The Circus (fictional British intelligence service)
E861607
The Circus is the codename for the British Secret Intelligence Service in John le Carré’s spy novels, depicted as a morally ambiguous, bureaucratic Cold War espionage organization.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| The Circus | 0 |
| British Circus (fictional intelligence service) | 1 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional British intelligence service
ⓘ
fictional intelligence agency ⓘ fictional organization ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs | British Secret Intelligence Service NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| appearsInWork |
A Murder of Quality
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Call for the Dead NERFINISHED ⓘ Smiley Versus Karla trilogy NERFINISHED ⓘ Smiley's People NERFINISHED ⓘ The Honourable Schoolboy NERFINISHED ⓘ The Looking Glass War NERFINISHED ⓘ The Russia House NERFINISHED ⓘ The Secret Pilgrim NERFINISHED ⓘ The Spy Who Came in from the Cold NERFINISHED ⓘ Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| basedOn | Secret Intelligence Service NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| characteristic |
bureaucratic
ⓘ
hierarchical ⓘ morally ambiguous ⓘ secretive ⓘ |
| country | United Kingdom ⓘ |
| createdBy | John le Carré NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| depictsTheme |
Cold War paranoia
ⓘ
decline of British power ⓘ institutional betrayal ⓘ moral ambiguity in espionage ⓘ |
| genre | spy fiction ⓘ |
| hasMember |
Bill Haydon
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Connie Sachs NERFINISHED ⓘ Control ⓘ George Smiley NERFINISHED ⓘ Mendel NERFINISHED ⓘ Percy Alleline NERFINISHED ⓘ Peter Guillam NERFINISHED ⓘ Roy Bland NERFINISHED ⓘ Smiley's staff ⓘ Toby Esterhase NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| headquartersLocation | Cambridge Circus, London NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | real British intelligence bureaucracy ⓘ |
| inUniverseFunction |
counterintelligence
ⓘ
covert operations ⓘ espionage against the Soviet Union ⓘ foreign intelligence gathering ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| mediaAdaptation |
BBC television serial Smiley's People (1982)
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
BBC television serial Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) NERFINISHED ⓘ film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| narrativeRole | central setting in John le Carré's spy novels ⓘ |
| opponent |
Karla
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Moscow Centre NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| timePeriod | Cold War ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (franchise)
→
inUniverseOrganization
→
The Circus (fictional British intelligence service)
ⓘ
this entity surface form:
British Circus (fictional intelligence service)