Harry Palmer 'Palmer', 'Tommy Palmer'. So, he said, 'All right, we'll call him Harry Palmer.'" Len Deighton introduced the lead character in "The IPCRESS File", his first novel, published in November 1962. In that first-person novel, the secret agent is anonymous, although at one point he is greeted by someone saying "Hello, Harry"; he later says, "Now my name isn't Harry, but in this business it's hard to remember whether it ever had been." Deighton's spy is described as working class, living in a back street flat and seedy hotels, and shopping in supermarkets. He wears glasses, is hindered by bureaucracy, and
The Ipcress File (film) as a classic. "The Ipcress File" is included on the British Film Institute's BFI 100, a list of 100 of the best British films of the 20th century, at No. 59, and currently holds an approval rating of 100% at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews with an average rating of 7.8/10. The film won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film, and Ken Adam won the award for 'Best British Art Direction, Colour'. Screenwriters Bill Canaway and James Doran received a 1966 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Foreign Film Screenplay. The protagonist of Deighton's