Death in Paradise, The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps favourite Ralf Little is to star in the critically acclaimed production of John le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, which embarks on a major UK tour beginning at Curve Leicester on the 12 March and continues through to August on a 21 venue tour.
Little will star as Alec Leamas in the play based on the global le Carré’s best selling spy novel, the first of his published books to be adapted for the stage.
British intelligence officer Alec Leamas is weary, hardened, and ready to come in from the cold. But when spymaster George Smiley presents one final mission – dangerous, deceptive, and deeply personal – Leamas agrees to stay in the game. Dispatched into enemy territory, he finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart.
Little says, “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.”
Following its sold out premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre, the production, adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright and screenwriter David Eldridge this is the first novel by le Carré, the undisputed master of the modern spy genre, whose works include Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Night Manager, is directed by Jeremy Herrin alongside tour director Joe Lichtenstein.
A global bestseller for over six decades and named one of TIME Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise.
Tour Dates | Here’s where to see Ralph Little in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Leicester Curve Theatre 12-14 March | Malvern Theatres 18-21 March | Churchill Theatre, Bromley 24-28 March | New Victoria Theatre, Woking 31 March-4 April | Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham 14-18 April | Edinburgh Festival Theatre 21-25 April 2026 | Wales Millennium Centre 28 April-2 May | Sheffield Lyceum 5-9 May | Liverpool Playhouse 12-16 May 2026 | Richmond Theatre 19-23 May | Glasgow Theatre Royal 26-30 May 2026 | Theatre Royal Brighton 2-6 June | York Grand Opera House 9-13 June 2026 | Norwich Theatre Royal 16-20 June 2026 | Nottingham Theatre Royal 23-27 June | The Alexandra, Birmingham 30 June-4 July | Newcastle Theatre Royal 7-11 July | Milton Keynes Theatre 14 – 18 July | Lowry, Salford 22-15 July | Cambridge Arts 28 July-1 August | Bath Theatre Royal 11-22 August.
Tickets and full tour details HERE
