"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" (1979) TV series

Director:

John Irvin

Writers:

John le Carré (novel) and
Arthur Hopcraft (dramatisation)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

29 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

George Smiley has been retired for about a year when he finds a friend from the circus, his old outfit...

Plot Keywords:

Spy | British Intelligence | KGB | Mole | Espionage

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Alec Guinness	...	George Smiley (7 episodes, 1979)
Michael Jayston	...	Peter Guillam (7 episodes, 1979)
Anthony Bate	...	Sir Oliver Lacon / ... (7 episodes, 1979)
George Sewell	...	Mendel (6 episodes, 1979)
Bernard Hepton	...	Toby Esterhase (5 episodes, 1979)
Ian Richardson	...	Bill Haydon (5 episodes, 1979)
Hywel Bennett	...	Ricki Tarr (5 episodes, 1979)
Terence Rigby	...	Roy Bland (4 episodes, 1979)
Ian Bannen	...	Jim Prideaux (4 episodes, 1979)
Michael Aldridge	...	Percy Alleline (4 episodes, 1979)
Alec Sabin	...	Fawn (4 episodes, 1979)
Alexander Knox	...	Control (3 episodes, 1979)
Duncan Jones	...	Roach (3 episodes, 1979)
Daniel Beecher	...	Spikely (3 episodes, 1979)

Series Directed by
John Irvin		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Arthur Hopcraft		(unknown episodes)
John le Carré		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
Jonathan Powell	....	producer (7 episodes, 1979)

Series Original Music by
Geoffrey Burgon		(7 episodes, 1979)

Series Cinematography by
Tony Pierce-Roberts		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Chris Wimble		(4 episodes, 1979)
Clare Douglas		(3 episodes, 1979)

Series Production Design by
Austen Spriggs		(7 episodes, 1979)

Series Costume Design by
Joyce Mortlock		(7 episodes, 1979)

Series Makeup Department
Elizabeth Rowell	....	makeup artist (7 episodes, 1979)

Series Art Department
Douglas Burd	....	graphic designer (7 episodes, 1979)

Series Sound Department
Michael Crozier	....	dubbing editor (7 episodes, 1979)
Stan Morcom	....	dubbing mixer (7 episodes, 1979)
Malcolm Webberley	....	sound recordist (7 episodes, 1979)

Series Editorial Department
Simon Holland	....	trainee assistant film editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Peter Grimwade	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1979)
Tony Virgo	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1979)
Marcia Wheeler	....	production unit manager (7 episodes, 1979)
Betty Willingale	....	script editor (7 episodes, 1979)
Christabel Albery	....	assistant floor manager (unknown episodes)
Frances Alcock	....	assistant to director / script supervisor (unknown episodes)
Jeremy Silberston	....	assistant floor manager (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• BBC Worldwide (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Great Performances
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1980) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Also Known As:

Calderero, sastre, soldado, espía (Spain) [es]
König, Dame, As, Spion (West Germany) [de]
Mullvaden (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

290 min | UK:350 min (7 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bywater Street, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Smiley's address is No. 9 Bywater Street, Chelsea. Scenes at his home were filmed at the real No. 10 Bywater Street.

Goofs:

Continuity: In episode 5, Fawn's hair is shaggy and hangs over his ears. A day later (in episode 6) it is short and trim. He's been guarding the kidnapped Toby Esterhase for the intervening period, so he could hardly have run out and got it cut.

Quotes:

Control: And now there's a Witchcraft committee! The Minister's in the chair, Alleline's vice-chairman. Merlin's become an industry, it's THE industry and I'm not employed!
George Smiley: You won't even read Alleline's reports.
Control: I haven't time! Buying their way in with counterfeit money, tell them that. Tell them anything, I need time! There are three of them, and Alleline. Sweat them, George, bully them, any damn thing, give them whatever they eat, I need time!

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Smiley's People" (1982)

Just about as good as it gets

Sir Alec Guinness is so good at being George Smiley that John LeCarre claims he can no longer write the character about without seeing Guinness' face. The supporting cast is uniformly excellent, and the script captures the novel almost flawlessly. It takes six hours because the story is complex and ranges over many years and many characters, but it is so well-written and acted that the any viewer with an attention span longer than that of a gnat can easily keep track of who did what and when, so that the ultimate unmasking of the traitor may be a surprise, but it is not a shock.