Anyone here ever watch "Reilly, Ace of Spies"?

[BuckyRea]

I just bought the original Thames Television run of Sam Neill's breakout role last month. I remember watching that show as a kid and being fascinated with the tangled web of European power politics in the years before WW1. The chaos in Russia during the Bolshevik revolution was such a free for all. Keep in mind that when the show was made, the world of espionage had been totally ensconced in bipolar global divisions for over 50 years.

Today, it seems like the world is drifting back into the multipolar world of the 1910s, although obviously the threat of wars between the major powers are down to almost nil. We'll spy on each other, but all the shooting is done over in the undeveloped corners of the world.

It's a fascinating series, although they seem to skip over large chunks of Sidney Reilly's career, such as his days behind German lines during WW1. Also, the show's presentation of his final case makes it look like the high-living Reilly decided to sacrifice himself to end Dzerzhinsky's spy ring, even though the facts on the surface look more like Reilly just screwed up and got caught in the end. Does anyone familiar with Reilly's career care to share how accurate the series was?

Of course casting Neill as Reilly was truly doing the master spy a big favor.

 

[vogtmurr]

Not very much I'm afraid, but apparently the true story was larger than life. I knew someone who was pretty absorbed in the series. I remember an episode where he is acknowledged by the chief German naval officer he betrayed. I only caught the end of the final episode when he takes his last walk in Russia. When televised there were some narrators who discussed aspects of his life and death, but can't remember who or what the details were. Seems it was a very high risk enterprise, and he was on the wrong side of the fence when they discovered they'd been compromised. In revolutionary Russia it was easy to be liquidated under any suspicion.

 

[GoodGame]

I think I saw a few episodes growing up. Can't recall much of it and I have no credibility to criticize it.