Roy Bland
Encyclopedia
Roy Bland is a fictional character in the novels of John le Carré
, appearing most prominently in
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
. He is a high-ranking official in "The Circus" (the British Secret Intelligence Service
), and one of five men suspected of being a mole
for the Russians.
, who met him at St. Antony's College.
It is not revealed whether he is a fellow of the college or not. Roddy Martindale snidely calls him the first "Red Brick Don to make The Circus (MI6)", which could refer to where he did his first degree, or the fact that St Antony's was founded comparatively recently (1950) and did not have as much prestige as other Oxford colleges.
Bland took an economics degree and, building on his father's reputation, built a career as a left-wing academic. Regarded as friendly to the Soviets, he thus gained a string of professorships at various Eastern Bloc
universities, including Poznań
, Budapest
, Kiev
, and Sofia, which were cover for him to recruit Circus agents from among his students. He suffered two nervous breakdown
s during this phase of his career.
Prior to the events of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, the Circus hierarchy becomes polarized between the current Chief, "Control" and the party led by Percy Alleline
. Bland gravitates toward Alleline out of ambition, forgetting any loyalties to Smiley, who is Control's supporter.
After Control's disgrace and Alleline's ascension to the chief's position, Bland becomes second-in-command to Bill Haydon
, head of "London Station" (in effect, director of operations). Bland himself is in charge of Eastern Bloc spying. Like the other three top men at the Circus - Alleline, Haydon, and Toby Esterhase
, he is part of the "magic circle" supervising the collection and distribution of the marvelous "Witchcraft" intelligence that ensured Alleline's succession.
Along with the rest of the magic circle, he helps brief Peter Guillam
on the supposed threat that Ricki Tarr poses, and is shocked when Haydon turns out to be a mole.
Bland appears briefly in the opening of The Honourable Schoolboy
, the sequel to Tinker, Tailor. In that novel it is revealed that Bland, along with Alleline and many other Circus officers, was forced to retire - partly in disgrace for his (unwitting) participation in Haydon's treachery, and partly because, with Haydon having laid open the entire Circus to the Russians, all of Bland's experience and secret knowledge has become useless.
Smiley briefly brings Bland out of retirement to attempt to rescue two agents from the ruthless purge the Russians are conducting after Haydon's exposure, since Bland was their old case officer. The attempt fails, and Smiley adamantly refuses Bland's further requests for reinstatement (Esterhase is the only one of the magic circle to escape dismissal).
, regarded as the most brilliant and certainly the most flamboyant of the Circus's officers. For Bland, this means adopting a blunt, forthright manner that is almost gauche.
He once jokes that, like F. Scott Fitzgerald
, he's perfectly capable of holding two completely opposite viewpoints at the same time: having worn his cover as a left-wing academic for so long, he's perfectly in sync with the Socialist
/Communist
agenda, and on the other hand, as a poor working-class hero, he will happily accept any of the "privileges" associated with wealth and status in the West, such as a large sum of money and a scholarship for his son to attend Eton College
.
He smokes cigarettes so frequently he coughs and is often short of breath.
television adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, played by British actor Terence Rigby
. Bland is portrayed by Ciarán Hinds
in the 2011 film adaptation
.
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"...
, appearing most prominently 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 a high-ranking official in "The Circus" (the British Secret Intelligence Service
Secret Intelligence Service
The Secret Intelligence Service is responsible for supplying the British Government with foreign intelligence. Alongside the internal Security Service , the Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence Intelligence , it operates under the formal direction of the Joint Intelligence...
), and one of five men suspected of being a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
for the Russians.
Background
Unusually for Circus officers, Bland is from a working-class background. His father was a manual labourer with pronounced left-wing views. Bland received a scholarship to Oxford and was recruited by George SmileyGeorge 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 met him at St. Antony's College.
It is not revealed whether he is a fellow of the college or not. Roddy Martindale snidely calls him the first "Red Brick Don to make The Circus (MI6)", which could refer to where he did his first degree, or the fact that St Antony's was founded comparatively recently (1950) and did not have as much prestige as other Oxford colleges.
Bland took an economics degree and, building on his father's reputation, built a career as a left-wing academic. Regarded as friendly to the Soviets, he thus gained a string of professorships at various Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
universities, including Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, and Sofia, which were cover for him to recruit Circus agents from among his students. He suffered two nervous breakdown
Nervous breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
s during this phase of his career.
Prior to the events of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, the Circus hierarchy becomes polarized between the current Chief, "Control" and the party led by Percy Alleline
Percy Alleline
Sir Percy Alleline is a fictional character in British novelist John le Carré's work. He is the Chief of the "Circus", Le Carré's fictionalised version of MI6/SIS, in the novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy....
. Bland gravitates toward Alleline out of ambition, forgetting any loyalties to Smiley, who is Control's supporter.
After Control's disgrace and Alleline's ascension to the chief's position, Bland becomes second-in-command to Bill Haydon
Bill Haydon
Bill Haydon is a fictional character created by John le Carré, and is a major figure in le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.-Biography:...
, head of "London Station" (in effect, director of operations). Bland himself is in charge of Eastern Bloc spying. Like the other three top men at the Circus - Alleline, Haydon, and Toby Esterhase
Toby Esterhase
Toby Esterhase is a fictional character in John le Carré's George Smiley spy novels including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Honourable Schoolboy; and Smiley's People, as well as some of the stories in The Secret Pilgrim....
, he is part of the "magic circle" supervising the collection and distribution of the marvelous "Witchcraft" intelligence that ensured Alleline's succession.
Along with the rest of the magic circle, he helps brief Peter Guillam
Peter Guillam
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....
on the supposed threat that Ricki Tarr poses, and is shocked when Haydon turns out to be a mole.
Bland appears briefly in the opening of The Honourable Schoolboy
The Honourable Schoolboy
The Honourable Schoolboy is a spy novel by John le Carré. George Smiley tries to reconstruct an intelligence service and to run a successful offensive espionage operation to save the service from falling to the "war hawks" in government...
, the sequel to Tinker, Tailor. In that novel it is revealed that Bland, along with Alleline and many other Circus officers, was forced to retire - partly in disgrace for his (unwitting) participation in Haydon's treachery, and partly because, with Haydon having laid open the entire Circus to the Russians, all of Bland's experience and secret knowledge has become useless.
Smiley briefly brings Bland out of retirement to attempt to rescue two agents from the ruthless purge the Russians are conducting after Haydon's exposure, since Bland was their old case officer. The attempt fails, and Smiley adamantly refuses Bland's further requests for reinstatement (Esterhase is the only one of the magic circle to escape dismissal).
Character and Habits
In Tinker, Tailor, Smiley reflects that three of the four men suspected of being the mole are attempting to imitate Bill HaydonBill Haydon
Bill Haydon is a fictional character created by John le Carré, and is a major figure in le Carré's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.-Biography:...
, regarded as the most brilliant and certainly the most flamboyant of the Circus's officers. For Bland, this means adopting a blunt, forthright manner that is almost gauche.
He once jokes that, like F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
, he's perfectly capable of holding two completely opposite viewpoints at the same time: having worn his cover as a left-wing academic for so long, he's perfectly in sync with the Socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
/Communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
agenda, and on the other hand, as a poor working-class hero, he will happily accept any of the "privileges" associated with wealth and status in the West, such as a large sum of money and a scholarship for his son to attend Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
.
He smokes cigarettes so frequently he coughs and is often short of breath.
Portrayals
Bland appears in the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, played by British actor Terence Rigby
Terence Rigby
Terence Christopher Rigby was an English actor with a number of film and television credits to his name. In the 1970s he was well-known as police dog-handler PC Snow in the long-running series Softly, Softly: Taskforce...
. Bland is portrayed by Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds
Ciarán Hinds is an Irish film, television and stage actor. He has built up a reputation as a versatile character actor appearing in such high profile films as Road to Perdition, The Phantom of the Opera, Munich, There Will Be Blood and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. His television roles include...
in the 2011 film adaptation
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...
.