# The Ipcress File (2022)

> A reluctant ex-smuggler turned spy is drawn into a dangerous Cold War hunt for a missing British nuclear scientist.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/95757

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 47 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, thriller
- Created by: Len Deighton, John Hodge
- Network: ITV1
- Cast: Joe Cole, Lucy Boynton, Tom Hollander, Ashley Thomas, Paul Higgins, David Dencik, Joshua James, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor
- TMDB rating: 7.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13636038/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: wry, bleak, tense, paranoid, gritty

## What critics say

Audiences rate the miniseries positively, praising its Cold War atmosphere and Joe Cole's grounded take on Harry Palmer while finding the spy plotting engaging once the character takes hold.

## Synopsis

The Ipcress File (2022) is a British six-episode miniseries created by Len Deighton and John Hodge for ITV1, adapting the spirit of Deighton's spy novel into a grounded, morally murky thriller. Joe Cole plays Harry Palmer, an ex-smuggler turned reluctant intelligence operative who must use his old criminal contacts to track a missing British nuclear scientist. Lucy Boynton plays Jean Courtney, and Tom Hollander plays Major William Dalby, the guiding hand behind the mission, while David Dencik plays Colonel Stok on the opposing side of the chess board. The engine of the story is Palmer's uneasy position between shady underworld favours and state secrecy, as each lead forces him to trade loyalty for information. Each episode tightens the pressure in a single continuing story, with no case-of-the-week shortcuts. The show is set in Cold War Britain and Europe, where nuclear anxiety colours every meeting and betrayal feels routine. Its tone is wry, bleak and tense, favouring cramped rooms, shifting alliances and quiet menace over gadgetry. Fans of The Americans, Deutschland 83 and Bodyguard will find resonance in its grimy, paranoid espionage and its anti-glamour take on the secret world.

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