Spies search for real life Q to create James Bond style gadgets

Now pay attention, 007. A search has been launched to find a real-life counterpart to Q to fit out MI5 and MI6 agents with all the gadgets that James Bond could ever desire.
Q is known to millions of Bond fans as the man heading Q Branch, the experimental unit behind all the ingenious devices that 007 uses - reports The Times.

Rather less well known is that there really is a secret scientific team, based in Milton Keynes, responsible for inventing equipment at the cutting edge of technology for Britain’s secret services.

The present Q, John Widdowson, is leaving his post as chief executive officer of the unit, which goes under the prosaic name of Her Majesty’s Government Communications Centre (HMGCC).

Security service officials are now hunting for a successor in time for his departure in October after five years in the role most famously played in the Bond films by Desmond Llewelyn and most recently by John Cleese.

As a result of the war against terrorism the unit’s role and resources have been expanded and the successful candidate will have funds of £27 million at his disposal and be in charge of 425 staff.

While Aston Martins fitted with missiles may be far-fetched, the British ingenuity which has created exploding rats, compasses hidden in buttons and booby-trapped camel dung remains prized by the secret services.

One of the more urgent requirements of secret agents are tiny but powerful and long-lasting batteries to power the equipment they use. The smaller they are the more portable and easily hidden, but current models have low and quickly drained power. The new Q will be expected to oversee the development of better batteries for bugs and tracking devices.

Communication is a priority, including the development of miniaturised satellite phones to enable agents to stay in touch with London. Equally, ensuring communications cannot be eavesdropped is a crucial part of HMGCC’s work.

A further area likely to be investigated by the new Q is use of nanotechnology for spying, as the art of miniaturisation gets down to molecular level.

It could be used in bizarre gadgets such as the remote-controlled spy rat. Nanotechnology could create electrodes to connect to the rats’ brains to control their movement. This could provide agents with an unrivalled ally, once fitted with tiny cameras or chemical sensors, in getting into heavily guarded installations.

The unit’s website is vague about the role but does state that it is charged with “catering specifically to the needs of Her Majesty’s Government at home and overseas”. The new Q will report to senior MI5 and MI6 officials.

Headhunters from Odgers Ray & Berndson have been hired to identify a successor to Dr Widdowson and the position has been advertised in The Times and The Sunday Times.

Whoever is appointed will earn between £90,000 and £100,000 a year and will be expected to provide “inspirational” leadership with experience in cutting-edge technology and a strong sense of integrity.

The advertisement provides little detail about the true nature of the job. It says that the holder of the post will “manage stakeholder relationships” and “set direction during a period of growth and change”.

It does, however, provide a few clues, including the observation that the role is “critical to national security”.

Thanks to `Bond. James Bond` for the alert.

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