John le Carré’s "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold"

John le Carré’s “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold”

Peter Anderson
November 16, 2025

The West End premiere for the Chichester Festival production ahead of a 2026 UK tour

British intelligence officer Alec Leamas is weary, hardened, and ready to come in from the cold. But when spymaster 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.

The Ink Factory and Second Half Productions have announced an extensive UK-wide tour of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold which will open at Leicester Curve on the 12 March 2026. Ahead of the tour, the production will run for 14 weeks @sohoplace in London’s West End from 17 November – 21 February.

Adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge (Festen, End) this is the first novel by le Carré – the undisputed master of the modern spy genre, whose works include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Night Manager – to be brought to life on stage. Jeremy Herrin will direct following his recent acclaimed productions of Grace Pervades, People, Places and Things and Long Day’s Journey into Night.

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, is designed by Max Jones with lighting design by Azusa Ono, sound design by Elizabeth Purnell, composition by Paul Englishby, and movement direction by Lucy Cullingford. General Management is by Second Half Productions with Melting Pot as Executive Producer for the UK Tour.

David Eldridge says: “It has been a great privilege adapting John le Carré’s youthful masterpiece for the theatre, and it gives me great pleasure that after the play’s west end run this autumn-winter season, we’re able to share the play with audiences across the UK on tour. Although set in the murky world of the cold war espionage thriller it’s a strikingly relevant story for our times. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold asks us how one can retain one’ s humanity and morality if one must operate with the same impunity and brutality as your enemy to defeat him?”

Jeremy Herrin, Director and co-founder of Second Half Productions says: “Rapt full houses in Chichester told us that John le Carré’s hit novel translates meaningfully to the stage and so I am delighted that we are bringing The Spy Who Came In From The Cold to audiences around the UK next year, following the production’s West End premiere at Soho Place this autumn. The high stakes of the Cold War, the moral bankruptcy of both East and West, and the power of love when Alec Leamas eventually finds something worth fighting for, David Eldridge keeps us on the edge of our seats through the twists and turns of this shattering and thrilling ride. I can’t wait for this next chapter.”

To buy tickets for the West End run @sohoplace please checkout the venue website.