George Smiley, deputy to the head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, has been forced into retirement in the … See more

• Alec Guinness as George Smiley ("Beggarman")
• Alexander Knox as Control
• Michael Jayston as Peter Guillam
• Anthony Bate as Oliver Lacon… See more

Shortly before filming began, Alec Guinness asked author John le Carré to introduce him to a real spy to aid him in preparing for his role. Le Carré invited Guinness to lunch with Sir Maurice Oldfield, who served as Chief of th… See more

The end credits music, an arrangement of "Nunc dimittis" ("Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace") from the Book of Common Prayer (1662), was composed by Geoffrey Burgon for organ, strings, trumpet, and … See more

The series was shown in the United Kingdom from 10 September to 22 October 1979, and in the United States beginning on 29 September 1980. In the US. it was broadcast on PBS as part of its Great Performances series, … See more

At the time of its release in the United States in 1980, Washington Post, television critic Tom Shales called the series "intricate and fascinating," and described its episodes as "six scintillating and delectable hours." … See more

Writing in 2011, Guardian critic Toby Manning wrote that the series "is still unmatched in its evocation of the chilly, cynical cold war era".
In a retrospective review in The New York Times, … See more