Author - Len Deighton - Interview - Thames TV - 1983

[@riccovall2970]

Brilliant bloke - absolutely spot on, all his observations are just as relevant as they were 4 decades ago..... also a superb word smith. Thanks Len.

[@andrewrolls2985]

What a fantastic author and so polite.

[@kennethhinkson480]

A truly knowledgable, thinking man who sees a big picture.

[@johnappleby405]

Really interesting man with a remarkable career. Thank you for making this available I don’t remember seeing Deighton interviewed before. I haven’t read all his books but one short story which made a real impression on me was ‘Brent’s Deus Ex Machina’ which says a great deal about Deighton’s attitude to class.

[@professorshermanpeabody1237]

I am current re-reading all of Deighton. In the middle of "Bomber" at present. Highly recommended.

[@elrjames7799]

@Professor Sherman Peabody. Yes, I have a vague recollection of it: the Flight Leftenant was the villain of the piece, as I recall, but the Group Captain was OK.

[@brianodonoghue7729]

Same here. Just pulled up the video to get a sense of the man.

[@jonhill3328]

Such a talented atmospheric writer. All of his books are excellent 👌🏻

[@johntechwriter]

He is the ultimate British upstart: a working-class writer who beats the intellectuals at their own game.

[@Flux799]

One of the greatest writers.

[@duantorruellas716]

Len is the man . King of the spy thriller . Flemming is good as well and I like them both. But I think Len caught the realism of the genre and the real down to earth tradecraft , where Flemming brings the glam to the world of the ultra rich over the top set. Also the tinker tailor soldier spy stuff was great as well , All three , good stuff .👍

[@maxmcnabb]

Len Deighton is a better novelist than John le Carre. Deighton's comments on government schools and his attitudes toward the upper, "educated" class are brilliant. I also love the JFK "I am a donut" story, apocryphal or not.

[@randyattwood]

I like Deighton a lot, but le Carre much more. They each have their own tone.

[@suzannemoogan9675]

Max McNabb I agree,however, i believe it is all a front how can somebody with a personality similar to John Major's not possibly be a spy or even spy master. The secret service isn't based on the bells and whistles seen in Fleming's writing,spies should be able to blend into the background similar to Stella Rimington, nothing like 007 I believe being a chef is Len Deighton's cover. He has already stated he was ex RAF.

[@dickvarga6908]

i recall the speech. even i knew that he had got it wrong.

[@baronmeduse]

@@dickvarga6908 He didn't really though, because it's still the normal way to say you are person from Berlin.

[@europamacmillan9498]

Fascinated by his take on school systems,He reinforces all my Anglophile tendencies in the best ways possible

[@tyroberts2261]

Len Deighton’s Bernard Sampson is his best character and Ian Holm is brilliant playing him. The mini series somehow didn’t get ratings, but if you find it, watch it.

[@mikewellwood1412]

@@fergusmcfierce Yes, his physical type is technically wrong, but so what? His acting is good (I would say great). He looks like a wiry little bugger who would accomplish himself well in a dirty street fight. And being a titch, wouldn't stand out in crowds and could slip in and out of places relatively unobserved, not like your tall, pretty boy James Bonds.... ;-) But then, I might be biased.

[@mikewellwood1412]

@@fergusmcfierce I like the Gold Blend gag :-) but actually, I think there is some pretty good acting all round. Some of the technical production looks a bit clunky now by modern standards, but I wouldn't criticise the acting.

[@-xirx-]

The 10 books are exceptional

[@mhick3333]

good interviewer as well, polite giving short thoughtfull lead questions never talking over the guest not once

[@francissookraj3202]

I watched the first episode of the new tv drama of The Ipress file, and it is very good. The actor in it does look like a young Michael Caine and the production captures that sixties look very well, and I like the camera is filmed in a tilted angle like the original film, really nice touch. I never read Len Deighton's book but I going to start I love those old cold war spy novels like John Le Carre, what a fantastic writer of that genre he was.

[@TwentyTwenty90]

Great interview. I really enjoy listening to Deighton.

[@ironpirites]

Despite Len Deighton's disavowal of literature, I think there are certainly flashes of poetic brilliance in his very creditable prose style. Le Carre is turgid by comparison. Deighton is much more of a "genre" writer, of spy novels, but his writing is really excellent and often better than that. The only other writer in a similar category of fiction that I would put in his class is the detective writer, Ross MacDonald. Here again, as in Deighton's work, there are flashes of brilliant, original poetry, plus excellent stories very well told.

[@BobKumar1234]

Yes. Ross mcdonald & Len Deighton are in the bracket/category.

[@danielschaeffer1294]

Le Carre wants to convince the reader that he’s Joseph Conrad. Fat chance.

[@jackjohnhameld6401]

2021. There is a British TV series in the works based on The Ipcress File: I remember reading the novel in the Sixties as a schoolboy. Julian Symons called Len Deighton the poet of the spy story, and said he would remember Billion Dollar Brain for the people and places.

[@cleondubois1270]

I read Len's 9 book series featuring Bernard Samson not long after they were published.....Several years later I read all nine again. Now in retirement , I'm on "Mexico Set" and fully expect to read the rest also. .... Len & Bern'd are definitely the consumate fictional espionage team from the "Cold War".

[@-xirx-]

Read the last one, the prequel "Winter: A Novel of a Berlin Family" It's a brilliant ending to the 3 trilogies

[@cleondubois1270]

@@-xirx- Have it finally and will read it.

[@-xirx-]

@@cleondubois1270 enjoy! They are my favourite spy series, and I have read a lot of different ones in the genre.

[@cleondubois1270]

@@-xirx- I have to admit that L.D. made me fall in love with Fiona . I was actually jealous of her affair when she went over.

[@johntechwriter]

I’m another septuagenarian retiree who has returned to my favorite author from times past. As much as I enjoyed Deighton’s spy series, my sense is his greatest emotional involvement in his fictional work was to be found in “Mamista,” about a failed revolution in South America. Deighton’s lifelong theme is the cruelty of fate as it is exercised upon the powerless by the unscrupulous, and nowhere does he tell that story better than in this steamy novel.

[@mikewellwood1412]

Pity he didn't tell the story (I believe it's true) that Deighton himself cracked (one-handedly) the eggs into the dish in "The Ipcress File", rather than Michael Caine. (You only see the hands). Deighton had tried to teach Michael the trick, but he wasn't very good at it, so Deighton himself did it. Also, in that scene, there is a clipping on the wall or noticeboard of a cookery column from the Observer....that was from Deighton's own column in that newspaper. A nice double cameo. All the above is mentioned in the "extra's" on the DVD of "The Ipcress File". It also said that Michael Caine had come up with the name "Harry Palmer" (or part of the name, anyway), which is not used in any of the books, although seemed to be accepted by Deighton, in retrospect. I notice he didn't correct the interviewer's use of the name when he mentioned it.

[@joachimmikalsen1676]

Great job by the interviewer!

[@mikewellwood1412]

Yes....had forgotten how good Thames TV was in those days, before ITV went sadly downhill. Granada was also a great TV company.

[@johnw218]

Yes, seems interested and respectful and gives plenty of space for Deighton to talk .

[@e.b.gilligan7423]

Thanks, have returned to reading Deighton lately and this is a very nice exposure to the man and his mind.

[@peterhobday]

Very good thanks. And Deighton's prediction that the reduction of moral values in the East would affect the political situation there was acurate.

[@jordsupp]

Aha! "Eastern bloc" not the orient. I was momentarily confused.

[@ashcross]

Interesting interview. Len Deighton is still alive as of December 2021, at the age of 92.

[@williamjp7352]

And STILL with us ( Sep 24) at 95.

[@ashcross]

@@williamjp7352 A marvellous age!

[@chocksaway100]

Great guy, 2024 Mr Deighton 94 years old all power to you.

[@1990-t1j]

One of Britain's best ever writers. I prefer him to Le Carre.

[@jordsupp]

"Berlin Game" wasn't shortlisted for the Booker? No matter. My vote goes to Game/Set/Match, Winter, Hook/Line/Sinker and Faith/Hope/Charity as favourite literary series.

[@rickdeckard1075]

F/H/C was getting pretty watery by that point

[@rickdeckard1075]

@@fergusmcfierce the first trilogy was neat, although i get tired of the "cucked husband" trope in brit spy fiction (lecarre seems to almost have a fetish for it)...i mean by the third trilogy the material was getting stretched a little thin ("shes really a hero! not a traitor at all!" yeah ok len)

[@ironpirites]

Len Deighton is wonderful, but "ein Berliner" is somebody from Berlin. The very large crowd President Kennedy was speaking to when he said "Ich bin ein Berliner." knew exactly what he meant and erupted into applause and cheers. "Berliner" is a slang term for doughnut/pancake, properly "krapfen/pfannkuchen", in German. It is not surprising that the satirical press would leap upon the double entendre, but the main meaning of "Berliner" is exactly what President Kennedy meant when he used the word and Berliners knew exactly what he meant. Speaking in Berlin, in solidarity with Berliners, the president had little choice but to use the word he used. The term he used is discussed in Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_(doughnut) "John F. Kennedy's words "Ich bin ein Berliner" are standard German for "I am a Berliner". Mentioned in Len Deighton's 1983 novel Berlin Game, an urban legend has it that due to his use of the indefinite article ein, Berliner is translated as "jelly doughnut", and that the population of Berlin was amused by the supposed mistake. This is wrong; when leaving out ein, the meaning only changes slightly (compare I am Berliner and I am a Berliner). The normal convention when stating a nationality or, for instance, saying one is from Berlin, would be to leave out the indefinite article ein. Throughout the 1980s, the legend was spread even by reputable media like The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC and NBC. However, Kennedy used the indefinite article here correctly to emphasize his relation to Berlin.[7][8] Additionally, the word Berliner is not used in Berlin to refer to the Berliner Pfannkuchen. These are simply called Pfannkuchen there[9] and therefore no one from Berlin would mistake Berliner for a pastry." A similar speech in Frankfurt would have had a similar effect in the satirical press, but again, not in the audience.

[@Leo-sd3jt]

Ich bin ein Hamburger

[@albertgrant1017]

Leave it to the Press to make things up.

[@drutgat2]

Trevor Hyett is a great interviewer.

[@tombufford136]

With the Films as well as his books, creating a possible set of characters and scenarios in an otherwise hidden, deceptive world. Expressing here it was more than entertainment and earning a few dollars more.

[@jackjohnhameld6401]

2022. All of Len Deighton's books are now Penguin Modern Classics. Each one comes with the author's commentary on the writing of the particular title.

[@polenc7167]

Yes! I have a friend who was educated in Cameroon in Africa. They used French textbooks. But these were not slick heavy tomes. They have been typed out manually and merely photocopied or mimeographed. And they were inexpensive. Here in the US, textbook marketing is done by highly profitable publishing companies and has all the bells and whistles ( including fancy transparent overlays.) These textbooks are not optional and the purchase is required (0f course, they will loan you the money at interest.)

[@matthewgabbard6415]

A lot of public schools are training teachers not to worry about textbooks because they are obsolete in three years after they are printed.

[@andynixon2820]

What an interesting man .

[@chocksaway100]

Rewind to the 80s and rethink .

[@leeharvey8544]

6:40 Exactly!

[@Ferr1963]

Len Deighton wears the same glasses than George Smiley

[@johnmoynihan4616]

He looks quite like Mr Smiley,aka

[@PreacherAtArrakeen]

I had glasses like that in the 80's. I looked dorkier than Len.

[@mi6hq115]

The Ipcress File is compelling reading, but I think Len Deighton's most enthralling book by far was Funeral in Berlin. Deighton took it upon himself to counter both Ian Fleming and David Cornwell aka John Le Carré with what I call "raw espionage". It is rumoured that on the few occasions they met, near nuclear arguments ensued. They had a lot in common as spy fiction writers although paradoxically while on occasion Deighton arguably produced the most realistic stuff he had no direct experience of military intelligence. In that vein it is a shame more espionage thrillers aren't fact based. Courtesy of being factual extra dimensions are added. First, you can read about what’s in the novel in press cuttings and history books. Second, if even just marginally autobiographical, the author has the opportunity to convey his/her genuine hopes and fears as experienced in real life. An example of such a "real" thriller is Beyond Enkription, the first novel or memoir in The Burlington Files series. It's worth mentioning in this context because, coincidentally, some critics have likened its protagonist to a "posh and sophisticated Harry Palmer" and the first novel in the series is indisputably noir, maybe even Deightonesque but unquestionably anti-Bond. It's worth checking out this enigmatic and elusive thriller. Not being a remake it may have eluded you!

[@naclaski99]

The depressing thing is that most of the criticisms he makes then of the people who run the UK and the way they run it are truer now than they were nearly 40 years ago. This country is pitifful.

[@mhick3333]

moral erosion what a pertainant phrase for today

[@mhick3333]

i always get pleasantly suprised when i like a book or movie and the creator turns out to be likeable as well unlike mamut

[@duantorruellas716]

He looks like Smiley here with those glasses . 👍

[@BobKumar1234]

A W E S O M E !

[@BenNZ-j9n]

I never knew what he looked or sounded like

[@wwelc01]

John Major?

[@johnlawrence2757]

This interview is a good example of why good writers and artists should not allow themselves to be interviewed on TV.

[@johnw218]

Generally I like the writers I respect to keep some distance from too many interviews and preserve some of the mystery or mystique but I thought Deighton acquitted himself pretty well through this. It's all a long time ago now anyway

[@vinm300]

I've just watched episode 4 of "Game Set & Match" It turns out his (Ian Holm's) wife is a KGB Colonel. Oh no, are we supposed to swallow that plot twist. Any berk that comes up with plots like that, should pack it in.

[@kdhavle]

Read the series. I'd say that's much more satisfying than the TV series. Ian Holm is a very good actor, but in my opinion not fit for playing Bernard Samson.

[@vinm300]

@@kdhavle , thanks for your reply and suggestion. I'm a big fan of Len Deighton (Blitzkrieg, I recommend to everyone), but how can this be a good story when the plot is so contrived. It is simply impossible that Samson's wife can be KGB, then return to Russia and segue nicely into a position as colonel of Intelligence. It just doesn't/couldn't happen.

[@kdhavle]

@@vinm300 If only the plot were really so simple!

[@kdhavle]

@@rachelee8801 That's a big turn-off for me. I just couldn't watch the series on YT. I got only as far as the scene with Bernie, Fiona and Tessa in the restaurant in the first episode. Nah - the book series is good enough for me. I'll re-read it for the umpteenth time. However, BBC have done a great job with "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Smiley's People". How could they not, with Sir Alec Guiness as George Smiley? Must watch. Available on YT somewhere.

[@stoneponywolf1]

Read the series (9books - 10 if you count the background prequel) there’s more to it than this one snapshot you all seem to be getting hung up on. Ian Holm did a passable job as Bernard Samson. My only complaint about the 12 part series is that it couldn’t include all the subtleties in the books and fully follow through the story.