Peaky Blinders Alum Joe Cole Is Starring In A New 1960s Spy Thriller

Upcoming spy drama The Ipcress File is heading to ITV later this year with the promise of an “enthralling” and “twist-laden” espionage plot. Based on the globally successful spy novel by Len Deighton, the six-part series is expected to include a “rich cast of characters” including Peaky Blinder’s and Gangs Of London star Joe Cole as the iconic undercover agent Harry Palmer, who the actor recently described as a spy you can have “a laugh with...”

Set in Berlin and London during the 1960s, The Ipcress File series is tipped as a “stylish and tense tale of abducted scientists, brainwashing, inter- departmental rivalry, treason, and a possibly unwise romance,” per ITV. Penned by BAFTA-winning Trainspotting screenwriter John Hodge, the series already sounds like a must-watch. And ahead of the new drama’s release, here are all the details we know so far.

The Ipcress File Release Date & Trailer

The Ipcress File will arrive on screens earlier than previously thought, with ITV confirming a March 2022 release date. Filming for the new series began in Liverpool and Croatia in February last year, and the broadcaster has finally released the official trailer. The short clip, unveiled Jan. 24, sees Joe Cole as iconic spy Harry Palmer and actor Lucy Boynton dressed in stylish sixties garb (think black turtlenecks, black-rimmed glasses, and a trilby) and is packed with high-stakes action, slick cinematography and did I already mention the excellent ‘60s fashion?

The Ipcress File Cast

As mentioned, Joe Cole will be taking the leading role of Harry Palmer in the new series. The 33-year-old actor posted a sneaky behind-the-scenes of The Ipcress file director’s board back in June 2021 and has since been posting photos looking like a classic spy on the back of U.S Army Harley Davidson Servi-Car from 1945 (not confirmed – but hoped – to be from the new drama).

Amidst the trailer’s release in January, Cole has been sharing details about his new spy role, as well as living up to actor Michael Caines depiction of the agent in the original film. Speaking to The Times in a recent interview, the actor said his character Harry Palmer will be different to archetypal spy characters such as James Bond.

“I see him as like your mate down the pub. I think you’d have a laugh with him. Doesn’t take life too seriously, probably because he’s been f***ed over numerous times, but also probably because he’s hyper-intelligent.” And, when it comes to the original film, Cole told The Times that it’s “a great piece of work,” although, he adds “It’s dated, for sure. It’s like my dad’s favourite film.”

Also featured in the new series is Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton, who is set to play glamorous and shrewd secret agent Jean Courtney – Harry Palmer’s assistant and romantic interest. As Boynton explained in an interview with The Telegraph, her Ipcress File character is not to be messed with and will be a thrilling watch in the series.

“Jean is so self-possessed and intelligent,” the actor shared, “and aware of all of her capabilities in an environment and a world that is not willing or ready to see that in a young woman.”

Meanwhile, legendary star Tom Hollander will play Major Dalby. The cast also includes Ashley Thomas (Them: Covenant, Top Boy, Salvation) as Maddox, Joshua James as Chico (Industry, Life, Absentia), David Dencik (McMafia, Face to Face, Chernobyl) as Colonel Stok and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Dublin Murders, Avengers: Endgame) as Cathcart.

The Ipcress File Plot

In 1963, British army sergeant Harry Palmer (Joe Cole) finds himself in the newly-partitioned Berlin and begins work as a wholesaler, retailer, fixer, smuggler. However, the law eventually catches up with Harry and he finds himself sentenced to eight years in military jail back home in England.

However, per the ITV synopsis, “Harry’s impressive network and efficiency have not gone unnoticed, and a gentleman from British intelligence has a proposal. To avoid prison, Harry Palmer will become a spy. And the case on which he cuts his teeth will be The Ipcress File.”

The new agent eventually gets caught up in a dangerous undercover mission that “takes him from the Beatles’ London to the Berlin Wall, from the back alleys of Beirut to the white-hot sand of a Nuclear Atoll in the Pacific.”