Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (DVD)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was a seven-episode drama serial made by the BBC in 1979, when it was still at the height of its powers. Adapted from the novel by John Le Carré, it?s a low-key but utterly compelling story of spies gone wrong. The story centres around ?The Circus?, Britain?s chief spy service (obviously modelled on MI6). At the start of the series, the Circus? head, an ailing Scotsman known only as Control (Alexander Knox) sends one of his top agents, Jim Prideaux (Ian Bannen) to Czechoslovakia. Hopefully, Prideaux will be able to ...

See it - read the book - astonishing language - Advantages: brilliant acting, gnomic plot, deeply humane - Disadvantages: complicated

In 1979 or so, the BBC made this adaptation of John Le Carre's hugely popular spy novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It was very successful and gained huge acclaim from practically everyone in the entire universe. It won loads of awards. It was repeated over the new year this year, and is available on a double BBC video. The plot is kind of complicated. It's set sometime in the Seventies. The Cold War is still going on. The British Secret Service (an unspecified organisation, at least in the TV show, but called 'The Circus' by those who work for it) has recently lost its chief (a dour Scotsman known only as 'Control') and been taken over ...