PickFlick
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

One of Britain's master spies is working for the enemy. Can George Smiley beat him at his deadly game?

13+1979•50m•7.6/10
War & PoliticsDramaMystery

Ratings

🎬TMDb
7.6/10(125)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a seven-part BBC Two spy drama written by Arthur Hopcraft, adapted from John le Carré's eponymous 1974 novel. The serial, which stars Alec Guinness, Alexander Knox, Ian Richardson, Michael Jayston, Bernard Hepton, Anthony Bate, Ian Bannen, George Sewell and Michael Aldridge, was broadcast from 10 September to 22 October 1979. George Smiley, the aging master spy of the Cold War and once heir apparent to Control, is brought back out of retirement to flush out a top level mole within the Circus. Smiley must travel back through his life and murky workings of the Circus to unravel the net spun by his nemesis Karla 'The Sandman' of the KGB and reveal the identity of the mole before he disappears.

Open in PickFlick

Production

BBC, Paramount Pictures

Language

EN

Status

Ended

First Aired

September 10, 1979

Last Aired

October 22, 1979

Networks

BBC Two

Created By

John Irvin, John le Carré

Trailers & Videos

Where to Watch
Region US · Lang EN
US
No providers available for this region.
Seasons & Episodes
Select a season to view episodes. Reddit links may contain spoilers.
Season
Return to the Circus
E1
Return to the Circus
Air date: 1979-09-10
George Smiley's quiet retirement is interrupted when messengers arrive from London Station and call upon George Smiley to come back into the game. Smiley is brought to Sir Oliver and it is revealed that a highly influential mole has been operating out of the Circus for quite some time.
Tarr Tells His Story
E2
Tarr Tells His Story
Air date: 1979-09-17
Ricki Tarr, an active agent, recounts a tale to the spy masters that sways Smiley in favour of returning to the Circus to secretly ferret out the mole. Tarr's tale is of The Sandmann, the KGB counterpart and nemesis of Smiley, and of his network in the Circus.
Smiley Tracks the Mole
E3
Smiley Tracks the Mole
Air date: 1979-09-24
Now that Smiley has rejoined the game he must secretly procure the information and files needed to conduct his investigation. While Peter breaks into the Circus' archives and finds files that bring a whole new perspective to consider, Smiley goes to interview an old friend.
How It All Fits Together
E4
How It All Fits Together
Air date: 1979-10-01
Ricki Tarr becomes unstable and George Smiley must examine his past to find answers. He must examine his personal life as well as his past with the Circus, especially in regard to Control. He also reflects on his meeting with Karla, 'The Sandman'.
Tinker Tailor
E5
Tinker Tailor
Air date: 1979-10-08
Smiley, now fortified with new information, goes to confront Jim Prideaux, an old spy who long since came in from the cold and is now a school teacher. Control, in his last days, seemed to have confided in him and sent him on a mission behind the Iron Curtain to find out who exactly the mole in the Circus was, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Rich man, or Poor man.
Smiley Sets a Trap
E6
Smiley Sets a Trap
Air date: 1979-10-15
Smiley now has the information he needs and starts to stir things up with the men of which Control suspected one to be the mole. He is able to eliminate two, himself and one other. The waiting begins, when suddenly the message arrives that Prideaux has disappeared.
Flushing Out the Mole
E7
Flushing Out the Mole
Air date: 1979-10-22
The waiting has paid off and the traps closes on Karla's mole. It is agreed to trade him against several English spies who were captured by the KGB, but Prideaux is still not found and he has an open account to settle with the mole. With the command structure of the Circus hollowed out and containment in progress, Smiley cannot come in from the cold but remains to pick up the pieces.

Cast

Alec Guinness

Alec Guinness

George Smiley

Michael Jayston

Michael Jayston

Peter Guillam

Anthony Bate

Anthony Bate

Oliver Lacon

George Sewell

George Sewell

Mendel

Recommended

Smiley's People

Smiley's People

7.7
1982
TV Show

Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for.

Smiley's People

1982
7.7
Flack

Flack

6.8
2019
TV Show

Robyn, the sharp and witty publicity maven, is an expert at her craft but a complete self-saboteur when it comes to her personal life. Robyn’s work as a crisis PR strategist is fast-paced and unpredictable, as she counsels high-profile personalities in entertainment, fashion and sports.

Flack

2019
6.8
No Image

Dear Prudence

4.2
TV Show

Dear Prudence is a Hallmark Channel original made-for-TV movie starring Jane Seymour. The movie premiered August 23, 2008, and was to be a pilot that would become a part of the Hallmark Channel Mystery Wheel. A sequel Perfectly Prudence aired on January 8, 2011.

Dear Prudence

4.2
Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery

Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery

7.9
2017
TV Show

An examination of the Casey Anthony case. The 22-year-old Florida woman was accused of the murder of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. At trial, she was convicted of four lesser charges of providing false information to a police officer, but found not guilty of murder, child abuse and manslaughter.

Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery

2017
7.9
Ellis Island

Ellis Island

4.6
1984
TV Show

Ellis Island is a television miniseries broadcast in three parts in 1984 on the CBS television network. The screenplay was co-written by Fred Mustard Stewart, adapted from his 1983 novel of the same title. The series tells the story of several immigrants from the late 1800s until the early 1910s, trying to achieve the American Dream and arriving on Ellis Island, hoping for a better life. Ellis Island highlighted numerous important events which occurred up to and during World War I, and many of the characters are based on real persons, such as Irving Berlin.

Ellis Island

1984
4.6
Maxe Baumann

Maxe Baumann

5.0
1976
TV Show

No overview available.

Maxe Baumann

1976
5.0
The Singing Detective

The Singing Detective

7.5
1986
TV Show

Tormented and bedridden by a debilitating disease, a mystery writer relives his detective stories through his imagination and hallucinations.

The Singing Detective

1986
7.5
Colditz

Colditz

6.1
2005
TV Show

During World War II, the Germans convert the castle of Colditz into an escape-proof prison where recidivist escapees are imprisoned under one roof. The most accomplished escape artists are gathered there, brave soldiers who view escape not only as a challenge but as a duty, in order to harass and irritate German forces as much as they can.

Colditz

2005
6.1
Simon & Simon

Simon & Simon

6.7
1981
TV Show

A.J. Simon is a polished fellow with a taste for classic cars and tailored suits. Rick Simon is his less refined (but still pleasant) older brother who has a taste for cowboy boots and four-wheel drive pickups. The two of them live in San Diego, where they own a private detective agency.

Simon & Simon

1981
6.7
Carlos

Carlos

7.5
2010
TV Show

The story of the Venezuelan Ilich Ramirez Sanchez known as "Carlos", who was, for almost twenty years, one of the most wanted terrorists in the world.

Carlos

2010
7.5
Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited

7.9
1981
TV Show

Agnostic Charles Ryder is seduced by the allure of the Flytes, a wealthy aristocratic family. Although he finds himself at odds with their strong Catholicism, his ties to the family deepen for the decades between the two world wars.

Brideshead Revisited

1981
7.9
This Is England '86

This Is England '86

7.7
2010
TV Show

It's 1986 - the year Maradona ends England's World Cup dreams in Mexico; the year Top Gun is the highest grossing film; the year over 3.4 million Brits are unemployed and the year Shaun is leaving school.

This Is England '86

2010
7.7

Similar TV Shows

Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes

6.9
1974
TV Show

Two astronauts and a sympathetic chimp friend are fugitives in a future Earth dominated by a civilization of humanoid apes. Based on the 1968 Planet of the Apes film and its sequels, which were inspired by the novel of the same name by Pierre Boulle.

Planet of the Apes

1974
6.9
A Very British Coup

A Very British Coup

7.8
1988
TV Show

A Very British Coup is a British political thriller series based on the novel by Chris Mullin. It stars Ray McAnally as the newly elected left-wing prime minister Harry Perkins, who soon finds himself up to his neck in conspiracy.

A Very British Coup

1988
7.8
Kane & Abel

Kane & Abel

7.6
1985
TV Show

Kane & Abel is a television miniseries, based on the novel of the same name written by Jeffrey Archer, that aired on CBS in 1985. It stars Peter Strauss as Rosnovski and Sam Neill as Kane.

Kane & Abel

1985
7.6
The State Counsellor

The State Counsellor

4.0
2005
TV Show

A special train from St. Petersburg to Moscow. General Khrapov is stabbed in his compartment. A mysterious "BG" mark was found on the handle of the bloody blade - the sign of an elusive terrorist group. Only Fandorin can neutralize it. Prince Pozharsky, who is also investigating the case, stands in his way. A deadly duel begins.

The State Counsellor

2005
4.0
Colette, une femme libre

Colette, une femme libre

10.0
2004
TV Show

Colette, une femme libre is a two-part French biographical TV film directed in 2003 by Nadine Trintignant and broadcast on January 25 and February 1, 2004 on RTBF, then on April 26 and April 27, 2004 on France 2. A biography of French writer Colette, it was also the last role for Marie Trintignant, who was killed by her partner Bertrand Cantat shortly before the end of filming at the end of July 2003.

Colette, une femme libre

2004
10.0
Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities

Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities

6.5
2022
TV Show

In a world populated by powerful gods and warring mortals, two enchanted beings meet in a peace-filled realm: They are Su Mo, a prince of sea gods, and Bai Ying, a princess and descendant of a mighty sword deity. They are immediately attracted to one another and begin on a romance, unaware that they are effectively crossing enemy lines and sparking animosity between two warring factions. Their actions anger other deities and Su Mo is eventually expelled from the realm. Overcome with grief, Bai Ying attempts to put her existence to an end by jumping from a magnificent pagoda.

Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities

2022
6.5
The Tyrant

The Tyrant

7.2
2024
TV Show

A secret project in Korea is exposed to the US so the project gets scrapped and the sample is to be handed over when a delivery accident occurs. Director Choe tries to hide the sample as Paul searches, but they end up at the same place as Jagyeong and Lim Sang. Who will seize the sample in the end?

The Tyrant

2024
7.2
Chasing Shadows

Chasing Shadows

7.2
2014
TV Show

A socially awkward detective who deals better with data than people is assigned to work on a missing persons unit searching for lost souls.

Chasing Shadows

2014
7.2
Apocalypse: World War I

Apocalypse: World War I

7.7
2014
TV Show

Colorized historical footage in ascending order of World War 1. Not only the relatively known Flanders and France battles, but also the generally unknown Italian-Austrian, German-Polish-Russian, Japanese-German, Ottoman Empire- Allied and African German Colonies, and other unknown or forgotten fronts and battles.

Apocalypse: World War I

2014
7.7
The Eccentric Family

The Eccentric Family

6.4
2013
TV Show

In Kyoto, humans and supernatural creatures live side-by-side. Soichiro Shimogamo used to be the head of tanuki society, but without warning one day he was made into tanuki stew, and no one knows how it happened. He left four sons behind who all live happily with their mother. What does fate have in store for this strongly bonded family?!

The Eccentric Family

2013
6.4
La Femme Nikita

La Femme Nikita

7.4
1997
TV Show

Nikita is a drug-addicted juvenile delinquent who was accused of killing a police officer in cold blood during an attempted robbery of a pharmacy. She is later arrested and sentenced to death by lethal injection, upon which she was secretly drugged by the government, faking her death. Nikita is then "recruited" by a secret government organization and transformed into a highly skilled assassin who cannot be traced.

La Femme Nikita

1997
7.4
主角

主角

TV Show

Yi Qin'e is taken to the cultural troupe by her uncle Hu Sanyuan to learn to sing Qinqiang Opera. From then on, her life unfolds with ups and downs. She achieves glorious artistic accomplishments, yet also experiences a profound sense of loneliness beyond ordinary people's comprehension.

主角