A 50 minute talk about espionage and counter intelligence that tells the true stories that inspired spy fiction.

You will hear about the reasons the British security services were set up, how they are organised, their role in two world wars and the cold war and the work they do today.

You will hear true spy stories, like the amazing tale of Agent Zigzag, the woman SIS operative that helped catch Russian double agent Kim Philby, the unfortunate Agent Snow and the ungentlemanly warfare conducted by Section D, and the role beautiful St Ermin’s Hotel played in the story.

The talk will be hosted on the Zoom video conference platform, and includes pictures and a chance to ask questions.

Reviews of this tour

Rob Smith gave a really interesting tour with stories of spies and key buildings. He was very knowledgeable and told the story well. 2 hours just flew by as he guided us expertly from St James underground, through Green Park and past key points of interest. We had a great time. Thanks Rob.

Listen to stories of spy-antics while walking through crowds doing prime tourist sites of London. I appreciate Rob’s class-criticism too.