Exploring the works of John le Carré, each episode looks at a specific novel or an unexplored aspect of his life and work. Join us as we take a deep dive into the world of espionage John le Carré has revealed. 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/
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Sep 28, 2026 · 13:36
This episode we close out our look at Eric Ambler with a special bonus – my conversation with legendary bookstore owner and editor Otto Penzler. We discuss his time meeting Eric…
Sep 22, 2026 · 37:46
This episode we continue to look at an author worth reading after you’ve finished looking at all of the works of le Carré – Eric Ambler. We discuss Ambler’s post WW2 work, his…
Sep 7, 2026 · 42:37
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…
Aug 5, 2026 · 45:32
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…
Jun 22, 2026 · 45:27
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.…
Jun 8, 2026 · 52:14
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…
May 25, 2026 · 1:06:11
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…
May 11, 2026 · 1:00:59
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…
Apr 27, 2026 · 38:24
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…
Apr 13, 2026 · 42:04
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…
Mar 30, 2026 · 40:06
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…
Mar 19, 2026 · 9:00
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…
Mar 16, 2026 · 44:29
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…
Mar 2, 2026 · 57:27
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…
Feb 16, 2026 · 33:11
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…
Feb 3, 2026 · 49:03
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…
Jan 28, 2026 · 46:04
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,…
Jan 20, 2026 · 58:23
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…
Jan 15, 2026 · 52:08
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…
Jan 13, 2026 · 55:11
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…
Jan 8, 2026 · 51:06
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…
Jan 4, 2026 · 1:07:57
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…
Jan 1, 2026 · 49:17
In this episode, I talk with John Ramm, who is currently portraying George Smiley in the play The Spy Who Came in from the Cold at Soho Place. We talk about how he ended up with…
Dec 26, 2025 · 26:58
In this special end of year episode, I welcome back my guests from this past year to answer two questions – Which le carre novel would you want to read again for the very first…
Dec 22, 2025 · 58:21
In this episode, I welcome le Carré superfan Clay Douglass Major to the show. We talk about his trip to London to see new theater production of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold,…
Dec 16, 2025 · 34:36
In this episode, writer and podcaster Keir Graff returns to continue discussing John le Carré’s novel The Russia House. We talk about Barley Blair, Katya and that ending. Plus…
Nov 11, 2025 · 32:00
In this episode, writer and podcaster Keir Graff joins to discuss John le Carré’s novel The Russia House. We talk about whether book people would make good spies and le Carré’s…
Oct 27, 2025 · 55:00
In this episode, we talk with Helen Lewis and her new book, The Genius Myth. We talk about how to think about artists with problematic pasts, the influence of wives on “geniuses”…
Oct 13, 2025 · 37:28
In this episode, we welcome Federico Varese to the show. Federico is the co-curator of the new exhibition being held by the Bodelian Libraries showing off some of the materials…
Oct 6, 2025 · 44:01
In this episode, we welcome Dr. Jessica Douthwaite to the show. Jessica is the co-curator of the new exhibition being held by the Bodelian Libraries showing off some of the…
Sep 23, 2025 · 1:08:57
In this episode we continue to celebrate 50 years of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by counting up to 50 interesting things about the book. For numbers eleven to twenty point five I’m…
Sep 8, 2025 · 48:26
In this episode, we continue our year long look at Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy with Tiffany Babb. We talk about her article “Because He Loved You”: The Queer Betrayal of Tinker…
Sep 2, 2025 · 34:34
In this episode, novelist Michael Idov returns to discuss John le Carré’s novel Our Game. Michael has written for numerous publications, was the Editor in chief of GQ Russia, is…
Aug 4, 2025 · 40:55
In this episode, novelist Michael Idov joins me to discuss John le Carré’s novel Our Game. Michael has written for numerous publications, was the Editor in chief of GQ Russia, is…
Jun 23, 2025 · 52:40
In this episode, novelist Scott O’Connor returns to continue our discussion of John le Carré’s novel The Constant Gardener. We explore significant characters like Tessa and…
Jun 9, 2025 · 54:53
In this episode, creative writing teacher and acclaimed writer Scott O’Connor joins to explore the layered complexities of John le Carré’s novel The Constant Gardener. The…
Jun 2, 2025 · 9:57
In this mini episode, Mark Meynell returns to explain just what that whole High Church/Low Church concept discussed in A Murder of Quality is about. Mark explains the historical…
May 26, 2025 · 44:26
In the latest episode of the le Carré Cast, host Jeff continues his discussion with Mark Meynell about the themes and narrative intricacies of John le Carré’s A Legacy of Spies.…
May 12, 2025 · 45:30
In this episode of the le Carré Cast, host Jeff speaks with Mark Meynell, a freelance writer and author of ten non-fiction books, about his transition to writing fiction and his…
Apr 28, 2025 · 39:57
In part two of my discussion with Sleeper Beach novelist Nick Harkaway we discuss the latest in le Carré news. Nick talks about the upcoming adaptation of one of his novels into…
Apr 14, 2025 · 41:59
In this episode I am pleased to welcome back novelist Nick Harkaway. We discuss his latest work, Sleeper Beach, the second in his Titanium Noir series of futuristic mysteries. We…
Mar 31, 2025 · 1:06:21
In this episode I welcome Tod Hoffman, author of Le Carré Landscape, to the show. Tod is a former Canadian Intelligence Officer and used that knowledge to write his insightful…
Mar 15, 2025 · 41:16
In this episode we break down the news of a new George Smiley TV series – Legacy of Spies. I have TV and Film expert Matthew Bradford on to talk through what we know and might…
Feb 17, 2025 · 40:27
In this episode we are celebrating 50 years of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by counting up to 50 interesting things about the book. For numbers one to ten I’m welcoming Matthew…
Feb 4, 2025 · 53:27
In this episode I speak to author Ben H. Winters about his Crime Reads article “In Praise of Reading Le Carré’s Entire Oeuvre In Order”. We talk about the joys of reading an…
Jan 20, 2025 · 42:19
In this episode we continue to look at Nick Harkaway’s 2024 George Smiley novel, Karla’s Choice. You can find part one here. Steven Ritterman, le Carré expert and collector,…
Jan 9, 2025 · 46:15
In this episode we look at Nick Harkaway’s 2024 George Smiley novel, Karla’s Choice. Steven Ritterman, le Carré expert and collector, joins me to talk through all of our thoughts…
Dec 26, 2024 · 1:02:59
In this episode I’ve pulled some of my favorite clips from shows this past year. If you missed an episode or enjoyed the shows from this past year, I think you’ll enjoy it.…
Dec 23, 2024 · 16:14
This episode the le Carré Cast delves into the world of true crime with a look at one of the strangest moments in le Carré’s literary history. You won’t read about this one in…
Dec 9, 2024 · 43:05
In this episode we continue to look at John le Carré’s 2003 novel, Absolute Friends. Shane Whaley, host of the Spybrary podcast, is back to break down all of the action in this…
Nov 26, 2024 · 45:25
In this episode we look at John le Carré’s 2003 novel, Absolute Friends. Shane Whaley, host of the Spybrary podcast joins the show to look at one of his favorite le Carré novels.…
Nov 12, 2024 · 55:44
Donate to #TeamEvie and the Literally Healing program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Go to TinyURL.com/giveTE to make a monetary donation to the Literally Healing…
Oct 28, 2024 · 14:04
Donate to #TeamEvie and the Literally Healing program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Go to TinyURL.com/giveTE to make a monetary donation to the Literally Healing…
Oct 22, 2024 · 1:12:30
Donate to #TeamEvie and the Literally Healing program at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Go to TinyURL.com/giveTE to make a monetary donation to the Literally Healing…
Oct 14, 2024 · 46:43
In this episode we continue our look at John le Carré’s 1977 novel, The Honourable Schoolboy. Find Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Writer Paul French returns to the show for our…
Sep 30, 2024
In this episode we continue our look at John le Carré’s 1977 novel, The Honourable Schoolboy. Find Part 1 here. Writer Paul French returns to the show to share his extensive…
Sep 17, 2024 · 41:17
In this episode we begin our look at John le Carré’s 1977 novel, The Honourable Schoolboy. I’m pleased to welcome writer Paul French to the show. Paul has extensive knowledge of…
Sep 2, 2024 · 56:21
Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 can be found here. We delve into the fascinating life of the enigmatic author Sarah Gainham, also known as Rachel Ames, with her godson Jonathan…
Aug 26, 2024 · 37:10
Part 1 can be found here. We are back with part 2 of this look at the novelist Sarah Gainham. I continue to be joined in the discussion with writer Jeremy Duns. The episode…
Aug 19, 2024 · 46:28
Discovering Sarah Gainham: Unveiling the Overlooked Cold War Novelist In this episode of the le Carré Cast, we introduce a new feature – ‘After le Carré,’ spotlighting authors…
Aug 5, 2024 · 46:50
In this episode of The le Carré Cast, I interview acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Shaun McKenna. Sean discusses his journey into writing, his collaboration process for…
Jul 22, 2024 · 38:26
In this episode we continue our look at John le Carré’s 2008 novel, A Most Wanted Man. I’m pleased to welcome back poet Clarissa Aykroyd to the show. If you missed Part 1, you…
Jul 15, 2024 · 44:51
In this episode we look at John le Carré’s 2008 novel, A Most Wanted Man. I’m pleased to welcome poet Clarissa Aykroyd to the show. We talk through the motivations of the various…
Jun 24, 2024 · 48:35
In this episode of the Le Carré Cast, Jeff interviews British historian Dominic Sandbrook. They delve into Sandbrook’s introduction to John le Carré’s works, particularly Tinker…
Jun 10, 2024 · 38:24
I’m excited to welcome back Mac Rogers, playwright and audio dramatist for the epic conclusion of our look at the BBC George Smiley radio dramas. In this third and final part we…
May 28, 2024 · 39:08
I’m excited to welcome back Mac Rogers, playwright and audio dramatist to continue to discuss the BBC George Smiley radio dramas. In this second of three parts we dig into some…
May 12, 2024 · 56:26
This episode I am pleased to welcome Mac Rogers, playwright and audio dramatist to discuss the BBC George Smiley radio dramas. In this first part we talk about Mac’s journey to…
Nov 26, 2023 · 41:24
This episode I return with Phil Tinline and Bernard Hughes. We continue discussing Phil’s article in the New Statesman on the London of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré…
Nov 4, 2023 · 44:03
This episode I’m excited to welcome Phil Tinline and Bernard Hughes to the show. We discuss Phil’s article in the New Statesman on the London of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John…
Oct 21, 2023 · 1:02:27
This episode I’m excited to welcome John le Carré’s biographer Adam Sisman to the show. We discuss his latest book The Secret Life of John le Carré which looks at le Carré…
Oct 6, 2023 · 1:01:19
We continue our three part look at A Private Spy: The letters of John le Carré edited by Tim Cornwell. In part 3 we’ll be talking about what we learned about le Carré’s novels.…
Sep 22, 2023 · 48:09
We continue our three part look at A Private Spy: The letters of John le Carré edited by Tim Cornwell. In part 2 we’ll be talking about what we learned about le Carré’s…
Sep 8, 2023 · 44:59
We’ll be taking a three part look at A Private Spy: The letters of John le Carré edited by Tim Cornwell. In this episode we’ll be talking about what we learned about le Carré’s…
Aug 27, 2023 · 54:23
In this episode we continue our look at John le Carré’s 1999 novel, Single and Single. Returning to discuss the book is espionage and nonfiction author Adam Brookes. We discuss…
Aug 11, 2023 · 1:01:41
In this episode we look at John le Carré’s 1999 novel, SIngle and Single. Joining me to discuss the book is espionage and nonfiction author Adam Brookes. We discuss Adam’s first…
Feb 27, 2023
Frank Sennett joins the show to talk about political thrillers and Mick Herron and John le Carré. We talk about US versus UK spy novels, Matt Helm, and favorite Herron and le…
Feb 10, 2023
We raised $1300 for Room to Read this holiday season. Thanks to everyone who donated. If you still wanted to donate, go here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread We…
Jan 1, 2023
Donate to Room to Read here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread We are back with a look at some of John le Carré’s unused book titles. These have been gathered from…
Dec 6, 2022
Donate to Room to Read here or share the link – http://tinyurl.com/spiesread We are back with a look at the new release A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré. I’m pleased…
Nov 14, 2022
We are back with part 2 of our look at the letter in spy fiction and reality. Listen to part 1 here. We talk about the novel to read if you want to imagine you’re a CIA analyst,…
Oct 31, 2022
We talk with Richard Hutt the writer of the new map titled John le Carré’s London from Herb Lester Associates. We talk about his previous map, The Secret City, reading le Carré…
Oct 16, 2022
The book A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré has just been released in the UK. We’ll be taking a look at that book once it’s released in the US in December, but this is a…
Sep 13, 2022
In this episode we finish our look at A Small Town in Germany, John le Carré’s fifth novel. Returning to discuss the book is espionage author James Wolff. We discuss how his…
Aug 29, 2022
In this episode we look at A Small Town in Germany, the novel that comes midway between John le Carré’s breakout success – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold – and the novel that…
Jun 28, 2022 · 1:13:38
We talk with one of the foremost collectors of John le Carré novels, Steven Ritterman, whose collection of pristine le Carré editions numbers over 300 items. We learn about the…
May 24, 2022
Find Part One Here. In this episode we continue to take a deep dive into the intricacies of one of John le Carré’s most unjustly overlooked novels – The Looking-Glass War. I’m…
Apr 18, 2022
In this episode we take a deep dive into the intricacies of one of John le Carré’s most unjustly overlooked novels – The Looking-Glass War. I’m joined by critic and author Jeremy…
Mar 15, 2022 · 58:41
In this episode I speak to Laura Marsh about her essay on le Carré and Silverview in the February 10th edition of The New York Review of Books. Laura is currently the literary…
Feb 22, 2022 · 9:10
In this episode we explore what happens when you get a whole gaggle of Cold War spy novelists together in one room. This is an adaption of an earlier piece that can be found here…
Jan 27, 2022 · 36:32
In the final episode of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. We discuss the climatic conclusion of…
Jan 20, 2022 · 40:41
In Part three of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In this third part we explore the plot and…
Jan 13, 2022
In Part two of this four part look at Silverview Matthew Bradford and I continue to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In our second part we talk about the settings of…
Jan 6, 2022 · 38:56
In Part one of this four part look at Silverview I welcome back Matthew Bradford to discuss John le Carré’s final complete novel. In our first part we talk about the main…
Dec 23, 2021 · 46:41
In Part Two of this deep dive into Call for the Dead I welcome back guest Bee to discuss John le Carré’s first novel. We continue to get lots of hot takes on the novel from…
Dec 3, 2021 · 8:23
In this episode we explore a previously hidden chapter of le Carré’s life. Was this the moment everything changed for him? Listen for answers to that and much, much more.…
Nov 12, 2021
In Part One of this deep dive into Call for the Dead I welcome guest Bee to discuss John le Carré’s first novel. In this provocative conversation we get plenty of hot takes on…
Oct 14, 2021 · 1:35:28
In this episode I am joined by Matthew Bradford of doubleOsection.blogspot.com to do a deep exploration of the sometimes overlooked John le Carré novel A Murder of Quality. We…
Oct 14, 2021 · 16:14
Just after the passing away of John le Carré in December 2020, I spoke with Matthew Bradford of double0section.blogspot.com about le Carrê’s impact on espionage fiction. Listen…
Oct 14, 2021 · 15:59
In this episode I provide an introduction to the world’s most famous spy writer. John le Carré began writing novels as a way to relieve the boredom of his duties as an…
Oct 14, 2021 · 4:09
I’m quite excited to launch something that has been in the process for awhile, a podcast dedicated to the works of John le Carré. The goal of this podcast is to do deep dives on…
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