I had only heard of these two seminal series before. Given a great deal of free time that comes with a modern BA, I decided to spoil myself and watch them back to back.
The series, more extended plays, are adaptions of John Le-Carre's books of the same name, being the beginning and end works of the 'Karla' trilogy. Tinker... looks at a Soviet penetration of MI6 or the Circus whilst Smiley's... depicts an opportunity to attack the mysterious Karla. As one might expect from a spy serial, the plot is complex and framed in a forest of abstract terms. It is not a moral story about the rights and wrongs of the Cold War but merely the emotional costs of fighting it.
To my mind, it is one of the finest dramas produced by British television. The pace is slow but packed to the brim with tension. The tone is a glorious mixture of mundane and gothic and the period, the late seventies early eighties is evoked as a long goodbye. Most striking of all is the dialogue. No fat, no extraneous explanation, no pointing to clues. Used to such subtleties in the new wave of American dramas, seeing it in a very British production was a joy to behold.
Guinness is, of course, brilliant. A mixture of humanity, suburban tweeness, calculating intelligence and a growing ruthlessness. Yet the whole cast shines. Ian Richardson and Ian Brannan are rarely better, Bernard Hepton gives a hugely impressive performance of the dual personas of Toby Esterhase. The whole work is littered with great character pieces too. Michael Lonsdale, Joss Ackland - 'Diplomatic immunity', Barry Foster and Bill Paterson, all minor parts but carried out pitch perfect.
It is a real gem, and to those who have not seen it, get yourself a copy forthwith. It is a reminder what great British drama look like
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