The Ipcress File poster

The Ipcress File

★ 7.3 7K votes 2022–2022 1 season · 6 episodes Ended ITV1
EspionageSpies, intelligence agencies and double lives.This show: 9/10British TVThe British television sensibility: tone, restraint and format traditions.This show: 8/10Period pieceSet meaningfully in a past era.This show: 8/10Tight limited runA compact, complete story told in just a few episodes.This show: 8/10Stylized directionBold, signature formal choices.This show: 7/10Event miniseriesPrestige limited television built as an event.This show: 7/10
Rate this series
Starring
Joe ColeLucy BoyntonTom HollanderAshley ThomasPaul HigginsDavid Dencik
Starring
Joe ColeLucy BoyntonTom HollanderAshley ThomasPaul HigginsDavid Dencik
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
0125250375500

The Ipcress File Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6
S17.67.57.67.47.67.57.8

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The Ipcress File episode ratings heatmap infographic

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About

"Cold War espionage as class warfare in tailored suits"

Set in Cold War-era London and Berlin, this spy thriller follows a working-class British agent recruited into a murky intelligence operation involving a kidnapped scientist and a possible mole. It's a moody, slow-burn period piece: sharp suits, cigarette smoke, and clipped dialogue standing in for the action-movie spectacle of most spy fare. The pace rewards patience rather than adrenaline, leaning on atmosphere, class tension, and paranoia. It carries itself on style and a strong lead performance rather than twists, making it feel more like a le Carré novel than a Bond picture.

Watch it for

the stylish, slow-burn recreation of 1960s spy tradecraft and Cold War paranoia.

Maybe skip if

you want fast-paced action rather than atmospheric, dialogue-driven espionage.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
Miniseries2022
7.62K64h 43m
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1Episode #1.17.5
42746 min
▶2Episode #1.27.6
34747 min
▶3Episode #1.37.4
31448 min
▶4Episode #1.47.6
29747 min
▶5Episode #1.57.5
27547 min
▶6Episode #1.67.8
28248 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Joe Cole Harry Palmer
Lucy Boynton Jean Courtney
Tom Hollander Major Dalby
Ashley Thomas Paul Maddox
Paul Higgins Minister
David Dencik Col. Gregor Stok
Joshua James Chico
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor General Cathcart
Anastasia Hille Alice
Brian Ferguson Ian Randall

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