I had not heard about this series until the film with the same name was screened in 2011 - and that I liked a lot. Now, years later, I took the time and opportunity to watch this that was a kind of basis. Although the series seems slow at times and around 10% of each episode are dedicated to credit titles, the thrill is there, with several distinct performances (particularly Alec Guinness as George Smiley/"Beggarman"), but overall quality and outdated aspect ratio do not enable to enjoy the series in full, and the 2011 film excelled at the cast and screenplay. Luckily, I did not remember well the Russian spy´s name who was hunted, so I could follow the series in full (I am not a man who is eager to compare books and productions, focusing on determining the similarities and mismatches).

I traversed to this series in a descending order - I saw the 2011 film adaptation and was impressed with the plot and the presentation. I went on to read(I rarely read novels) the novel and found it captivating. After years, I decided to watch this series. I couldn't help but compare this series with the film and the original book.The star cast is apt and the performances are solid. Except Roy Bland, I vividly recall every character and their countenances, personas. The bleak English climate, the somber and choking atmosphere in the Circus and the lives of the people involved, the no-nonsense portrayal of the events, a non-invasive background score are a perfect treat. One can actually feel the emotions and the tension e.g: when Control learns about the disaster, his face reflects 'All is lost'.The series does leave us desiring. While some techniques like checking for the 'baby sitters', delivering secret messages by hand etc. are depicted, how the spies evade surveillance, the transistor sound used by Smiley in the hotel(read this in the book) to avoid eavesdropping and so on could have been covered, even at the expense of adding another episode.To summarize, this is a series not to be missed, especially, if espionage is your interest.

A second viewing of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', and it was so easy to watch all episodes in a row in one night once again. I'm not sure who else could play Smiley so perfectly as Alec Guiness did, as I am also not sure if I really want to try the remake with Gary Oldman, even if he is a great actor, too...The story, the acting and the settings in 'Tinker...' are often very much understated and subtle (although there are plenty of emotional eruptions as there are picturesque sceneries), as is Smiley's investigation, which is the wrapped around the many stories that are at play here. Smiley is the ultimate analyst of this complicated world of cloaks and daggers, who brings as much heart as intelligence into the process. After the death of 'Control' (what an appropriate name), he is the one who should put things right, having quite a few bones to pick, but on the other hand, not so much else do either, really. And his wife...? Their conversation at the end, their only one throughout the whole series, tells so much.A very big 9 out of 10 for now.

This is the best piece of ensemble acting I've seen. This was a mini-series in 1979, directed by John Irvin and starring Alec Guiness. The cast works together as the characters did, and they make the mini-series rise above the genre.It's based on the novel by John le Carre, and we find George Smiley (played by Sir Alec) called back from retirement to ferret out a mole in the British Secret Service. It would be the usual spy-vs-spy stuff but for the camaraderie shown by the cast (a camaraderie I was disappointed to find missing in the sequel "Smiley's People").The material is top-notch, the screenplay is excellent, and the story moves along crisply and with intrigue, lots of subtle things going on that add depth to the characters, but it's a real winner because of the performance of the cast.