The Times - UK (2021-12-22)

the times | Wednesday December 22 2021 19

News

The head of MI6 said this year that the
legend of James Bond was a double-
edged sword. His attitude seems to
have softened, however, with a nod to
the fictional spy in the secret service’s
Christmas card.
It adopts the image featured in the
opening sequences of the 007 films
where Bond, dressed in dinner jacket
and bow tie, turns and shoots towards
the camera. Instead of the dapper spy, a
tubby Father Christmas points a red
and white striped candy cane skywards.
The card was produced by one of the
overseas intelligence agency’s officers.
Richard Moore, who was appointed
chief of the service last year, told The
Times in April that he enjoyed the films
depicting Ian Fleming’s character but
they were a far cry from reality.
“There are certain elements, echoes
sometimes of that, but no... James
Bond is wonderfully insubordinate to
M and I feel that doesn’t go on in my
own service,” he said. “Bond is a double-
edged thing for us but it is inescapable
and I am very much looking forward to

From MI6 with love, a Bond-style licence to chill

George Sandeman the next film. I love the films.” Moore
laughed when asked if he had a Miss
Moneypenny to arrange his affairs. “I
have a wonderful private office,” he
said. “I am not entirely sure how they
would react to being described as being
Moneypenny.”
The forthcoming film the chief was
referring to was No Time to Die, which
received five stars from Kevin Maher,
chief film critic of The Times.
It was released in September after
having been delayed several times due
to the pandemic. After the credits had
rolled, a solemn promise filled the
screen: “James Bond will return.”
After watching the film in the
autumn, Moore told Toda y on BBC
Radio 4 last month that the service’s
link to the fictional spy with a licence to
kill had to be celebrated rather than
viewed as a burden.
“It is fiction, it is not reality,” he said.
“But the Bond franchise is a wonderful
one. I had such fun watching the most
recent film, no spoilers here but it is
brilliant, it doffs a cap to all the great
James Bond traditions.”
In the same interview Moore re-

vealed that he still wrote in green

ink as previous chiefs did. He said

that the typescript on his computer

was also green so that anybody re-

ceiving documents or emails knew

which were his.

He said that, unfortunately, his

car did not have any gadgets that

could help him to kill or evade

enemies. Nor, he confessed, was it

an Aston Martin.

On more serious issues he

spoke of how Chinese intelligence

had been mounting a widespread

campaign of espionage against the UK

and its allies in a bid to steal technology

and interfere with politics. He told the

International Institute for Strate-

gic Studies in London last month

that dealing with the threat posed

by China was the “single greatest

priority” that was facing his service.

“The tectonic plates are shifting

as China’s power, and its willingness

to assert it, grows,” he said.

“The Chinese intelligence ser-

vices are highly capable and con-

tinue to conduct large-scale espio-

nage operations against the UK and

our allies.

“We are concerned by the Chinese

government’s attempt to distort

public discourse and political decision-

making across the globe.”

UKUKUKK

g

tht

bb

pp

aa

tto

vv

tti

nn

oo

g

The MI6 Christmas card parodies pub

the James Bond opening sequence

jack blackburn

TMS

[email protected] | @timesdiary

Pay attention,

it may be true

When Theresa May became PM,

David Davis was that rarest of

creatures: an MP not on

tenterhooks about the reshuffle.

He told the think tank UK in a

Changing Europe he went for a

drink in Portcullis House, where

he found an amused aide. “Twitter

keeps saying you’re at No 10,” she

said. He told her: “Take a

photograph of me holding this

glass of wine and say ‘He’s not in

No 10.’” No one was convinced so

he went to quash the rumour

himself and then remembered

he’d turned his phone off earlier.

“There was a stream of messages,”

he said, all reading “Please call No

10”. Just goes to show you can

never trust political gossip: even

some false rumours are true.

Noting yesterday’s winter solstice,

Pointless quiz host Richard Osman

suggested that December 21 carries

a unique benefit, saying “This is

probably the best day to tell

someone you’re as honest as the

day is long.”

eggs and soldiers at war

While many start the day with

eggs and soldiers, the Test Match

Special commentator Dan

Norcross says he takes the

military analogy further. “I

confess to recreating the Second

World War over a cooked

breakfast most mornings,” he

writes in The Nightwatchman

magazine. His toast (Germany)

invades the egg (France) which

requires the bacon (Blighty) to

come in and sort out the mess.

“Marvellously,” he says, “this is

the gift that keeps on giving.

You can convert sausages

into the Russians, baked

beans into the Japanese

(so hard to finish off),

hash browns into the

Americans (obviously)

and the tomatoes into

Italians (you have to eat them

quickly before they get cold).”

boris beer goes flat

The prime minister was once

compared to a brand of beer as the

politician who could refresh the

parts others couldn’t reach, but

he’s started to go flat. Boris

Johnson’s name is being chanted

unflatteringly on football terraces

and during the darts at Alexandra

Palace. Having seen the latter,

Michael Gove’s former adviser

Sam Freedman still insisted that

the beer comparison held true.

“He really is the Heineken

politician,” Freedman said. “In that

everyone now thinks he’s insipid

and weak and would prefer

something else.”

Meanwhile, Tory backbenchers’

antipathy to scientific advisers is

getting less and less veiled. “The

modellers are only modelling for

absolutely worst circumstances,”

Iain Duncan Smith told the Today

programme, citing the work of

Sage’s Professor Medley. At least,

that is who he meant. IDS seemed to

think he was called “Professor

Meddler”.

lessons from a pro

Having actor parents Sam West,

below, was given drama training

for free. While at Oxford he came

home to tell his mum, Prunella

Scales, that he’d been cast as the

elderly Gonzalo in The Tempest. “I

think he’s ex-army,” he told her.

“Quite healthy, stands up straight.”

Scales raised an eyebrow. “Do you

know what you’re doing?” she said.

“You’re finding intellectually

justifiable reasons not to play the

part properly.” West tells Out to

Lunch she insisted he spend a

week with a coat hanger in his

jacket to give him a stoop. “It

worked!” says West,

though it was too

successful. “I only got

asked to play old men

for the rest of my time

at Oxford.”