The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels

This episode we look at another author to explore once you’ve finished looking at all of the works of le Carré. This time it is the granddaddy of thrillers, Eric Amber. We discuss how Ambler’s political worldview influenced his writing, themes in common with le Carré, and Plus we explore his early reading influences and […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode we are back from a summer break with part two of our discussion of John le Carré’s 1979 novel Smiley’s People with returning guest Charles Beaumont, a former undercover MI6 operative and author of A Spy Alone and A Spy at War. We debate Connie Sachs repetitive return, talk Smiley and sex-clubs and […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode we discuss John le Carré’s 1979 novel Smiley’s People with guest Charles Beaumont, a former undercover MI6 operative and author of A Spy Alone and A Spy at War. Beaumont describes first discovering le Carré at university through The Honorable Schoolboy and argues the Cold War novels still illuminate modern Russia’s state cruelty […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode I’m joined by author David Goodman, author of A Reluctant Spy and the new sequel Solitary Agents. We talk about reading John le Carré as a kind of travelogue and why place matters so much in spy fiction. David shares how his dissertation on spy novels was a stepping stone to writing espionage […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode I welcome back author and Bond expert Jeremy Duns to tackle the “le Carré or Fleming?” debate from a different angle: what they thought of each other. We talk generational differences (Fleming shaped by WWII, le Carré by Cold War service.) We read an Allen Dulles interview where Fleming praises The Spy Who […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode we have another episode of le Carré Cast Reads, where we look at a book that I think fellow le Carré fans will enjoy. This time it’s the nonfiction memoir My Family and Other Spies. I’m joined by it’s author Alistair Wood. Alistair grew up living in the Service’s training camp and his […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode we are back with author James Wolff to continue to discuss John le Carré’s novel The Naïve and Sentimental Lover. We talk more about these characters, James Kennaway’s Some Gorgeous Accident, and the reality of marriage vs reality. What song by a well known band is based on the novel? What did le […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode I’m pleased to have returning guest, author James Wolff to the show. We discuss John le Carré’s novel The Naïve and Sentimental Lover. If you’ve never read the novel and aren’t really interested in doing so, this is the show for you! We talk about the strange love triangle at the heart of […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This episode I welcome podcaster Matt Gourley to the show for a wide ranging conversation about all things George Smiley. We talk about Matt’s work podcasting on James Bond, how he started reading le Carré, and the difference between Bond and Smiley. We make an attempt to cast Tinker, Tailor using only former James Bond […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

This week had some sad news as we learned that Len Deighton passed away at the age of 97. He’s a huge part of how we think of modern espionage fiction and many of his works will stand the test of time. This seemed like a good moment to remember a singular moment in spy […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I speak with author Dave Hutchinson about his science fiction writing, how that’s overlapped with espionage and his favorite le Carré novel. We talk about his book series set in a near future Europe that has splintered into tiny nation states, his latest novel The Essence which returns to the spy world […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with drinks writer Henry Jeffreys about how John le Carré used various alcoholic beverages in his work. We talk about Henry’s interactions with le Carré while he working in publishing, le Carré’s legacy and what goes into the drink called a White Lady. In addition, we explore different types of […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with the writer of the new comic book miniseries The Circus: Losing Control set in the world of John le Carré. We talk about Matt’s fascination with spies, his research for the comic and how he got the Circus out of Vauxhall Cross and back where it belongs. In addition, […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with Clay about the season finale of THE NIGHT MANAGER season 2. We talk about Roper and Roxy, blue cars and that finale episode body count. Plus, what could happen in season 3? Finally, is this – The Night Manager, or how I learned to stop worrying and love (?) […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with returning le Carré Cast guest Mark Meynell about the fifth episode of THE NIGHT MANAGER season 2. We talk about that showdown between Pine and Roper, Teddy’s reversal and where things might go in that final episode of the season. Plus, did Roxy just swipe right on Roper? Finally, […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with returning le Carré Cast MVP Matthew Bradford about the fourth episode of THE NIGHT MANAGER season 2. We talk about how things got supercharged with this episode. Roper returns! Columbian Motorcycles! David Farr’s Dreams! Plus, those Columbian locations, Hugh Laurie’s birthday and ALL CAPS EMAILS! Finally, this episode changes […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I return with more of my favorite moments from episodes this past year. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for a great 2025 and have a wonderful 2026! Nick Harkaway Federico Varese Michael Idov Matthew Bradford Tiffany Babb Clay Major Steven Ritterman Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite Listen on […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with Clay about the third episode of THE NIGHT MANAGER season 2. We talk about the throple action, wearing business attire on covert missions, and why you should always make sure to keep at least 20 million dollars in your bank account. Plus, that shocking episode ending reveal!! Finally, where […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I picked some of my favorite moments from episodes this past year. I hope you enjoy it. We’ll be back soon with part 2! Ben H. Winters Mark Meynell Keir Graff Scott O’Connor Tod Hoffman Helen Lewis Jessica Douthwaite Jeff’s site – SpyWrite.com Jeff’s twitter – @spywrite Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/

In this episode, I talk with Scott and Cam of the SpyHards podcast about the first two episodes of THE NIGHT MANAGER season 2. We talk about a season of THE NIGHT MANAGER that never happened due to le Carré’s view of a second season, whether we are happy how they are staking out new […] The le Carré Cast - A podcast on John le Carré novels is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://lecarrecast.com/