# A Spy Among Friends (2022)

> A drama tracing how KGB double agent Kim Philby's defection unravels the friendship he shared with MI6 colleague Nicholas Elliott.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/114520

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller, history
- Created by: Ben Macintyre, Alexander Cary
- Network: ITVX
- Cast: Guy Pearce, Damian Lewis, Anna Maxwell Martin, Stephen Kunken, Adrian Edmondson, Nicholas Rowe, Monika Gossmann, Roger Barclay
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15565872/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: dense
- Violence: mild
- Tone: cerebral, melancholic, paranoid, tense, measured

## What critics say

Audiences rate this British miniseries positively, praising its performances and its account of the Philby defection through the Elliott friendship.

## Synopsis

A Spy Among Friends (2022) is a British limited series created by Ben Macintyre and Alexander Cary for ITVX. Based on Macintyre's book, it follows the defection of notorious MI6 officer and KGB double agent Kim Philby (Guy Pearce), seen through his tangled friendship with fellow intelligence officer Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis). Elliott's loyalty to the service and to his old friend is tested as suspicion gathers around Philby, and the drama builds through quiet confrontations, carefully managed meetings, and the strain of keeping secrets in an institution that prizes reputation above truth. Anna Maxwell Martin plays Lily Thomas, and Stephen Kunken portrays James Jesus Angelton, adding to the web of colleagues who must decide what they know. Set in Cold War London and the wider intelligence world of the 1950s and 1960s, the six-episode miniseries leans on period detail, British class manners, and clipped, tense dialogue rather than action. Its tone is cerebral, melancholic, and paranoid, with a steady dread about betrayal among people who once trusted one another. Fans of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Americans will find resonance in its patient espionage, moral ambiguity, and portrait of a double life.

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