Ralf Little tours to Sheffield and Nottingham theatres playing lead character in The Spy Who Came in From The Cold

Ralf, whose telly credits include Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, God of Carnage and The Royle Family, will play disillusioned British intellingence officer Alec Leamas in the riveting thriller.

He said: "It is a huge privilege to be stepping into the shoes of one of John le Carré's great literary creations, Alec Leamas, as we bring the murky world of his Cold War masterpiece to life on stage. I first read The Spy Who Came in From the Cold when I was 16 and it has stayed with me ever since. Reading David Eldridge's brilliant script, I once again found myself drawn into the story's unexpected twists and turns, its high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse between East and West, which David has captured so thrillingly in the play. Despite being written in the 60s it feels startlingly relevant to the times we are living in now. I can't wait to share this story with audiences old and new as we take it to cities right across the UK."

The Spy Who Came in From The Cold will run at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre from May 5 to 9 and at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal from June 23 to 27, 2026.

Intelligence officer Alec Leamas is weary, hardened, and ready to come in from the cold. But when spymaster George Smiley presents one final mission — dangerous, deceptive, and deeply personal — Leamas agrees to stay in the game. Dispatched into enemy territory, he finds his convictions tested and his defences breached by Liz Gold, a quietly defiant librarian whose compassion threatens to thaw his frostbitten heart

A global bestseller for over six decades and named one of TIME Magazine’s All-Time 100 Novels, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception and moral compromise.

Olivier Award-nominated actor Ralf Little is best known for his roles as Anthony Royle in the telly sitcom The Royle Family and as Jonny in Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Ralf is set to reunite with his Two Pints castmate Will Mellor for part two of the second season of factual series Will & Ralf Should Know Better on U and U&Dave in 2026. In 2024, Ralf finished his run as lead detective of the BBC’s much loved Death in Paradise which reached its highest audience during his tenure.

His other TV credits include The Café with Phoebe Waller-Bridge (which Ralf also wrote), Robin Hood, Our Zoo, Doctor Who and The A Word.

Ralf’s film credits include 24 Hour Party People with Steve Coogan, The Waiting Room alongside Anne-Marie Duff, Powder with Alfie Allen, and voicing the lead character in Underdogs with Ariana Grande and Nicholas Hoult.

He was nominated for an Olivier Award for most promising actor when he made his London debut in 2001, playing George Harrison in Presence at the Royal Court.

Standard tickets to see The Spy Who Came in From The Cold cost from £22.50 for the Sheffield run, book online at www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk. Tickets for the Nottingham run are priced from £23.50, go to www.trch.co.uk