Part 3 of 6 of the spy thriller. Having uncovered an incriminating photograph hidden away by the General of a mystery man and a former contact, Otto Leipzig, with two women, George Smiley decides to visit old friends to try and find out more as pressure grows from Lacon to end the investigation. He visits Toby Esterhase, who reveals the General asked him to collect a document for him two weeks before he died. As to the identity of the mystery man, former colleague Connie Sachs might know, but getting information from her may not be easy as old resentments run deep. One person who would know is Madame Ostrakova, for in the photo is the man who approached her regarding her daughter. But Smiley doesn't yet know of her existence and her life is still very much at threat...
Starring Alec Guinness, Beryl Reid, Bernard Hepton, Norma West, Eileen Atkins, Mario Adorf, Vass Anderson, Andy Bradford, William Wilde, Germaine Delbat, Jacques Maury, Nina Zuckerman, Robin Langford, Jeffrey Kime, Katherine Erhardy, Alexander Koumpan, Alain Serres, Vladimir Tikhomirov, Alex Buchanan, Venecia Day, Cindy Shelley and Susie Silvey. Part 3 and here Beryl Reid appears in what proved to be a BAFTA TV winning performance. It is somewhat surprising, not for her performance, but for the fact that she only appears in the one episode for about 15 minutes. And truth be told that Smiley's People is starting to lag at this point as the truth of who may be behind it all seems to be revealed. And it also includes a surprisingly long scene where Smiley visits a sex club (and looks very much out of place) as he tries to find the location where the photo he has was taken. And apparently among the girls is Cindy Shelley (who some may remember from Tenko, The Tripods and Howard's Way) making her screen debut, though I can't say I spotted her myself. So please note that this contains some swearing and nudity.