The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | The Spider and the Fly | 1

The Spy Who

Wondery

History

4.6 • 669 Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

MI5 is on its knees at the dawn of the 1970s: Soviet spies are running free around the country and the government won’t boot them out for fear of upsetting Moscow. But the danger from inaction is growing because a spy from the KGB’s most-secret department has just been posted to London. His name is Oleg Lyalin and he’s on a mission to take down Britain’s nuclear defences.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early and add free on Apple
0:06.9	podcasts or the Wondry app.
0:09.3	This season of The Spy Who we're revisiting one of our most gripping spy stories.
0:14.6	That's of Oleg Lellen.
0:16.5	The Spy Who Saved MI5, a man whose actions changed the course of the Cold War, triggering the biggest
0:23.2	expulsion of spies by any government in history.
0:34.3	August 30, 1971, just after 1 a. 1am in London's West End.
0:41.4	In his patrol car, police constable Charles Shearer peers at a Hillman Mink's driving up ahead.
0:47.9	Its lights are off, and it's drifting from side to side.
0:54.0	Shear flicks on the siren. Blue light flashes across the dark and shopped. from side to side.
0:55.4	Shira flicks on the siren.
0:58.6	Blue light flashes across the darkened shopfront.
1:02.3	The Hillman Minks pulls over.
1:09.3	Shira stops behind it and steps out of his patrol car.
1:16.7	As he does, the passenger door of the car he pulled over opens, an attractive blonde woman gets out and hurries away.
1:20.7	Shira ignores her and walks towards the stopped car.
1:25.3	The driver winds down his window. You scared scared my dataway, officer. Shira looks at the driver.
1:33.0	He's a slim, suave man with a pencil moustache and wearing an expensive suit. Have you been
1:38.2	drinking, sir? Well, one or two. I'd like you to take a breathalyzer test. No, I'm not doing any tests. Then I'm
1:48.2	arresting you for refusing to be tested. Shira guides the driver into the back of his patrol car,
1:57.1	starts the engine and heads for the nearest police station.
2:05.6	Then, something heavy lands on his shoulder.
	...

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