Episodes
| Episode | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 20140317 | 20140324 (R4) 20140325 (R4) | With access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, and with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, author Ben Macintyre unlocks the last great secret of the Cold War. Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone - only to discover they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed. The story begins in Beirut 1963, a bugged room. Two men who've known each other for thirty years face one another. Both are spies, but one is a traitor. The first episode of A Spy Among Friends starts with Kim Philby's confession to his best friend. Read by: Simon Russell Beale Producer: David Roper A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4. Beirut, 1963: double agent Kim Philby is interrogated by his best friend from MI6. |
| 02 | 20140325 | 20140326 (R4) | With access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, and with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, author Ben Macintyre unlocks the last great secret of the Cold War. Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone - only to discover they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed. The story begins in Beirut 1963, a bugged room. Two men who've known each other for thirty years face one another. Both are spies, but one is a traitor. In the second episode of A Spy Among Friends, Philby's charm and intelligence make him many friends inside the Intelligence Service, where his career enjoys an irresistible rise even as he is plotting his deadliest betrayals. Reader: Simon Russell Beale Producer: David Roper A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 A mole at the heart of MI6. His career on the rise, Philby plots his deadliest betrayal. |
| 03 | 20140320 | 20140326 (R4) 20140327 (R4) | With access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, and with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, author Ben Macintyre unlocks the last great secret of the Cold War. Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone - only to discover they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed. In today's episode, who is 'The Third Man'? When Burgess and Maclean break for Moscow fear and paranoia grip MI6. In the third episode of A Spy Among Friends the spotlight shines on Kim Philby Reader: Simon Russell Beale Producer: David Roper A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4. Talk of a Third Man grows louder, and the suspicion around Kim Philby grows stronger. |
| 04 | 20140327 | 20140328 (R4) | With access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, and with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, author Ben Macintyre unlocks the last great secret of the Cold War. Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone - only to discover they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed. In the fourth episode of A Spy Among Friends, Nicholas Elliott secures Kim Philby's return to MI6 and a posting in Beirut. Philby makes contact with Moscow Centre, but now the net is finally closing in. Read by: Simon Russell Beale Producer: David Roper A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 Philby is back. Posted to Beirut, a spy once more. But the net is closing in. |
| 05 LAST | 20140328 | 20140329 (R4) | With access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, and with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, author Ben Macintyre unlocks the last great secret of the Cold War. Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War. Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone - only to discover they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed. In the final episode of A Spy Among Friends Nicholas Elliott confronts Kim Philby who finally admits the scale and depth of his betrayal, the greatest in the twentieth century. Read by: Simon Russell Beale Producer: David Roper A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4 Beirut 1963, in a bugged room. Nicholas Elliott finally confronts traitor Kim Philby. |