# Fleming (2014)

> A playboy idler at the outbreak of World War II is pulled into British naval intelligence and must prove his worth against the Nazis.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/54096

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, history
- Network: Sky Atlantic
- Cast: Dominic Cooper, Lara Pulver, Samuel West, Anna Chancellor, Rupert Evans, Lesley Manville, Pip Torrens, Camilla Rutherford
- TMDB rating: 7.2/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2647420/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: glossy, wry, tense, melancholic, sardonic

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive but modest, with the miniseries praised as a stylish, entertaining take on Ian Fleming's wartime years.

## Synopsis

Fleming (2014) is a British four-episode limited series created for Sky Atlantic, a Ecosse Films production that dramatizes the early life of the novelist who would later invent James Bond. Dominic Cooper plays Ian Fleming, a mischievous playboy who chases women, collects rare books and lives off his family fortune at the outbreak of the Second World War. Lesley Manville plays his formidable mother Evelyn, whose disappointment shadows him, while Rupert Evans plays his brother Peter, the sibling he feels forever overshadowed by. Samuel West appears as Rear Admiral John Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence who recruits Fleming into the effort against the Nazis. The engine of the story is Fleming's restless desire to become the ultimate man, a hero and a lover, and his chance to prove himself in a wartime intelligence service. Each of the four hour-long episodes moves through London society, country estates and clandestine operations, with the glamour of pre-war privilege giving way to the grind of espionage. The tone is glossy and wry, with period detail and undercurrents of unease about collaboration and occupation. Fans of The Crown, Bletchley Circle and Berlin Station will find resonance in its blend of British period elegance and wartime intrigue.

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