It does a certain amount of work for you when you can hide behind a good pair of spectacles
PEAKY BLINDERS’ JOE COLE HEADS THE STAR-STUDDED CAST OF ITV’S NEW SPY DRAMA THE IPCRESS FILE. DANIELLE DE WOLFE FINDS OUT WHAT TO EXPECT
IT WAS a role made famous by Sir Michael Caine and now Peaky Blinders and Gangs of London star Joe Cole is stepping into the shoes of spy Harry Palmer.
The Ipcress File is the first major screen adaptation of Len Deighton’s classic spy novel of the same name, since the iconic 1965 film starring Caine.
Set in Berlin in 1963, we follow former British Army sergeant Harry Palmer, whose dodgy dealings as a fixer and smuggler come to an abrupt end, landing him in prison. But when British secret services come knocking, it seems that Harry’s knowledge of Berlin’s underworld could come in handy after all – and maybe even keep him out of prison.
The series features a host of familiar names, including The Night Manager’s Tom Hollander as Harry’s boss, Bohemian Rhapsody actress Lucy Boynton as upperclass Jean Courtney, Harry’s assistant, and Top Boy’s Ashley Thomas as a CIA agent.
Complete with a “wink” to Sir Michael’s signature spectacles according to series director and McMafia creator James Watkins, the team is completed by the writing prowess of Bafta Award-winning Trainspotting screenwriter John Hodge.
“It does a certain amount of work for you when you can hide behind a good pair of spectacles,” reflects Joe, 33, explaining how he “tried on every pair in the shop” before stumbling upon Harry Palmer’s distinctive look.
“Where Harry is dealing with all these unscrupulous individuals and having all these tricky conversations and interactions, the glasses are a great thing to sort of hide behind.”
Initially pressing play on Sir Michael’s original performance, the actor says it wasn’t long before he found himself pressing pause on the film. Recalling an instance where he found himself “trying to do a Michael Caine impersonation without actually realising it”, the actor swiftly decided that some doors should remain firmly locked. Joe has said Harry is very different from Britain’s most famous spy,
James Bond. He told the Radio Times: “He’s a detective, he’s a spy, but he is very different. He doesn’t have a lot of money. He’s from a working-class background. He’s operating in a different world with different classes. He’s hyper-intelligent and he’s fun, and for me, the most important thing was trying to capture that.”
A series described by Tom as “witty, economical and authentic to the period”, the Bafta Award-winning actor goes on to note the way in which John’s “exceptionally good writing” underpins the six-part series.
“You’ve just got a fun bouncy castle to jump around on if you’ve got a taut witty script,” says Tom, 54.
“John and James were very up for developing the character in collaboration with the actors. They were very receptive – which doesn’t always happen.”
Harry starts work under the watchful eye of intelligence agency chief William Dalby (Tom). Himself a Japan prison camp survivor, despite their differences, Harry and William have far more in common than each cares to admit.
“Dalby is definitely fun,” says
Tom, who recently starred in film The King’s Man.
“He’s sort of the headmaster, I suppose. But he’s also conflicted, slightly jaded [and] living quite a complicated life”.
Describing how William and Harry regularly “attack each other” for being representatives of their opposing classes, Tom notes the way in which the “class enemies” soon come to realise they’re actually “dancing on the same little pinhead”.
Named after the case with which Harry cuts his teeth, The Ipcress File delves into a treacherous undercover world following the kidnapping of a British nuclear scientist.
A journey that stretches from The Beatles’ London to the underbelly of Beirut, it’s an adaptation which shines a light on a range of social
issues affecting Britain during the mid-1960s.
Noting the relevancy of the battles being fought by the show’s lead characters, James explains how the series tackles topics including racism, classism and sexism head on.
“Whether it’s Joe’s character in terms of Harry Palmer and this kind of class war that he’s fighting up against, or you know, Ashley’s character, Maddox, fighting the racism of the time, or the glass ceiling against women that Jean
Courtney’s looking at, all those things resonated in terms of a rip roaring spy thriller,” adds James, 48.
Set against a backdrop of sexual liberation, Lucy, 28, describes the series as “an interesting commentary on what it’s like to be a woman in a male dominated industry”.
With her character, Jean Courtney, torn between two worlds – the traditional role of ‘housewife’ juxtaposed by her thrilling world of intelligence – there are key decisions to make.
Ashley’s character, Maddox, is a CIA agent working alongside Jean to track down the missing scientist.
He says part of the fun was to “peel back the layers” of his character.
Reflecting on playing an African American character during the 60s – a period when racial oppression was rife in both the UK and US, the actor says he wanted to ensure Maddox “wasn’t just shoehorned into the series”.
“We have this character who obviously is very capable – because he’s in a position of power. And in order to do that, he’s going to have to be able to be very good, if not better, than some of his counterparts,” says the 37-year-old.
Going on to note scripts depicting “powerful African Americans” during that period remain something of a rarity, he says it was key to ensure the on-screen interactions addressed matters of race head-on.
“There was an elephant in the room between himself and Jean,” says Ashley. “It was just like ‘I’m black. You’re a woman. We both experienced oppression. Cool. Let’s get on with it. Let’s get to business.”
He’s hyper-intelligent and he’s fun and, for me, the most important thing was trying to capture that
Joe Cole on Harry Palmer