John le Carré created a moral universe that came to define spy culture, but the new BBC series of The Night Manager is too far removed from his guiding hand

The novels of John le Carré, who died five years ago, have come to define the world of post-war espionage. The players of his Great Game inhabit a moral universe in which those who think they are moving the chess pieces are always themselves being moved about the board by yet another player, in yet another game. Ask someone to imagine a Cold War spy and chances are they will think of someone resembling George Smiley, the shadow master of the Circus, whose blank and forgettable exterior hides both his personal disappointment and his strategic brilliance. Le Carré’s spies are in the business because they have a taste for concealment and betrayal. In this sense, they are the perfect means by which a novelist can get to grips with one of the great tasks of life: how to be fully oneself.

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