Peter Guillam
Encyclopedia
Peter Guillam is a fictional character
in John le Carré
's series of espionage novels. He first appears in Call for the Dead
at which time he is working for the Ministry of Defence.
In the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
in which he is a principal character, Guillam is head of "Scalphunters", the violent division of 'The Circus' (MI6) that deals with operations such as assassination, blackmail, burglary, and kidnapping. He took over the division after the failure of 'Operation Testify' led the former section head Jim Prideaux
to leave the Circus. In the aftermath of Testify's failure, the division's importance was downgraded, and being in charge of it was considered a menial position. It was looked down upon even by Guillam's friend George Smiley
, who jokingly describes the division's operations as "cosh
and carry".
Nevertheless Guillam is the key in finding the mole, or traitor, within the Circus. When one of his subordinates (Ricki Tarr) resurfaces after disappearing, claiming to have information about the mole, Guillam alerts Oliver Lacon
, the Civil Service overseer of the Intelligence Service. This bypasses the "inner circle", in Guillam's direct line-of-command, who have squelched any previous suggestions of a mole (Haydon because he is the mole, the others because they have built their careers on Source Merlin, the mole's cover operation, and hence reflexively protect what they believe to be an unimpeachable source). During Smiley's subsequent investigations, Guillam covertly provides helpers, and himself steals information from within the Circus's registry.
Guillam had lost a network of agents in Former French North Africa
which has left him mentally scarred, and makes his desire to find the mole personal because all of his people were hanged. On cornering the mole, he flies into a rage and attacks him, but calms down before doing any lasting harm.
In the novel, Guillam drives an old Porsche
, which turned into a blue Morgan in the TV adaptation. He also dates a music student, although the relationship revolves around casual sex.
Guillam is half-French
, from a family that has been involved with the Circus for generations, and worked with Smiley in "Satellites IV" in the early 1960s, in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
. His chronology has been reinvented by Le Carré: in Call for the Dead
he is a near-contemporary of Smiley's, trained by him at the end of the Second World War, but in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
he is much younger than Smiley, probably around 40 at a point where Smiley is around 60. Guillam's age has to be changed for plot reasons — he is used in this novel as Smiley's trusted assistant, and cannot be senior enough in the Circus to be one of the senior men suspected of being the mole.
By the time of the events in Smiley's People
(the third book in the "Karla Trilogy,") Guillam is married to a young Frenchwoman called Marie-Clare and is head of Circus operations in Paris, though this too is considered to be a demotion.
In The Secret Pilgrim
Guillam appears as the Head of Secretariat for Leonard Burr, the chief of the Service, but their working relationship is conflicted. Burr describes Guillam as "a thoroughly idle officer," while Guillam says of Burr, "Bloody man seems to expect me to work in my sleep." Guillam is replaced by Ned, the protagonist of the novel.
In the 2011 film version Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Guillam is played by Benedict Cumberbatch
. Guillam is portrayed as homosexual in the film, unlike the books in which he is heterosexual. In speaking of this decision by the filmmakers, Cumberbatch said the necessity of the character's secrecy about his sexuality (for fear of blackmail) went well with the secretiveness of the spy world.
In the 2009/10 adaptations for BBC radio Guillam was played by Richard Dillane
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in John le Carré
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
's series of espionage novels. He first appears in Call for the Dead
Call for the Dead
Call for the Dead is John le Carré's first novel, published in 1961. It introduces George Smiley, the most famous of le Carré's recurring characters, in a story about East German spies inside Great Britain...
at which time he is working for the Ministry of Defence.
In the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
in which he is a principal character, Guillam is head of "Scalphunters", the violent division of 'The Circus' (MI6) that deals with operations such as assassination, blackmail, burglary, and kidnapping. He took over the division after the failure of 'Operation Testify' led the former section head Jim Prideaux
Jim Prideaux
Jim Prideaux is a fictional Intelligence officer in the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré. Although his character and actions are central to the plot, they are mostly revealed in sequences of dialogue and flashbacks, or are indirectly referred to.-Character and Career:Jim Prideaux...
to leave the Circus. In the aftermath of Testify's failure, the division's importance was downgraded, and being in charge of it was considered a menial position. It was looked down upon even by Guillam's friend George Smiley
George Smiley
George Smiley is a fictional character created by John le Carré. Smiley is an intelligence officer working for MI6 , the British overseas intelligence agency...
, who jokingly describes the division's operations as "cosh
Cosh
Cosh may refer to:* Hyperbolic cosine, a mathematical function with notation cosh* A blunt metal stick used as a weapon, also known as a blackjack...
and carry".
Nevertheless Guillam is the key in finding the mole, or traitor, within the Circus. When one of his subordinates (Ricki Tarr) resurfaces after disappearing, claiming to have information about the mole, Guillam alerts Oliver Lacon
Oliver Lacon
Oliver Lacon is a fictional Permanent Secretary at Britain's Cabinet Office in John le Carré's 'George Smiley' spy novels: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People. He is responsible for administrative oversight of The Circus, Le Carré's fictionalised version of...
, the Civil Service overseer of the Intelligence Service. This bypasses the "inner circle", in Guillam's direct line-of-command, who have squelched any previous suggestions of a mole (Haydon because he is the mole, the others because they have built their careers on Source Merlin, the mole's cover operation, and hence reflexively protect what they believe to be an unimpeachable source). During Smiley's subsequent investigations, Guillam covertly provides helpers, and himself steals information from within the Circus's registry.
Guillam had lost a network of agents in Former French North Africa
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
which has left him mentally scarred, and makes his desire to find the mole personal because all of his people were hanged. On cornering the mole, he flies into a rage and attacks him, but calms down before doing any lasting harm.
In the novel, Guillam drives an old Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
, which turned into a blue Morgan in the TV adaptation. He also dates a music student, although the relationship revolves around casual sex.
Guillam is half-French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, from a family that has been involved with the Circus for generations, and worked with Smiley in "Satellites IV" in the early 1960s, in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold , by John le Carré, is a British Cold War spy novel that became famous for its portrayal of Western espionage methods as being morally inconsistent with Western democracy and values. The novel received critical acclaim at the time of its publication and became an...
. His chronology has been reinvented by Le Carré: in Call for the Dead
Call for the Dead
Call for the Dead is John le Carré's first novel, published in 1961. It introduces George Smiley, the most famous of le Carré's recurring characters, in a story about East German spies inside Great Britain...
he is a near-contemporary of Smiley's, trained by him at the end of the Second World War, but in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a 1974 British spy novel by John le Carré, featuring George Smiley. Smiley is a middle-aged, taciturn, perspicacious intelligence expert in forced retirement. He is recalled to hunt down a Soviet mole in the "Circus", the highest echelon of the Secret Intelligence...
he is much younger than Smiley, probably around 40 at a point where Smiley is around 60. Guillam's age has to be changed for plot reasons — he is used in this novel as Smiley's trusted assistant, and cannot be senior enough in the Circus to be one of the senior men suspected of being the mole.
By the time of the events in Smiley's People
Smiley's People
Smiley's People is a spy novel by John le Carré, published in 1979. Featuring British master-spy George Smiley, it is the third and final novel of the "Karla Trilogy", following Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Honourable Schoolboy...
(the third book in the "Karla Trilogy,") Guillam is married to a young Frenchwoman called Marie-Clare and is head of Circus operations in Paris, though this too is considered to be a demotion.
In The Secret Pilgrim
The Secret Pilgrim
The Secret Pilgrim is a 1990 novel, set within the frame narrative of a series of lectures by John le Carré's George Smiley, famous only within the 'Circus'. The memoirs, narrated by Ned, a former pupil of Smiley's, are, except for the last, triggered by tangential Smiley comments in lectures given...
Guillam appears as the Head of Secretariat for Leonard Burr, the chief of the Service, but their working relationship is conflicted. Burr describes Guillam as "a thoroughly idle officer," while Guillam says of Burr, "Bloody man seems to expect me to work in my sleep." Guillam is replaced by Ned, the protagonist of the novel.
In the 2011 film version Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (film)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 English-language espionage film directed by Tomas Alfredson, from a screenplay written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan based on the 1974 novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré...
Guillam is played by Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...
. Guillam is portrayed as homosexual in the film, unlike the books in which he is heterosexual. In speaking of this decision by the filmmakers, Cumberbatch said the necessity of the character's secrecy about his sexuality (for fear of blackmail) went well with the secretiveness of the spy world.
In the 2009/10 adaptations for BBC radio Guillam was played by Richard Dillane
Richard Dillane
Richard Dillane is an English actor. He appeared as Merv, the husband of Margaret Humphreys in Jim Loach's fact-based movie Oranges and Sunshine, as Wernher von Braun in the BBC television docudrama Space Race, as Nero in Howard Brenton's play Paul at the National Theatre of GB and as Stephen...
.