George Smiley, John Le Carré's legendary Cold War spy character, is returning to television in the new BBC and MGM+ series "Legacy of Spies". Matthew Macfadyen, a two-time Emmy and BAFTA winner, assumes the iconic role, which was last portrayed by Gary Oldman in the 2011 film "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". The eight-part espionage thriller, which has completed filming, represents a significant revival of one of British fiction's most celebrated fictional agents.

The series adapts Le Carré's 1965 novel "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" alongside material from his 2017 novel "A Legacy of Spies". It features a substantial ensemble cast including Charlie Hunnam as field operative Alec Leamas, Daniel Brühl as Stasi operative Josef Fiedler, and Agnes O'Casey as idealistic young woman Liz Gold, with supporting roles from Dan Stevens, Joe Alwyn and Hugh Laurie. The narrative follows Leamas as he recruits East German woman Doris Quinz to smuggle classified Stasi documents during the Cold War, with Smiley orchestrating operations from the shadows. The series will broadcast on BBC iPlayer and BBC One in the UK, MGM+ across North America and Europe, and international broadcasters including SBS Australia, Sky New Zealand and CANAL+, with principal filming conducted in the Czech Republic, UK and Germany.