Lead casting for The Spy Who Came in from the Cold tour revealed

The stage version of John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has revealed casting for its 2026 tour.

Adapted for the stage by David Eldridge and directed by Jeremy Herrin, the production will open at Leicester Curve on 12 March 2026 before visiting 21 venues across the UK through to August.

Based on le Carré’s bestselling Cold War novel, the play follows British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, who is persuaded by George Smiley to take on one final mission in East Berlin. There he encounters Liz Gold, a librarian whose compassion forces him to confront questions of love, betrayal and moral compromise.

The novel, named by Time Magazine as one of the “All-Time 100 Novels”, has been in print for over six decades, but this marks the first time any of le Carré’s works has been adapted for the stage.

Set to star as Alec Leamas will be Ralf Little, with further cast members to be revealed.

Listen to Eldridge discuss the project in an exclusive podcast:

Little said today: “It is a huge privilege to be stepping into the shoes of one of John le Carré’s great literary creations, Alec Leamas, as we bring the murky world of his Cold War masterpiece to life on stage. I first read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold when I was 16 and it has stayed with me ever since.

“Reading David Eldridge’s brilliant script, I once again found myself drawn into the story’s unexpected twists and turns, its high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse between East and West, which David has captured so thrillingly in the play. Despite being written in the ’60s, it feels startlingly relevant to the times we are living in now. I can’t wait to share this story with audiences old and new as we take it to cities right across the UK.”

The creative team includes designer Max Jones, lighting designer Azusa Ono, sound designer Elizabeth Purnell, composer Paul Englishby and movement director Lucy Cullingford. General Management is by Second Half Productions with Melting Pot as executive producer for the UK tour.

The UK tour will begin at Leicester Curve from 12 to 14 March 2026 before visiting Malvern, Bromley, Woking, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sheffield, Liverpool, Richmond, Glasgow, Brighton, York, Norwich, Nottingham, Birmingham, Newcastle, Milton Keynes, Salford, Cambridge and Bath. The full schedule is:

Leicester Curve Theatre (12 to 14 March), Malvern Theatres (18 to 21 March), Churchill Theatre Bromley (24 to 28 March), New Victoria Theatre Woking (31 March to 4 April), Everyman Theatre Cheltenham (14 to 18 April), Edinburgh Festival Theatre (21 to 25 April), Wales Millennium Centre (28 April to 2 May), Sheffield Lyceum (5 to 9 May), Liverpool Playhouse (12 to 16 May), Richmond Theatre (19 to 23 May), Theatre Royal Glasgow (26 to 30 May), Theatre Royal Brighton (2 to 6 June), York Grand Opera House (9 to 13 June), Norwich Theatre Royal (16 to 20 June), Nottingham Theatre Royal (23 to 27 June), The Alexandra Birmingham (30 June to 4 July), Newcastle Theatre Royal (7 to 11 July), Milton Keynes Theatre (14 to 18 July), The Lowry, Salford (23 to 25 July), Cambridge Arts (28 July to 1 August) and Bath Theatre Royal (11 to 22 August).