

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold | West End
The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions present
the Chichester Festival Theatre production of
John le Carré’s
Adapted by David Eldridge
17 Nov 2025 - 21 Feb 2026About The Spy Who Came In From The Cold | West End
For the first time ever, a novel by John le Carré — the undisputed master of the modern spy genre — is brought to life in a thrilling stage adaptation. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, a towering work of twentieth-century fiction, comes to the West End for what promises to be the theatrical event of the autumn: a journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise.
British intelligence officer Alec Leamas is weary, hardened, and ready to come in from the cold. But when his boss George Smiley presents one final mission — dangerous, deceptive, and deeply personal — Leamas agrees to stay in the game. Dispatched into enemy territory, he finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart.
A global bestseller for over six decades and named one of TIME Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is le Carré at his most incisive — a story of betrayal not only between nations, but within the human soul.
Following its premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre, this West End run reunites playwright David Eldridge (Beginning, Middle) and director Jeremy Herrin (A Mirror, People, Places and Things) for a theatrical experience of rare intensity.
Rory Keenan (Somewhere Boy, The Regime) and Screen International Star of Tomorrow Agnes O’Casey (Lies We Tell, Black Doves) reprise their critically acclaimed roles as Alec Leamas and Liz Gold. John Ramm (King Lear, Wolf Hall/Bring Up The Bodies) and Gunnar Cauthery (Dear England, Mack & Mabel) also return as George Smiley and Hans-Dieter Mundt. Completing the cast are original performers Philip Arditti as Fielder, Norma Atallah as Miss Crail/President of the Tribunal, Matt Betteridge as Riemeck/Kiever, Ian Drysdale as Control, Tom Kanji as Ashe and David Rubin as Pitt/Ford.