Smiley's People — Miniseries
6 episodesFirst aired 20 September 1982
Called out of retirement to settle the affairs of a friend, Smiley finds his old organization, the Circus, so overwhelmed by political considerations that it doesn't want to know what happened. He begins to follow up the clues of his friends past days, discovering that the clues lead to a high person in the Russian Secret service, and a secret important enough to kill for.
E1A Mother's Assistance
6.8Sept 198250m
Once more, George Smiley is brought out of retirement to look into the murder of an old colleague.
E2The General's Big Fish
7.2Sept 198250m
Smiley takes a trip to investigate his friend's flat for clues. After finding a series of clues that lead to something bigger, Smiley interrogates a man about Vladimir's whereabouts. And lastly, a picture of two men in bed with a woman stirs things up.
E3Gathering Friends
6.3Oct 198250m
The investigation of Vladimir's murder leads Smiley to interrogate his latest suspect. Smiley is told to stop investigating the case by a man on a motorcycle, and he just blows him off. Smiley's next stop is Oxfordshire, speaking to a mother and a daughter about the case.
E4The Rogue Elephant
7.7Oct 198250m
Smiley continues his investigation, now looking for a man named Otto in a small fishing community, only to find his decaying body in his boat, and a mysterious chalk mark he's seen before. Smiley talks to the now-perpetually afraid woman.
E5Alexandra Tatiana
7.7Oct 198250m
Smiley and his colleagues read through an extremely long deathbed confession. Using an undercover name, Smiley travels to Berne to attempt to find the missing pieces of the murder mystery. Meanwhile, we are introduced to a woman in an asylum.
E6Smiley's Lighter
9.0Oct 198250m
Smiley interrogates a diplomat by showing him a series of photographs, and in turn, closes in on the person who killed Vladimir. He is led to the asylum, and ironically, things eventually become clearer.