The latest in a long line of adaptations of John le Carré novels – and hoping no doubt to receive as warm a reception as 2016’s The Night Manager – this six-part miniseries concerns the recruitment of small-time actress Charmian “Charlie” Ross (Florence Pugh) by a clandestine group of Israeli spies intent on catching a Palestinian terrorist, with Skarsgård her laconic handler.
Why Charlie? Don’t expect an answer to that question quickly or, in fact, anything to happen with much haste – The Little Drummer Girl puts the “slow” in slow burn.
Indeed, it is not until the second episode that the disparate story strands introduced in the first episode start to be pulled together. But while the pacing might frustrate, the visual feast of glamorous European locales, 1970s detail and Skarsgård in his swimming trunks are adequate compensation. 
(Starts Wed., Nov. 14, 8.30pm; BBC First. For more on Skarsgård, turn to p. 24)
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