Slow Horses fans rejoice - Christmas has come early as another brilliant spy series is on the way! Legacy of Spies is the immensely clever new spy drama based on the works of novelist John Le Carré, which is coming to the BBC imminently. And, with Succession star Matthew Macfadyen playing le Carré’s legendary intelligence officer, George Smiley, and The Night Manager's Hugh Laurie playing his superior, we're more than a little excited about it.
The series, which is written by Stephen Cornwell and has recently finished filming, adapts le Carré’s bestselling novel, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and draws on additional material from A Legacy of Spies. Set in the aftermath of the Cold War, we'll be introduced to British intelligence officer Alec Leamas (Charlie Hunnam) who faces the prospect of retirement, until Control (Hugh Laurie) offers him an opportunity for revenge.
Ahead of the show's arrival on our screens, here's everything you need to know about Legacy of Spies, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is Legacy of Spies about?
You might recognise the title of the series from John le Carré’s 2017 novel, A Legacy of Spies, which explored the fallout from the events depicted in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. The series, however, isn't a straightforward adaptation... it's more clever than that.
Legacy of Spies will also draw plot lines from several of le Carré’s other novels including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. As you might have now guessed, legendary spymaster George Smiley is set to be at the centre of the series, with Matthew Macfadyen in line to play him.
According to the BBC's official synopsis: "The series begins in the shadow of the newly-erected Berlin Wall, as Alec Leamas (Charlie Hunman) watches his last agent shot dead by East German sentries. For Leamas, a senior British intelligence officer in Berlin, the Cold War is over.
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"As he faces the prospect of retirement or worse - a desk job - Control (Hugh Laurie) offers him a unique opportunity for revenge. Assuming the guise of an embittered and dissolute ex-agent, Leamas is set up to trap Hans-Dieter Mundt (Felix Kammerer), the deputy director of the East German Intelligence Service, with himself as the bait. In the background is George Smiley, ready to make the game play out just as Control wants."
Along the way, we'll also meet Doris Quinz (Devrim Lingau Islamoğlu), a young and dynamic East German woman, who's recruited by Leamas to smuggle high-value Stasi documents into the West. Pursuing Leamas and Doris alongside Hans-Dieter Mundt (Felix Kammerer) is Josef Fiedler (Daniel Brühl), another Stasi operative with a ferocious desire to shut down the intelligence leak.
Who is George Smiley?
George Smiley is a deceptively mild-mannered middle-aged career intelligence officer with “The Circus”. He first appeared in le Carré’s debut novel, Call for the Dead, published in 1961. He’s since appeared in eight further novels.
Smiley is short, overweight and balding, but behind his unobtrusive exterior is a masterful spy who’s highly respected by his subordinates and colleagues. His nemesis is the Soviet spymaster Karla, who he finally defeats in le Carré’s 1979 novel Smiley's People, blackmailing her into defecting to the West.
Who's in the cast of Legacy of Spies?
The cast of Legacy of Spies includes:
- Matthew Macfadyen (Death by Lighting, Succession) as master-spy George Smiley
- Charlie Hunnam (The Gentlemen) as the British intelligence officer Alec Leamas
- Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front) as East German spy Jens Fielder
- Devrim Lingnau Islamoğlu (The Empress) as Doris Quinz aka Agent Tulip.
- Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager, House) as Control
- Joe Alwyn (The Brutalist, The Favourite) as Jim Prideaux
- Anjana Vasan (We Are Lady Parts) as Connie Sachs
- Charlotte Ritchie (You, Ghosts) as Ann Smiley
- Lee Ross (Andor, White Gold) as Inspector Oliver Mendel
- James McArdle (Playing Nice)
- John Dagleish (Sexy Beast)
- Goran Bogdan (The Last Panthers)
- Adam Hugill (Sherwood, Dear England)
- Agnes O'Casey as Liz Gold
- Felix Kammerer as Hans-Dieter Mundt
- Dan Stevens as Bill Haydon
- Jake Dunn as Peter Guillam
How can I watch Legacy of Spies?
The BBC hasn't yet shared a release date for Legacy of Spies, but we do know that filming is now complete and we'd therefore expect it to air towards the end of 2026 at the earliest. As soon as we have a confirmed date, we'll update you here.
