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I'm James Bond novelist Charlie Higson, and this is The Spy Who, an audible original.

Thank you for joining us for our final episode of the spy who inspired the first Bond girl.

She was one of Britain's most daring spies of the Second World War, a woman who crossed borders,

outwitted the Gestapo, and helped change the course of the war. And yet, within a decade, she would be dead.

Not on the battlefield, but in a London hotel.

Polish countess, Christina Scarbeck, had to force her way into Britain's intelligence services,

becoming one of its most unconventional agents and Churchill's favourite spy.

She operated at the centre of one of the most dangerous conflicts in history

and then found herself fighting for a place in the world she helped to save,

dependent on the approval of the men who once sent her into the field and later shut her out,

a woman who, within years, would be pushed to the margins

and in danger of drifting into obscurity.

In this episode, we explore the life and the afterlife of Christina Scarbeck.

A story shaped not just by what she did,

but by the people who controlled where she could go,

what she could become, and ultimately how she would be remembered.

I'm joined by historian Claire Mully, whose work has been instrumental in reshaping how we understand Christina,

challenging the myths and uncovering a far more complete and human story.

So, welcome to the Spy Who, Claire.

Thank you for joining me here in the studio in London.

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