The Game is on for Brian Cox in Cold War spy tale

Scots star Brian Cox reckons his latest big spy series is a world away from the gadgets and gizmos of James Bond.

The Game, currently running on BBC2, is a Cold War drama set in the 1970s with Brian playing the charismatic head of MI5, simply known as Daddy.

“I’ve read John le Carre’s books and I saw the original Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” says Brian.

“Le Carre really nailed it because he knew the real world of the secret service, not the 007 version of it. It was much more low-key than people realise.

“I think it was pints in pubs and grubby hotel rooms, not at all high-brow. The great thing about it was the use of telephones, and microphones all that stuff that wasn’t particularly hi-tech.

“One of the great appeals of thee show is it’s about the nitty-gritty stuff, people talking in telephone booths, people getting in taxis and following people.

“You’re thinking on your feet all the time and that’s what the show captures.”

The series has already been shown in the States to great acclaim.

“Vanity Fair said that we might have lost Mad Men but now we’ve got The Game, so it really did have great reviews,” said Brian.

Brian’s based in New York these days and he says the chance to come back to the UK and to an on-screen evocation of the 1970s with which he was very familiar just couldn’t be ignored.

“It was an amazing set,” he adds “It looks magnificent, so impressive. It’s very representative of the time and I was around then so I remember it quite well!”