THE DEIGHTON DOSSIER

The online resource about writer Len Deighton

The Ipcress File TV series

In 2021 the UK commercial channel ITV announced a new TV adaptation of the classic Deighton novel The Ipcress File, famously made into what became a series of three blockbuster films in the 1960s which made Michael Caine a household name as Harry Palmer.

This ITV 6-part series was broadcast in the UK from 6 March 2022, and rights were also sold to a number of countries, including to AMC in the USA which will broadcast the series first there.

While clearly drawing elements from the movies series - not least, the overall look of the main character, still dubbed Harry Palmer (although in the books he was an unnamed spy) - the TV series format undoubtedly gave the show more licence to include elements from the book not used in the original film, and to bring in a couple of new characters.

Despite a generally positive reaction from critics, in June 2023 it was confirmed that a second series would not be commissioned.

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SUMMARY

The pre-publicity push by ITC online and in the media highlighted certain aspects of the story, introduced the actors behind the main characters, and also gave a glimpse of the locations and plot points to be featured in the series. What is clear is that ITV put a lot of budget behind this production and was clearly pinning a lot of hopes that this 1960s spy story would translate well for a modern streaming audience. They also opened up the possibility that, should the series prove to be a success, then there is scope for developing stories from the other books - Funeral in Berlin, Horse Under Water and Billion-Dollar Brain. There will also, evidently, be some nods back to the original 1960s film. However, in June 2023, it was confirmed the series would, sadly, not be renewed for a second season.

Plot
The core plot remained the same - Harry Palmer is recruited as a spy to track down missing British scientists - but the TV series made more of plot points and back story information in the original books that didn't make it to the film. For example, there were scenes filmed on the atoll where Harry is sent on the trail of a missing nuclear scientist, and also scenes in the book in the Near East, as Harry tracks down the network behind the kidnappings. Also, the role of Jean was given much greater prominence in the TV series, where she is in effect acting as an agent alongside Harry.

Locations
Liverpool stood in for London as the main backdrop for Harry Palmer's engagements in London and his scenes with Major Dalby and Jean Tonneson, his love interest in the book and the TV series too. Palmer's office was filmed in a former school.

Filming also took place in Croatia, standing in for 'sixties East and West Berlin; scenes at Checkpoint Charlie in East Berlin were filmed in Rijeka in the country, while a location near Split in Croatia doubled for the Pacific atoll. Apparently, too, Tokyo also provided a number of backdrops for scenes which, in the original film, were film in a very different world which has largely disappeared - the urban and cultural aesthetic of 1960s Britain. A number of scenes set in the US were filmed at a disused diner in Wales.

Casting
Actor Joe Cole, 33, played Harry Palmer. Although known in the UK for his role in Peaky Blinders, he was not yet regarded as a major 'name' in the UK, so this was certainly his biggest role to date, carrying a whole series. Publicity photos showed how that Cole and the wardrobe team has leaned heavily on the overall look of Harry Palmer as created by Michael Caine - though, with some differences, notably in the style of glasses used.

Actesss Lucy Boynton played Jean Tonneson. In the series, she was no longer Palmer's secretary but an agent herself, demonstrating that she would have a much more dynamic and frontline role in the overall plot arc. Evidently, she was set up to be a match for Palmer.

Hollywood actor Tom Hollander played William Dalby, who is the head of War Office Operation Communications (dubbed W.O.O.C.(P). in the original books), and he brought some real star quality to the series. Early scenes showed he had the subtle contempt for working class Harry and disdain for his approach that Harry's boss had in spades in the original movie.

A new character was African-American CIA agent Paul Maddox, played by Ashley Thomas; he did not appear in the original books.

Writers and directors
The director of the series was James Watkins, who worked on the BBC 1 thriller McMafia.

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ITV trailer

This trailer video from ITV highlighted a number of stylistic cues from the original 'sixties film, but demonstrated a significant number of plot adaptations or additions that provided for a richer story development across the six episodes.

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