The complete collection of acclaimed BBC Radio dramas based on John le Carré’s bestselling novels, starring Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley.George Smiley is one of the most brilliantly realised characters in British fiction. Bespectacled, tubby, eternally middle-aged and deceptively ordinary, he has a mind like a steel trap and is said to possess ‘the cunning of Satan and the conscience of a virgin’. With a star cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan, these enthralling dramatisations perfectly capture the atmosphere of le Carré’s taut, thrilling spy novels.'Call for the Dead' is the first Smiley novel, which sees him looking into an apparent suicide only to uncover a murderous conspiracy.'A Murder of Quality' finds Smiley investigating a murder in a private school. Who could have hated Stella Rode enough to kill her?'The Spy Who Came in from the Cold' introduces Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer whose East Berlin network is in tatters. Recalled to London, he is offered revenge on the man who destroyed his agents: but to have it he must stay out in the cold a little longer...'The Looking Glass War' features former spy Fred Leiser, lured back from retirement to investigate a claim that Soviet missiles are being installed close to the West German border. But the harsh realities of the Cold War now prevail, and there is no place for heroes...'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' is the first book in the Karla trilogy, and sees Smiley searching for a mole who has infiltrated the Circus.'The Honourable Schoolboy' sees Smiley determined to destroy his nemesis, Karla, and his spy networks. He recruits Jerry Westerby – the Honourable Schoolboy of the title – and despatches him to the Far East, where a new battle is about to begin...'Smiley’s People' finds George Smiley called out of retirement to exorcise some Cold War ghosts from his clandestine past. What follows takes to a thrilling conclusion his career-long, serpentine battle with the enigmatic and ruthless Russian spymaster Karla...'The Secret Pilgrim' sees Smiley invited to dine with the eager new recruits at the Circus. He offers them his thoughts on espionage and, in doing so, prompts a former colleague to re-examine his own eventful secret life.‘A radio triumph... Simon Russell Beale’s pitch-perfect master spy’ - Financial Times
Fans of John le Carre and spy thrillers will be delighted by this complete collection of audiobooks on CD from the BBC.
In these exciting BBC Radio dramatisations, Simon Russell Beale stars as the charmingly befuddled George Smiley, one of British fiction’s most deceptively ordinary characters. He may be portly, bespectacled and unassuming, but beyond his unremarkable appearance is an intelligence officer whose work for MI6 ensures the safety of Britain’s interests at home and abroad. His rather ‘ordinary’ outer shell also masks the pin-sharp mind of an incredible spy.
Featuring a number of John le Carre’s most highly regarded novels, including ‘Call for the Dead’, ‘A Murder of Quality’, ‘The Spy Who Came in from the Cold’, ‘The Looking Glass War’, ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’, ‘The Honourable Schoolboy’, ‘Smiley’s People’ and ‘The Secret Pilgrim’, these full-cast BBC Drama radio productions seamlessly encompass the thrilling atmosphere and fast paced action of the award winning writer’s finest works.
The acting talents of Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan bring the stories’ characters to life in what the Financial Times described as ‘a radio triumph’.
Sit back and let this incredible selection of John Le Carre titles, also available as MP3 audiobook downloads, immerse you in a world of mysterious murders, cold-blooded revenge, Russian spymasters and espionage.
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