Prague's Cold War streets and Liverpool's 1960s makeover: Where Legacy of Spies was filmed
Legacy of Spies
Karolíny Světlé Street in Prague. Old Hall Street in Liverpool. St George's Hall dressed for the early 1960s. Vintage cars on Merseyside. A souvenir shop transformed into a period cabaret. Legacy of Spies — the BBC and MGM+ adaptation of John le Carré's Cold War universe — has been moving through two European cities since March 2026, turning real streets into the divided world of George Smiley.
The eight-episode series draws on multiple le Carré works including The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and A Legacy of Spies, combining established material with previously unpublished elements. It is produced by The Ink Factory — founded by le Carré's sons Stephen and Simon Cornwell — and written by Stephen Cornwell and Clarissa Ingram.
Matthew Macfadyen plays George Smiley. Charlie Hunnam plays Peter Guillam. The wider ensemble includes Daniel Brühl, Devrim Lingnau, Dan Stevens, Felix Kammerer, Agnes O'Casey, Hugh Laurie, Joe Alwyn, Anjana Vasan, Charlotte Ritchie and Volker Bruch.
Production began in Prague in late March 2026, with filming concentrated in the Žižkov neighbourhood. The primary location was Dům Radost — Prague's first high-rise and a protected functionalist landmark — with nearby streets including Winston Churchill Square and areas in front of the Prague University of Economics and Business reserved for production vehicles and technical equipment.
In mid-April, filming expanded into Prague's historic city centre, concentrating around Karolíny Světlé Street and the Vltava waterfront, near the National Theatre. The transformation was extensive. Period vehicles filled the streets. German-language storefronts were installed, indicating Prague was being used to portray locations in East Germany. A local souvenir shop was converted into a period cabaret. Vintage signage and set decoration extended across the surrounding blocks. Large sections of the city's streets were rebuilt as Cold War-era Europe.
With the Prague portion of production complete, filming shifted to Liverpool.
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Liverpool Echo photographers captured the city's transformation on August 20, 2026 — several areas of Liverpool city centre dressed as a 1960s film set. Vintage cars appeared on Old Hall Street. Filming took place outside St George's Hall. A filming notice was placed on Ormond Street as part of the production's logistical operation across the city centre.
No release date has been announced for Legacy of Spies. A 2027 premiere on BBC and MGM+ is the most realistic expectation.
SOURCE
Prague Reporter // Liverpool Echo // BBC // IMDb
CREDITS
© The Ink Factory, Amusement Park Films, Paramount Television Studios
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