''Smiley’s People'' is a 1982 British six-part spy drama by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. Directed by Simon Langton and produced by Jonathan Powell, it is the television adaptation of the 1979

spy novel Spy fiction is a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device. It emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intellig ...

Smiley's People ''Smiley's People'' is a 1979 spy novel by John le Carré. The novel features a British master-spy George Smiley. It is the third and final novel of the " Karla Trilogy", following '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' and '' The Honourable Schoolbo ...

'' by

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. A "sophist ...

, and a sequel to ''

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' is a 1974 spy novel by the author and former spy John le Carré. It follows the endeavours of the taciturn, ageing spymaster George Smiley to uncover a Soviet mole in the British Secret Intelligence Service. Th ...

'' (missing out the second book in the trilogy, '' The Honourable Schoolboy'', which was not filmed for cost reasons). Starring

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. In the BFI, British Film Institute listing of 1999 of BFI Top 100 British films, the 100 most important British films of the 20th century ...

, Michael Byrne, Anthony Bate and

Bernard Hepton Francis Bernard Heptonstall (19 October 1925 – 27 July 2018) better known by the stage name Bernard Hepton, was an English actor and theatre director. He is known for his stage work and television roles in teleplays and series. He also appear ...

, it was first shown in the United Kingdom from 20 September to 25 October 1982, and in the United States beginning on 25 October 1982.

Plot

George Smiley George Smiley OBE is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is a career intelligence officer with " The Circus", the British overseas intelligence agency. He is a central character in the novels '' Call for the Dead'', '' A ...

is called out of retirement when one of his former assets, an émigré general, is found murdered. In tidying up loose ends for the "

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

", his former employer, he discovers a clandestine operation run by his nemesis, Karla, for his own personal benefit. Smiley is able to use this irregularity against Karla, forcing him to defect to

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...

Cast

as George Smiley *

Eileen Atkins Dame Eileen June Atkins (born 15 June 1934) is an English actress. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting ...

as Madame Ostrakova * Michael Byrne as Peter Guillam *

as Toby Esterhase * Anthony Bate as Sir Oliver Lacon * Barry Foster as Sir Saul Enderby *

Michael Lonsdale Michael Edward Lonsdale Crouch (24 May 1931 – 21 September 2020), commonly known as Michael Lonsdale and sometimes as Michel Lonsdale, was a French-British actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is often ...

as Anton Grigoriev *

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996) was a British actress. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for '' The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for '' Born in th ...

as Connie Sachs * Bill Paterson as Lauder Strickland *

Siân Phillips Dame Jane Elizabeth Ailwên Phillips (born 14 May 1933), known professionally as Siân Phillips ( ), is a Welsh actress from Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Wales. Her early career consisted primarily of stage roles, including the title roles in Ibsen's '' ...

as Ann Smiley *

Mario Adorf Mario Adorf (; born 8 September 1930) is a German actor, considered to be one of the great veteran character actors of European cinema. Since 1954, he has played both leading and supporting roles in over 200 film and television productions, am ...

as Claus Kretschmar * Tessy Kuhls as Frau Kretzschmar *

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor. With a career spanning over seven decades of Patrick Stewart on stage and screen, stage and screen, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Patrick Stewart, variou ...

as Karla *

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in ''Des Teufels Gener ...

as Gen. Vladimir *

Vladek Sheybal Vladek Sheybal (born Władysław Rudolf Zbigniew Sheybal; 12 March 1923 – 16 October 1992) was a Polish character actor, singer and director of both television and stage productions. He was well known for his portrayal of the chess grandmaste ...

as Otto Leipzig *

Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, she was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, makin ...

as Mother Felicity *

Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, columnist and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakesp ...

as Stella Craven *

Dudley Sutton Dudley Sutton (6 April 1933 – 15 September 2018) was an English actor. Active in radio, stage, film and television, he was best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the BBC Television comedy/drama series ''Lovejoy''. Early life Sutton was b ...

as Oleg Kirov *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwoo ...

as Mikhel *

Michael Elphick Michael John Elphick (19 September 1946 – 7 September 2002) was an English film and television actor. He played the eponymous private investigator in the ITV series '' Boon'' and Harry Slater in BBC's ''EastEnders''. He was nominated fo ...

as Detective Chief Superintendent * Paul Herzberg as Villem Craven *Stephen Riddle as Nigel Mostyn *Tusse Silberg as Alexandra/Tatiana *

Norma West Norma West (born 19 November 1943) is a British actress, Born in Cape Town, South Africa, her best known television appearance was as Queen Elizabeth of York in the BBC series '' The Shadow of the Tower'' (1972). She played the part of Number ...

as Hilary *

Ingrid Pitt Ingrid Pitt (born Ingoushka Petrov; 21 November 193723 November 2010) was a Polish-British actress and writer, best known for her work in British horror cinema of the 1970s. Early life Ingoushka Petrov was born in Warsaw, Poland, one of two ...

as Elvira *

Lucy Fleming Eve Lucinda "Lucy" Fleming (born 15 May 1947) is a British actress. Early life and ancestry Fleming was born in Nettlebed, England. She is the second daughter of actress Celia Johnson and writer Peter Fleming, the brother of ''James Bond'' ...

as Molly Meakin *Andrew Bradford as Ferguson *Joe Praml as Paul Skordeno *

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his distinctive deep, wikt:languid#Etymology 1, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and b ...

as Mr Brownlow *Tanya Rees as Beckie Craven *

Alex Jennings Alex Michael Jennings (born 10 May 1957) is an English actor of the stage and screen who has worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. For his work on the London stage, Jennings has received three O ...

as PC Hall

Production

The series was produced in partnership with the BBC and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

with a budget of $3 million. Due to the success of ''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'', director

John Irvin John Irvin (born 7 May 1940) is an English film director. Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, he began his career by directing a number of documentaries and television works, including the BBC Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (miniseries), ada ...

had begun making movies and was unavailable. Later in pre-production, Simon Langton replaced John MacKenzie, Irvin's initial successor as director of the series. According to

Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He also made many television appearances, whi ...

(who himself could not reprise his role from ''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'' for various reasons), this was at the behest of Guinness, who was unhappy with MacKenzie. During filming, Guinness was not satisfied with Langton either, writing; "I felt dubious about Simon's work... I greatly miss John Irvin's grip and inner tension." Arthur Hopcraft declined the offer to write the screenplay and was replaced by John Hopkins. Author le Carré was called in to help resolve technical difficulties within the script. In contrast to the

public television Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive f ...

broadcast of ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'', ''Smiley's People'' was telecast in the U.S. in November 1982 as an

Operation Prime Time Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by ...

presentation on some 100 independent commercial stations across the country. The bridge leading from East to West Berlin for the defection scene was found in the Midlands city of

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. Other location shooting was done in Berne, Hamburg, Paris, and London.

Reception

The initial reviews were good, but the enthusiasm decreased as the series progressed. A contemporary review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the production as a "marvelously riveting television film" and referred to Guinness's performance as stunning and the supporting company as outstanding. The review summarized the series as "the best show you are likely to see on television for the time being." In a retrospective review, Neal Justin of the ''

Star Tribune ''The Minnesota Star Tribune'', formerly the ''Minneapolis Star Tribune'', is an American daily newspaper based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As of 2023, it is Minnesota's largest newspaper and the List of newspapers in the United States, seventh- ...

'' called Guinness's portrayal of Smiley as "a master class in subtle acting."

Mark Lawson Mark Gerard Lawson is an English journalist, broadcaster and author. Specialising in culture and the arts, he is best known for presenting the flagship BBC Radio 4 arts programme '' Front Row'' between 1998 and 2014. He is also a '' Guardian'' ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called the adaptation, "among the most beautiful and enduring achievements of TV drama."

Awards

In 1983 ''Smiley's People'' won four

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

awards, including Best Actor (for

) and Best Actress (for

), and was nominated for six others. The series also won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

. In 2010, ''

'' ranked the series at number 17 in their list of "The Top 50 TV Dramas of All Time"."The top 50 TV dramas of all time"
''The Guardian'', 12 January 2010. Retrieved 2016-01-14.

Commercial releases

''Smiley's People'' was released on VHS in 1991 (BBCV 4606) and 1999 (BBCV 6767). It was released on Region 2 DVD in 2004 (BBCDVD 1183), and in 2011 bundled with ''

'' (BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2020 (BBCBD0502).

Patrick Gowers William Patrick Gowers (5 May 1936 – 30 December 2014) was an English composer, mainly known for his film scores. Early life and education Born in Islington, Gowers was the son of Stella Gowers (née Pelly) and Richard Gowers, a solicitor. Hi ...

' soundtrack was released by

BBC Records BBC Records was a division of the BBC founded in 1967 to commercially exploit the corporation's output for radio and television for both educational and domestic use. The division was known as BBC Radio Enterprises (1967–1970), BBC Records (1 ...

in 1982 (REP 439, vinyl and ZCH439, cassette), and re-released on blue vinyl (DEMREC710) and as MP3 in 2020 by Demon Records.

References

External links

*
The New Yorker: "We Are All Smiley's People"
{{John Hopkins 1982 British television series debuts 1982 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series BAFTA winners (television series) BBC television dramas 1980s British television miniseries British English-language television shows Television shows set in England Television series about the Cold War Films based on British novels John le Carré Peabody Award–winning television programs Television shows based on British novels MI6 in fiction British spy television series