Historian Peter Hennessy uncovers fact and faction in spy novels

15-Aug-2016 • Media Alert

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Peter Hennessy, an historian of government – and espionage – helps BBC Radio 4 listeners to uncover something more about the truth behind spy fiction, including James Bond.

'Great Spy Books: Fact or Fiction?' aired last week on BBC Radio, and is now available on the iPlayer. By interviewing former officers in MI5 and MI6, he compares and contrasts fiction with real espionage. Hennessy even uncovers some of the impacts that spy novels have had on the real life espionage tactics in the early twentieth century.

The programme runs for 56 minutes and can be streamed around the world now on BBC iPlayer.