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Reilly: Ace of Spies

  • NR
  • 1983
  • 1 season
  • Crime, Drama
  • 7.0

The amazing true story of the world's first international super spy

Reilly, Ace of Spies is a 1983 television miniseries dramatising the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian Jew who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the British. Among his exploits, in the early 20th-century, were the infiltration of the German General Staff in 1917 and a near-overthrow of the Bolsheviks in 1918. His reputation with women was as legendary as his genius for espionage.

Episodes

12 episodes
  1. 1An Affair with a Married Woman

    50 minSep 5, 1983

    1901: Professor Sydney Rosenblum is taken from a train and held under unofficial arrest in a provincial Russian village, suspected of stealing confidential oil surveys. The young wife of an elderly vicar may hold the secret to his escape.

  2. 2Prelude to War

    50 minSep 7, 1983

    1904: Reilly is stationed in Port Arthur and forced to help the Japanese, against his better judgement, in taking the port from the Russians. As a mass evacuation gets under way, Reilly’s plans are put at risk by a soft-spoken detective.

  3. 3The Visiting Fireman

    50 minSep 14, 1983

    1905: A British operation to steal German ship plans is in danger of being uncovered. Zaharov wants the plans and Cummings wants a compromised agent saved, but Reilly decides on a unique approach to the problem.

  4. 4Anna

    50 minSep 21, 1983

    1906: Reilly’s search for Margaret takes him to Paris, where Cummings forces him into helping secure an oil contract from an Australian who may sell to the Rothschilds. An unexpected turn of events reunites Reilly with his sister.

  5. 5Dreadnoughts and Crosses

    50 minSep 28, 1983

    1910: Apparently now working for the Germans in Russia, Reilly is to bid on their behalf for a valuable weapons contract, giving him a chance to finally get his revenge on Zaharov.

  6. 6Dreadnoughts and Doublecrosses

    50 minOct 5, 1983

    1910: Reilly’s winning of the weapons contract depends on his marriage to a Russian Countess. Unfortunately, Margaret’s reappearance, engineered by Zaharov, threatens to ruin everything.

  7. 7Gambit

    50 minOct 12, 1983

    1918: Back in Russia, Reilly is tasked with appealing with the Bolsheviks to end their peace treaty with Germany and return to the war. When Lenin refuses, he sets in motion a plan to overthrow the government and place himself in power.

  8. 8Endgame

    50 minOct 19, 1983

    1918: Reilly’s plans come under strain when the British fail to give Savinkov the promised military support and Dzerzhinsky scuppers plans to assassinate Lenin. But then unexpected events change everything.

  9. 9After Moscow

    50 minOct 26, 1983

    1918: Reilly and his friends filter back to Britain and face questioning from an official enquiry. As Lenin's condition becomes stable, both Reilly and Dzerzhinsky plan their next moves.

  10. 10The Trust

    50 minNov 2, 1983

    1924: Reilly is in exile in New York drumming up support and money for Savinkov’s anti-bolshevik movement. A new organisation, the Trust, campaigns for Savinkov’s return, but Reilly suspects that Dzerzhinsky is behind them.

  11. 11The Last Journey

    50 minNov 9, 1983

    1925: Reilly’s propaganda war against the Trust has gone well enough for them to reach out and invite him to Russia. He hopes to finally undermine Dzerzhinsky’s operation, but Dzerzhinsky is already under scrutiny from Stalin.

  12. 12Shutdown

    50 minNov 16, 1983

    1925: Reilly has been arrested and is subjected to interrogation and torture. Back in Britain, Pepita fights to find out the truth while Cummings campaigns for his release. As Dzerzhinsky’s whole operation is put under threat, a last minute deal is attempted.

Where to watch Reilly: Ace of Spies

Availability from JustWatch, via TMDB. Full listing for United States

Series cast

Sam NeillSidney Reilly12 episodes
Michael BryantNarrator (voice)12 episodes
Norman RodwayCummings10 episodes
Tom BellDzerzhinsky6 episodes
Hugh FraserHill6 episodes
Clive MerrisonSavinkov5 episodes
Peter EganFothergill4 episodes
Leo McKernZaharov4 episodes
Jeananne CrowleyMargaret4 episodes
Brian ProtheroeGrammaticoff4 episodes
Malcolm TerrisSykes4 episodes
Celia GregoryNadia3 episodes
Kenneth CranhamLenin3 episodes
Ian CharlesonLockhart3 episodes
Bogdan KominowskiPeters3 episodes
Frances BarberDagmara3 episodes
Laura DavenportPepita3 episodes
Anthony HigginsTrilisser3 episodes

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