Episodes
1. Return to the Circus
9.5
September 10, 1979
50 min
George Smiley's quiet retirement is interrupted when messengers arrive from London Station and call upon George Smiley to come back into the game. Smiley is brought to Sir Oliver and it is revealed that a highly influential mole has been operating out of the Circus for quite some time.
Guest Stars:
Eugene Lipinski, Nigel Stock
2. Tarr Tells His Story
10.0
September 17, 1979
50 min
Ricki Tarr, an active agent, recounts a tale to the spy masters that sways Smiley in favour of returning to the Circus to secretly ferret out the mole. Tarr's tale is of The Sandmann, the KGB counterpart and nemesis of Smiley, and of his network in the Circus.
Guest Stars:
Hilary Minster, Thorley Walters, Susan Kodicek
3. Smiley Tracks the Mole
9.5
September 24, 1979
50 min
Now that Smiley has rejoined the game he must secretly procure the information and files needed to conduct his investigation. While Peter breaks into the Circus' archives and finds files that bring a whole new perspective to consider, Smiley goes to interview an old friend.
Guest Stars:
4. How It All Fits Together
9.5
October 1, 1979
50 min
Ricki Tarr becomes unstable and George Smiley must examine his past to find answers. He must examine his personal life as well as his past with the Circus, especially in regard to Control. He also reflects on his meeting with Karla, 'The Sandman'.
Guest Stars:
Warren Clarke, Patrick Stewart
5. Tinker Tailor
10.0
October 8, 1979
50 min
Smiley, now fortified with new information, goes to confront Jim Prideaux, an old spy who long since came in from the cold and is now a school teacher. Control, in his last days, seemed to have confided in him and sent him on a mission behind the Iron Curtain to find out who exactly the mole in the Circus was, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Rich man, or Poor man.
6. Smiley Sets a Trap
10.0
October 15, 1979
50 min
Smiley now has the information he needs and starts to stir things up with the men of which Control suspected one to be the mole. He is able to eliminate two, himself and one other. The waiting begins, when suddenly the message arrives that Prideaux has disappeared.
Guest Stars:
John Wells, Joss Ackland
7. Flushing Out the Mole
10.0
October 22, 1979
50 min
The waiting has paid off and the traps closes on Karla's mole. It is agreed to trade him against several English spies who were captured by the KGB, but Prideaux is still not found and he has an open account to settle with the mole. With the command structure of the Circus hollowed out and containment in progress, Smiley cannot come in from the cold but remains to pick up the pieces.