't get an argument here, though if you're watching it for the first time, you may wonder at the start what all the fuss is about.") and cited the production's pacing versus current techniques, stating, "Audiences used to the pace of the modern TV crime or espionage drama will need to reorientate themselves."[15] Retrospective reviewers favourably compared the series with the 2011 film version, also citing le Carré's praise of the original and referring to Guinness's performance.[16][15][17][18]

Le Carré cited the series as his favourite filmed adaptation of his work, attributing this to his experience collaborating with Guinness.[19]

Home video

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was released on VHS in 1991 (BBCV 4605) and 1999 (BBCV 6788). It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2003 (BBCDVD 1180), and in 2011 bundled with Smiley's People (BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2019 (BBCBD0465).

See also

References

  1. ^ le Carré, John (11 October 2002). "Over lunch, he turned himself into a spy". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 60623878. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
  2. ^ Powell, Jonathan (25 October 2011). Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Production Notes (DVD). Disc 1: Acorn DVD.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. ^ "Geoffrey Burgon, British composer". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Voices of angels: child stars". The Daily Telegraph. 17 November 2010.
  5. ^ a b O'Connor, John J. (29 September 1980). "TV: Guinness in 'Tinker, Tailor, Spy'". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ Kung, Michelle (2 December 2011). "'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' Miniseries Director John Irvin on the New Film". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 December 2014. the seven-episode series – which was condensed to six episodes for U.S. audiences
  7. ^ "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Episode guide". BBC. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  8. ^ Zabel, Christopher (27 May 2013). "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) Review". DoBlu.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  9. ^ Shales, Tom (29 September 1980). "The Spies Have It". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  10. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television in 1980". British Academy Television Awards. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  11. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Television Craft in 1980". British Academy Television Craft Awards. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. ^ "1980 Awards". Broadcasting Press Guild. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Great Performances)". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  14. ^ Manning, Toby (14 January 2011). "Your next box set: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  15. ^ a b Hale, Mike (21 October 2011). "Spycraft Dispensed With Appropriate, Deliberate Speed". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  16. ^ "A Second Look: 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' miniseries". Los Angeles Times. 27 November 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  17. ^ Thomas, June (8 December 2011). "Gary Oldman's Good, but Alec Guinness Was Great". Slate. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  18. ^ Lane, Anthony (12 December 2011). "I Spy". The New Yorker. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  19. ^ le Carré, John (8 March 2002). Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: A Conversation with John le Carré (DVD). Disc 1.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
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