Listen free for 30 days
-
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £31.49
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Russia House
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the third summer of perestroika. Niki Landau, philanderer and travelling rep, attends the first Moscow audio fair and is asked by beautiful young Katya to take a parcel back to England. It’s addressed to Barley Blair, jazz-player and drinker, and contains information vital to the defence of the West. But times and heroes are changing. And Barley Blair is a man who makes his own rules of engagement.
-
-
Well read in a strong believable voice.
- By MR DAVID I SUTTON on 18-01-18
-
The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas
- BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: full cast, Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collection of acclaimed BBC Radio dramas based on John le Carré's best-selling novels, starring Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley. With a star cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan, these enthralling dramatisations perfectly capture the atmosphere of le Carré's taut, thrilling spy novels.
-
-
A satisfying marathon listen
- By CrisH on 07-03-17
-
Call for the Dead
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This novel, set in London in the late 1950s, finds George Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate – only to uncover a murderous conspiracy.
-
-
A refreshing change
- By eatough1999 on 27-01-15
-
The Odessa File
- By: Frederick Forsyth
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The life-and-death hunt for a notorious Nazi criminal unfolds against a background of international arms deals. As the story leads to its final dramatic confrontation on a bleak winter's hill-top, the question every reader asked at the end of The Day of the Jackal will inevitably be asked again: Can this be fiction?
-
-
Forsyth at his best
- By Robert on 26-07-12
-
The Night Manager
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The night manager is Jonathan, a veteran of clandestine operations. In flight from a failed marriage and his own past, he has taken refuge in the luxury hotel trade. Yet he finds no escape from his demons. Driven by a desire for atonement and by an inherited patriotism, Jonathan allows himself to be recruited as a British secret agent with a mission to expose the murderer of the woman he himself betrayed. His odyssey takes him across Britain and Canada to the Caribbean and the jungles of Panama.
-
-
Demands your attention, then rewards
- By Nils on 07-04-15
-
Single & Single
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A corporate lawyer from the House of Single & Single is shot dead on a Turkish hillside for crimes that he does not understand. A children’s entertainer in Devon is hauled to his local bank late at night to explain a monumental influx of cash. A Russian freighter is arrested in the Black Sea.... The logical connection of these events and more is one of the many pleasures of this story of love, deceit, family and the triumph of humanity.
-
-
single but not alone
- By peter on 01-11-12
-
The Russia House
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is the third summer of perestroika. Niki Landau, philanderer and travelling rep, attends the first Moscow audio fair and is asked by beautiful young Katya to take a parcel back to England. It’s addressed to Barley Blair, jazz-player and drinker, and contains information vital to the defence of the West. But times and heroes are changing. And Barley Blair is a man who makes his own rules of engagement.
-
-
Well read in a strong believable voice.
- By MR DAVID I SUTTON on 18-01-18
-
The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas
- BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: full cast, Simon Russell Beale
- Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The complete collection of acclaimed BBC Radio dramas based on John le Carré's best-selling novels, starring Simon Russell Beale as George Smiley. With a star cast including Kenneth Cranham, Eleanor Bron, Brian Cox, Ian MacDiarmid, Anna Chancellor, Hugh Bonneville and Lindsay Duncan, these enthralling dramatisations perfectly capture the atmosphere of le Carré's taut, thrilling spy novels.
-
-
A satisfying marathon listen
- By CrisH on 07-03-17
-
Call for the Dead
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This novel, set in London in the late 1950s, finds George Smiley engaged in the humdrum job of security vetting. But when a Foreign Office civil servant commits suicide after an apparently unproblematic interview, Smiley is baffled. Refusing to believe that Fennan shot himself soon after making a cup of cocoa and asking the exchange to telephone him in the morning, Smiley decides to investigate – only to uncover a murderous conspiracy.
-
-
A refreshing change
- By eatough1999 on 27-01-15
-
The Odessa File
- By: Frederick Forsyth
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The life-and-death hunt for a notorious Nazi criminal unfolds against a background of international arms deals. As the story leads to its final dramatic confrontation on a bleak winter's hill-top, the question every reader asked at the end of The Day of the Jackal will inevitably be asked again: Can this be fiction?
-
-
Forsyth at his best
- By Robert on 26-07-12
-
The Night Manager
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The night manager is Jonathan, a veteran of clandestine operations. In flight from a failed marriage and his own past, he has taken refuge in the luxury hotel trade. Yet he finds no escape from his demons. Driven by a desire for atonement and by an inherited patriotism, Jonathan allows himself to be recruited as a British secret agent with a mission to expose the murderer of the woman he himself betrayed. His odyssey takes him across Britain and Canada to the Caribbean and the jungles of Panama.
-
-
Demands your attention, then rewards
- By Nils on 07-04-15
-
Single & Single
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A corporate lawyer from the House of Single & Single is shot dead on a Turkish hillside for crimes that he does not understand. A children’s entertainer in Devon is hauled to his local bank late at night to explain a monumental influx of cash. A Russian freighter is arrested in the Black Sea.... The logical connection of these events and more is one of the many pleasures of this story of love, deceit, family and the triumph of humanity.
-
-
single but not alone
- By peter on 01-11-12
-
Silverview
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Toby Jones
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Julian Lawndsley has renounced his high-flying job in the City for a simpler life running a bookshop in a small English seaside town. But only a couple of months into his new career, Julian's evening is disrupted by a visitor. Edward, a Polish émigré living in Silverview, the big house on the edge of town, seems to know a lot about Julian's family and is rather too interested in the inner workings of his modest new enterprise. When a letter turns up at the door of a spy chief in London warning him of a dangerous leak, the investigations lead him to this quiet town by the sea.
-
-
A fitting finale
- By Amazon Customer on 24-10-21
-
A Perfect Spy
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Magnus Pym, counsellor at the British Embassy in Vienna, has suddenly vanished, believed defected. The chase is on for a missing husband, a devoted father, and a life-time secret agent. Pym's life, it is revealed, is entirely made up of secrets. The race is on to find the perfect spy.
-
-
Fascinating insight into the mind of a spy
- By S J Dolding on 13-04-13
-
A Small Town in Germany
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The British Embassy in Bonn is up in arms. Her Majesty's financially troubled government is seeking admission to Europe's Common Market just as anti-British factions are rising to power in Germany. Rioters are demanding reunification, and the last thing the Crown can afford is a scandal. Then Leo Harting - an embassy nobody - goes missing with a case full of confidential files. London sends Alan Turner to control the damage, but he soon realises that neither side really wants Leo found - alive.
-
-
A small town in Germany
- By Roy on 19-04-18
-
The Little Drummer Girl
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 20 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this enthralling and thought-provoking novel of Middle Eastern intrigue, Charlie, a brilliant and beautiful young actress, is lured into ‘the theatre of the real’ by an Israeli intelligence officer. Forced to play her ultimate role, she is plunged into a deceptive and delicate trap set to ensnare an elusive Palestinian terrorist.
-
-
Superb. lé Carre at his best
- By Janine on 02-06-14
-
Agent Running in the Field
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: John le Carré
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nat, a 47-year-old veteran of Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, believes his years as an agent runner are over. He is back in London with his wife, the long-suffering Prue. But with the growing threat from Moscow Centre, the office has one more job for him. Nat is to take over The Haven, a defunct substation of London General with a rag-tag band of spies. The only bright light on the team is young Florence, who has her eye on Russia Department and a Ukrainian oligarch with a finger in the Russia pie.
-
-
Dire
- By P. Savage on 25-01-20
-
The Tailor of Panama
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Pendel is the charismatic proprietor of Pendel and Braithwaite Limitada of Panama, through whose doors everyone who is anyone in Central America passes. Andrew Osnard, mysterious and fleshy, is a spy. His secret mission is two-pronged: to keep a watchful eye on the political manoeuvrings leading up to the American handover of the Panama Canal on 31st December 1999; and to secure for himself the immense private fortune that has until now churlishly eluded him.
-
-
Another great story, another great narration!
- By Mr. Henry Gray on 19-03-18
-
The Constant Gardener
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 17 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The beautiful Tessa Quayle is murdered near Lake Turkana in northern Kenya, the birthplace of mankind. And her putative African lover and travelling companion has vanished from the scene of the crime. Tessa’s husband, a career diplomat and amateur gardener at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive. On his way he meets terror, violence, and conspiracy, but his greatest discovery is the woman he barely had time to love.
-
-
Emotional, addictive and typical Le Carre
- By JG on 30-11-14
-
Our Game
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 12 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 48, Tim Cranmer is a secret servant in retirement, free to devote himself to his manor house, his vineyard and his young mistress, Emma. But a rival in love disappears with Emma, and Tim sets off in pursuit.
-
-
I could listen to Michael Jayston all day.
- By Kirsty Lloyd on 20-07-15
-
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Abridged)
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: John le Carré
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Featuring George Smiley, this New York Times best seller is the first instalment in John le Carré’s acclaimed Karla trilogy. The man he knew as 'Control' is dead, and the young Turks who forced him out now run the circus. But George Smiley isn't quite ready for retirement - especially when a pretty, would-be defector surfaces with a shocking accusation: a Soviet mole has penetrated the highest level of British Intelligence.
-
-
Great spy story told in a great voice
- By Niall Marshall on 12-09-21
-
Absolute Friends
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The friends of the title are Ted Mundy, British soldier’s son born 1947 in a new independent Pakistan, and Sasha, refugee son of an East German Lutheran pastor and his wife who have sought sanctuary in the West.
The two men meet first as students in riot-torn West Berlin of the late 60s, again in the grimy looking-glass of Cold War espionage and, most terribly, in today’s world of terror. Spanning 56 years, Absolute Friends is a savage fable of our times.
-
-
Absolute
- By bignewshound on 18-11-15
-
The Mission Song
- By: John le Carré
- Narrated by: David Oyelowo
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bruno Salvador has worked on clandestine missions before. A highly skilled interpreter, he is not a stranger to the Official Secrets Act. But this is the first time he has been asked to change his identity – and, worse still, his clothes – in service of his country.
-
-
Not particularly enjoyable
- By Tomcat on 02-07-15
-
John le Carré
- The Biography
- By: Adam Sisman
- Narrated by: Michael Jayston
- Length: 26 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this definitive biography - blessed by John le Carré himself - Adam Sisman reveals the man behind the best-selling persona. In John le Carré, Sisman shines a spotlight on David Cornwell, an expert at hiding in plain sight - "born to lying," he wrote in 2002, "bred to it, trained to it by an industry that lies for a living, practiced in it as a novelist."
-
-
Comprehensive
- By Mark H on 24-03-16
Summary
Mr George Smiley is small, podgy, and at best, middle-aged. He is disillusioned, wrestles with idleness, and has been deserted by his beautiful wife. He is also compassionate, ruthless, and a senior British intelligence officer in short-lived retirement from the Circus, the British Secret Service organisation situated in London. But Moscow centre has infiltrated a mole into the Circus, and it's more than likely the perpetrator is Karla, Smiley's old adversary and his opposite number in Moscow. And when, at the dead of night, a member of the Cabinet offers Smiley the job to 'clean the stable, do whatever is necessary', it becomes a long and bitter battle of wits between Smiley, the master of deceit, and the enigmatic Karla.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- ella
- 11-05-15
Absolutely fantastic - loved it!
A wonderful tangled Web-skillfully and delicately wrought. Kept me enthralled from start to finish. Michael Jayston gets every voice to a tee, building a full and mysterious picture for the reader- especially Smiley. I am sure to listen to this again - goes straight to the top of my tree and will take an awful lot of beating.
18 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Viner
- 19-03-15
Classic
The wonder of this novel is that it always seems fresh, fascinating and engrossing. After the TV series, the film and, of course, the book, one might assume the story has become stale. Not a bit of it. It's a wonderful tale which, by leaving much unsaid or implied, allows the audience to take something new from every visit.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-02-15
A totally British spy story!
Exactly how I imagine the world of Cold War spies was run. Le Carre writes with understated perfection of Smiley's slow, careful, precise search to uncover the story of betrayals, lies, and courageous loyalty that had almost destroyed his life in the London Circus. Only behind his words, spoken by the main characters, can one feel the fear, loneliness and pain of the life of the spy.
The narrator, Michael Jayston is perfect here, through his voice he adds to the various characters in the book without drawing attention to himself. This book, although written a while ago is very relevant today.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- John Derek
- 25-07-18
Adult book with no sex and no swearing. Brilliant.
Excellent narration. Never get tired reading of the intricate web of lies and deceit of the espionage games. Proves masterpieces don't need to be filled with sex and bad language to keep the the new generation of readers interested.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- pan
- 03-12-14
Best Spy Thriller
Where does Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
John Le Carre is the undisputed master of the genre and Tinker tailor is his masterpiece. Every Character in the book, from the slow-burning, quiet Protagonist Smiley to the Rakish Guillam are wonderfully fleshed out and memorable. John le Carre is excellent in evoking the 70s of the cold war, a time of general paranoia and institutional green paint on linoleum walls. The plot may be a little hard to follow but it is a nice change from your usual espionage thriller where intelligence involves shooting up a large number of foreign cars.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?
The opening chapter that partially reveals Jim Prideaux's identity, half-seen through the eyes of the Bill Roach is one of the most nuanced sketches ever written
Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?
All of the characters were wonderfully performed, but especially the continental . Unlike certain other audiobooks who shall not be named, he goes easy on the accents and avoids giving esterhazy or max ludicrous james-bond style voices.
17 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Craig Mowbray.
- 02-06-15
Genius
Wonderfully bleak and grey, perfectly reflecting the sad sense of greatness lost and misplaced loyalty. Read the book, saw the BBC series and this is equal in experience.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Liz
- 18-10-15
Superb Performance from Mr Jayston
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes - absolutely. I have to admit that I have tried to read the novel and watch the BBC series, and the first defeated me and the second completely baffled me. This is the first version of 'Tinker Tailor' I've actually got through and completely understood.
Who was your favorite character and why?
George Smiley is one of the great characters in fiction, and the tension of the relationship with his wife (who only appears fleetingly at the end of the novel) adds another dimension to an already complex and beautifully drawn character. However, this is a novel of great characters, so Tarr, Prideaux and the marvellous Connie also need an honourable mention, and the 'absent' characters (Anne and Karla) are as well drawn through the main characters' commentary as the characters who are present.
Which character – as performed by Michael Jayston – was your favourite?
Smiley, without a doubt. In s subtle way, Jayston channels the spirit of Alec Guiness in his performance, which is both appropriate to the character and makes it easier to distinguish Smiley's voice from the other characters.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
It may have been better, as one tends to lose track if there are gaps between listening to parts of the novel.
Any additional comments?
As Jayston played Guillam in the original BBC series, he has an understanding of all of the dynamics and allows the listener to readily make sense of the complex plot - highly recommended.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Idlewildthing
- 04-10-18
Trying and hard to finish
Just couldn't get into it as it felt that nothing was ever happening. The narrator simply wasn't for me and had me confused a lot of the time.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 02-11-19
started well but got tedious
a bit too much oxbridge boys club for me after a while .. well read though
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- lynn clough
- 13-11-14
Clasic
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
yes I would indeed I have. Great story very well written
What did you like best about this story?
The calm undertone to a very edge of your seat story
Have you listened to any of Michael Jayston’s other performances? How does this one compare?
He is just a fantastic narrator. He is always fantastic.
Any additional comments?
Your library is incomplete without this book
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 06-06-21
Very enjoyable
One of the best books ever published. Very well read. Could not turn it off
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Canarylampshade
- 10-02-17
Best espionage novel I've ever read and heard.
Great story, great writing, and the perfect narrator.
It is phenomenal. And, piqued my interest in the real world Cold War spy scandals.