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Post by gregm on Apr 26, 2017 6:37:55 GMT
Just listened to BBC's dramitisation of John LeCrre's novel. It's a spy novel (I know, shock!) and features Tom Baker as Barley Blair, a publisher, who gets caught up in the attempts of a Soviet scientist to get information to the West. Blair is a very human character, and not regarded as a good option for espionage, but the scientist won't deal with anyone else. It took me a while to take Tom in a different role (other than the Doctor, of course), but he does a decent job as the larger-than-life, heavy-drinking publisher.
It's available from Audible (as is the audiobook, read by Michael Jayston) - the CD is out-of-print, for those who prefer a physical product.
Anyone else heard this one?
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Post by muckypup on Apr 26, 2017 6:55:24 GMT
It's been a while but yes.....another good production with Tom is Bomber
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 9:29:17 GMT
I downloaded this from Audiogo, having first owned it on double cassette. I bought it, of course, because of the inclusion of Tom Baker as Barley Blair (what a great name), who I think is wonderful in it. It got me into John Le Carre for a while, too. Highly recommended for anyone who is even slightly interested. {Spoiler}
Barley's line 'The line between actually very serious and actually very funny is actually very thin' is very Fourth Doctor, and Tom delivers it perfectly. |
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Post by Audio Watchdog on May 4, 2017 22:15:01 GMT
The BBC/John LeCarre adaptations are uniformly good but The Russia House is one of the best and Tom Baker is so much better in the role than Sean Connery was in the film version.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2018 19:20:20 GMT
...Russia house is excellent but the favourite always will be Tinker Tailor. Mine too... Simon Russell Beale is excellent in all of those BBC Smiley adaptations. |
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Post by OneTen on Jul 25, 2018 15:42:17 GMT
...Russia house is excellent but the favourite always will be Tinker Tailor. Mine too... Simon Russell Beale is excellent in all of those BBC Smiley adaptations. There are (at least) two BBC Radio Tinker Tailors... Rene Basilico, who adapted the Tom Baker production of The Russia House, also adapted Tinker Tailor with Bernard Hepton in the lead role. It's very good too, and running to 7 half hour episodes rather than the 3 hour-long Russell Beale/Shaun McKenna episodes, it's a bit slower (although probably not much, given the time for credits etc.) but it always surprised me how much shorter it was than the Alec Guinness TV version which is 7 x 50 minute episodes yet never outstays its welcome for a second. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 25, 2018 15:58:06 GMT
Another Favorite is The Spy Who Came In From Cold, Brian Cox is excellent in it. Brian Cox is excellent in everything! Especially the McLevy stories. |
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Post by OneTen on Jul 31, 2018 11:42:14 GMT
There are (at least) two BBC Radio Tinker Tailors... Rene Basilico, who adapted the Tom Baker production of The Russia House, also adapted Tinker Tailor with Bernard Hepton in the lead role. It's very good too, and running to 7 half hour episodes rather than the 3 hour-long Russell Beale/Shaun McKenna episodes, it's a bit slower (although probably not much, given the time for credits etc.) but it always surprised me how much shorter it was than the Alec Guinness TV version which is 7 x 50 minute episodes yet never outstays its welcome for a second. Sad to say Bernard Hepton, Smiley in the earlier Tinker Tailor radio series (as well as Esterhase on TV) has died. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2018 12:10:21 GMT
Very sad. What an actor.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2018 13:09:16 GMT
Sad indeed. I loved him in the BBC series Secret Army. RIP |
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Aug 1, 2018 0:21:54 GMT
Mine too... Simon Russell Beale is excellent in all of those BBC Smiley adaptations. There are (at least) two BBC Radio Tinker Tailors... Rene Basilico, who adapted the Tom Baker production of The Russia House, also adapted Tinker Tailor with Bernard Hepton in the lead role. It's very good too, and running to 7 half hour episodes rather than the 3 hour-long Russell Beale/Shaun McKenna episodes, it's a bit slower (although probably not much, given the time for credits etc.) but it always surprised me how much shorter it was than the Alec Guinness TV version which is 7 x 50 minute episodes yet never outstays its welcome for a second. I had no idea the BBC had done an audio Tinker, Tailor prior to the one with Beale. Does anyone know if that one had a CD release? |
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Post by OneTen on Aug 1, 2018 8:31:06 GMT
I had no idea the BBC had done an audio Tinker, Tailor prior to the one with Beale. Does anyone know if that one had a CD release? I don't think so. But it was repeated on BBC 7 before the Complete Smiley was made for Radio 4, so 10 years ago or more, I guess! It was first broadcast in 1988 according to Genome. |
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Post by Audio Watchdog on Aug 1, 2018 17:31:40 GMT
I know they redid The Pefect Spy but I didn’t get it because i loved the one I Got in the new one Julian rhind Tutt who was in the original version plays the older Magnus as well as the younger I'm waiting on the first version of A Perfect Spy to arrive. |
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