''Smiley’s People'' is a 1982 British six-part spy drama by the BBC. Directed by Simon Langton and produced by Jonathan Powell, it is the television adaptation of the 1979 spy novel '' Smiley's People'' by John le Carré, and a sequel to '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (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. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...

, Michael Byrne,

Anthony Bate Anthony Bate (31 August 1927 – 19 June 2012) was an English actor. He is possibly best known for his role as Oliver Lacon in the BBC television adaptations of the John le Carré novels ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' and ''Smiley's People'' and ...

and Bernard Hepton, 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 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", 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.

Cast

as George Smiley * Eileen Atkins as Madame Ostrakova * Michael Byrne as Peter Guillam * Bernard Hepton as Toby Esterhase *

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 named as Michel Lonsdale, was a French actor and author who appeared in over 180 films and television shows. He is best know ...

as Anton Grigoriev * Beryl Reid as Connie Sachs * Bill Paterson as Lauder Strickland * Siân Phillips as Ann Smiley * Mario Adorf as Claus Kretschmar * Tessy Kuhls as Frau Kretzschmar * Patrick Stewart as Karla * Curd Jürgens as Gen. Vladimir * Vladek Sheybal as Otto Leipzig * Rosalie Crutchley as Mother Felicity * Maureen Lipman 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 arguably best known for his role of Tinker Dill in the BBC Television drama series ''Lovejoy''. Early life Sutton was ...

as Oleg Kirov * Michael Gough as Mikhel * Michael Elphick 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 6 ...

as Hilary * Ingrid Pitt as Elvira *

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

as Molly Meakin *Andrew Bradford as Ferguson *Joe Praml as Paul Skordeno * Alan Rickman as Mr Brownlow *Tanya Rees as Beckie Craven * Alex Jennings as PC Hall

Production

The series was produced in partnership with the BBC and

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

with a budget of $3 million. Due to the success of ''Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy'', director John Irvin 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. During filming, Guinness was not satisfied with Langton, 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 broadcast of ''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'', ''Smiley's People'' was telecast in the U.S. in November 1982 as an Operation Prime Time 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. 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'' 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 ''Star Tribune'' is the largest newspaper in Minnesota. It originated as the ''Minneapolis Tribune'' in 1867 and the competing ''Minneapolis Daily Star'' in 1920. During the 1930s and 1940s, Minneapolis's competing newspapers were consolida ...

'' called Guinness's portrayal of Smiley as "a master class in subtle acting." Mark Lawson of '' The Guardian'' called the adaptation, "among the most beautiful and enduring achievements of TV drama."

Awards

In 1983 ''Smiley's People'' won four BAFTA awards, including Best Actor (for

) and Best Actress (for Beryl Reid), 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 Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

. In 2010, '' The Guardian'' 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 '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' (BBCDVD 3535). A remastered Blu-ray edition was released in 2020 (BBCBD0502). Patrick Gowers' soundtrack was released by BBC Records 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 English-language television shows Television shows set in England Espionage television series 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 Secret Intelligence Service in fiction