BBC to adapt John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold

Following the huge success of BBC One’s stunning The Night Manager adaptation last year, the BBC is now adapting John le Carré’s 1963 spy thriller The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a gripping story of love and betrayal at the height of the Cold War. It follows Alec Leamas, a hard-drinking British intelligence officer whose East Berlin network is in tatters. Now Control wants to bring him in at last, but only after one final assignment. He must travel deep into the heart of Communist Germany and betray his country – but when George Smiley tries to help a young woman Leamas has befriended, Leamas’s mission may prove to be the worst thing he could ever have done.

The novel is being adapted by the Oscar-winning writer of Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold received the big screen treatment in 1965 when it was made into a film starring Richard Burton. le Carré is now looking forward to seeing the thriller on the small screen, commenting: “I’m very excited by the project, and have great confidence in the team.”

Beaufoy added, “It’s incredibly exciting to be working on the best Cold War spy story ever written.”

The series will be another co-production with US network AMC, following their joint effort on The Night Manager. The show will be produced by The Ink Factory, the production company behind The Night Manager, in association with Character 7.

Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Colman all won Golden Globes for their roles in The Night Manager, while the show itself was nominated for best mini series or TV film at the awards. There’s little doubt in our minds that The Spy Who Came In From The Cold will attract a similarly impressive cast and make for stellar appointment-to-view telly.

Piers Wenger, controller of BBC Drama, said: “Following the huge global success of The Night Manager, it’s a privilege to announce that John le Carré will return to BBC One with one of the best spy thrillers ever written.”

We can’t wait. More news when we have it!