American Couple Reacts: MI6 & The Hidden History of Britain's Spies! FIRST TIME REACTION!

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

The United Kingdom has always been synonymous with Spies. Of course the main reason is Ian Fleming's James Bond or 007. But do you know much about MI6? Or the insanely long history of British spies? Well, we didn't! This is A LOT of info to digest but VERY cool stuff! Careful not to break your own cover (as one of us did) when watching this episode. Covert, cool, intriguing, mysterious. That's the MI6 or is it? Thank you SO much for watching! If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our channel, it is the BEST way to support our channel and it's FREE! Also, please click the Like button. Thank you for your support!

[@ivanharmon9801]

One of the things i got from this video is that both the US and UK Governments are still unaware of the true shadow non Government funded organisations that in all probability do still exist...... or is just my mind running away...lol

[@aestheticdemon3802]

Ian Fleming, the "Bond" author, was himself in Military Intelligence in WWII, as a handler for a double agent, who was gathering intel from the German's Military Intelligence. As a result, they found out that Germany's allies, the Japanese, were asking the Germans for intel on the disposition of the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour. A British Agent, went to the US and officially informed the US that the Japanese were planning a strike on the Pacific Fleet, in AUGUST of 1941, THREE MONTHS before the actual attack. The US response to this warning? They DEPORTED the British Agent for "Morality Offenses", ie. he slept with unmarried women in his hotel room... Then the US ignored the warning, until... December 7th, 1941... They did this because J E Hoover (then heading the US's intel gathering) disliked spies, as they were not "Proper badge carrying Law Enforcement personnel", and considered them on par with criminal informers. Bonus: Bond's "007" designation is almost certainly a reference to the way Dr. John Dee signed his papers, that's John Dee, court astrologer to Elizabeth I, who spent some time touring the courts of European monarchs, and who was almost certainly one of Walshingham's spies.

[@BillyBoy1235]

@@TheNatashaDebbieShow To be honest this program just about scratched the surface. There is a lot of detail it didn’t cover. Such as the activities of SOE during WW2.

[@johnbowman7389]

Happy new year ladies.!! May you have a healthy, peaceful and prosperous one.!!❤

[@Dasyurid]

It’s a popular myth that MI stands for Military Intelligence. In reality it stands for Mysterious Initials.

[@MillerWright-mb1ob]

If there's days when you think nobody listens to you, take heart, GCHQ does.

[@kelvinpell4571]

and implements DEI policies!

[@user-tx7rn3pg6r]

Apple etc as well

[@suzettewilliams1758]

​@kelvinpell4571 How to say you are a mediocre white guy without saying it. Did someone with a H-1B take your job? 😂😂

[@Bowleskov]

And that is what I tell my children about their Mobile phones and Internet usage.

[@999_pan]

Echelon

[@davidfuters7152]

Back in the 70s I was a school boy and my RE teacher ( Religious Education) was a really nice lady and mother to 4 kids I went to school with When she passed away in her 90s it was discovered that she had worked at Bletchley Park and as a spy in South Africa during the end of WW11 , this came as a massive shock to her husband and children never mind those of us that she had taught Once they agree to the official secrets act , it for life and she took her secret with her , lovely lady and someone who had a talent for teaching that not all my teachers had God bless her ❤❤

[@louispayne1291]

My Great Grandfather also worked at Bletchley but as a mathematician. All I knew as a kid was he was awarded an MBE for his work he did there. I only knew him as Great Grand Pops and he taught me bird watching! We used to sit in his conservatory sharing a small pair of binoculars watching the birds in his back garden in Devon. That was the only spying he taught me! That was also back in the 1970's. I was too young to understand the importance of what he was involved in but I do now. He was just as normal and unassuming as your RE teacher, I suppose. Weird, isn't it?!

[@peterselby3619]

When I started courting my wife her stepdad worked at a nuclear establishment in the UK. I, and my family were investigated by MI 5. I didn't find out until we had been married for 10 years and even then it was accidentally.

[@TerenceDixon-l6b]

I used to work delivering Christmas mail (actually I worked in the sorting office) as a part-time student job. In order to work there, I had to swear to agree to the Official Secrets Act, and almost 60 years later am still bound by it. No one 'signs' the Act, one just agrees to it and are bound thereafter.

[@davidwallin7518]

@@TerenceDixon-l6b I've worked for an MP since about 2001 and so I'm also totally covered by it Unfortunately, I don't have many secrets to reveal and so haven't been approached!

[@TerenceDixon-l6b]

@@davidwallin7518 Me too, worked for the government from '75 to 2019 and never approached for my non-existent secrets, unfortunately. A bit boring, in reality.

[@skasteve6528]

Got to admire the genius of the British. Calling their principle intelligence agencies MI5 and MI6, meant that the Germans wasted half the war, trying to figure out what MIs 1 to 4 were doing. Walsinham was a fascinating man. not only did he build up a comprehensive intelligence network, he had to pay for it himself. He was the reason why England knew the Spanish armada was coming long before it actually set sail. If you want to watch a good drama about the SIS, I'd recommend the BBC's Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The whole cast is brilliant, but Alec Guinness manages to outshine them all.

[@vaudevillian7]

There was an MI1 until 1919, and it went up to MI19 - 18 and 13 weren’t used. MI8 ran until 1961. Most got ultimately merged into 5, 6 and GCHQ

[@samnemeth-smyth6109]

They did the same thing with the SAS, by originally naming it "L detachment" and then the "22nd", it meant the Germans spent ridiculous amounts of energy looking for formations that simply didn't exist

[@langy1318]

Check out Ian Fleming who helped form the CIA

[@JimJammXVII]

@@vaudevillian7 GCHQ is just outside of Cheltenham within Gloucestershire - at least, the one we are allowed to see from the road (a dual carriageway).

[@Varksterable]

​@@JimJammXVIIThe reality is that GCHQ is masterminded from a small cupboard on the ISS.

[@RichWoods23]

"How can you hide the headquarters from the government?" Practice.

[@stephenhickman304]

500 years of it .

[@aestheticdemon3802]

@@stephenhickman304 Her Most Protestant Majesty, Elizabeth Tudor's Very Secret Service, the original, and best!

[@stephenhickman304]

@@aestheticdemon3802 Of course

[@davidmahan4160]

By not telling them where it was. 😂

[@JimJammXVII]

@@aestheticdemon3802 Really? Nowhere near as manipulative and corrupt as the CIA. In a roundabout way the UK helps to finance the CIA.

[@gigmcsweeney8566]

My step-grandfather, who had flown Sopwith Camels in the Middle East during the First World War, and had been shot in both legs from groundfire and then classed as 'unfit to fly', then worked as an 'observer', operating the machine gun, dropping bombs and sketching enemy positions. He was then made a military intelligence officer for the air force, remaining in the Middle East and in East Africa during the interwar years. He was considered too old to fight during the Second World War, but was given an honorary rank of Group Captain and supervised the operations staff at RAF Tangmere, which was bombed by the Luftwaffe in 1940, killing several officers and staff working in the operations room, though he was only lightly injured. Having survived the two world wars he ended up working for the Eagle Star Insurance company, which provided 'jobs for the boys', or ex-military intelligence officers, which is how we know what he did during the interwar years. He never spoke about his intelligence work, though was highly regarded by friends and acquaintances, and wore his Royal Flying Corps and RAF ties with pride. He was obviously a very brave man, though today he'd probably be considered as an 'adrenalin junky', which was evident even when he was well into his eighties, as after one of my grandparent's neighbours had locked themselves out of their 5th floor flat on the Brighton seafront, he thought nothing of climbing across a rooftop and then edging along drainpipes, at least 60 feet above the basement, to break-in through a small window, while his family (me included), were almost in tears with fear that he'd fall and kill himself.

[@JimJammXVII]

He sounds a bit of a nutcase - in the best possible way, of course.

[@nigeldewallens1115]

Well done to your Step Grandfather! for what he did and especially, when he was in his eighties! Bravo!!

[@StephenPhillips-s1g]

MI6 = Military Intelligence Section 6

[@paulwest4685]

6 is external to UK

[@anthonymitchell8893]

you obviously don't know about MI 4 it's obvious your not in the loop ? are you on or off the square ?

[@stevejones7875]

6th letter of the alphabet is 'f' standing for 'foreign', and 5 being 'e' standing for 'England', (rather than eg GB or UK). So MI6 is Military Intelligence Foreign.

[@stewartmackay]

@@stevejones7875 What a load of garbage.

[@ohutton]

no MI was just short for Ministry. Let's not get carried away. MI5 and MI6 are just the ones where that convention has stuck around.

[@coot1925]

The MI6 building in London is not even bothering to be covert. It's a grand looking building on the south bank of the Thames at Vauxhall. It's almost saying "Here I am but good luck penetrating my defences". Just google MI6 building & there it is, sticking out like a hard-on in a wetsuit.

[@carefulwatcher3073]

And that's always assuming it IS the actual headquarters ... I'm absolutely certain it is NOT the ONLY organisational centre for SIS/MI6 and really would not be surprised if it was actually a relatively minor level office

[@neilrichards683]

😂😂😂

[@branbroken]

​@GT_1307 think your slightly off here. mi6 is at vaxhall, mi5 is at thames house across the river by lambeth bridge on millbank. "embankment" is usually refering to the Victoria embankment north of westminster where the tube stop is, there is a grand MOD building there though, rather than the albert embankment on the south which is where vaxhall and mi6 building is. Thames house (1929/1930)is certainly older than the sis building(1994), prior to this as mentioned in the video mi6 often operated out of nondescript offices, previous known adresses include century house westminster bridge road, lambeth and 54 broadway nr st james's park.

[@davidwallin7518]

Well, they are doing a rather brilliant job of hiding away - you are identifying the wrong building/area!

[@normawithers4447]

MI5 is "north of the river" and MI6 is "south of the river".

[@jamielindsay1506]

Morning ladies, I'm at work so will unfortunately miss the live premire 😢. I plan to watch this when I get home around lunchtime. I'm excited by this episode as I'm a big fan of James Bond!

[@Sues007]

I was born in 1962 Detroit, Michigan and within a few years I heard rock and roll, Motown, lots of James Bond movies and by 5 I wanted to be a spy....I still do! It is in my blood! And I still rock out! God be with you!

[@marcuswardle3180]

MI = Military Intelligence MI5 = Home Security MI6 = Foreign Intelligence MI9 = Escape (mainly used during war) MI14 = German Army (used during WWII) MI19 = Refugees MIR = Research All of these are taken from M.R.D. Foot book Resistance, publ.1976

[@bremnersghost948]

was that written by Michael Foot the MP?

[@Yandarval]

MI2 was the maps people. Making and collating maps for every country. Split into 2a, 2b for different parts of the World. MI3 gained the USSR and the Scandi countries during WWII. There were MI3a to e. MI4 was the topographical maps lot (maps with contours etc. All the lines on real land navigation map with heights, rivers and the like).

[@Yandarval]

@@bremnersghost948 M.R.D. Foot CBE, was a British military historian and former Military Intelligence and SOE officer during WWII. Michael Foot, MP, is a distant relation.

[@bremnersghost948]

@@Yandarval TY, Connection seemed logical

[@Yandarval]

@@bremnersghost948 Welcome.

[@kathrynabbott5032]

A neighbour of ours in Cheltenham used to work for GCHQ - this is in the 70's and prior to the new building. When you went past all you could see was some brick huts which i never saw anyone in or walking around.

[@vaudevillian7]

Slow Horses is a great portrayal of MI5 and The Sandbaggers is a classic portrayal of MI6

[@hayee]

Absolutely loved this! Growing up i always wanted to be a spy, it just seemed the coolest job in the world! It still does, but as an adult it’s also a scary job! Huge credit and thanks to MI6 for keeping us all safe and risking their lives daily to do so! Happy New Year Natasha & Debbie!

[@steves9250]

I’ve seen a couple of different lists over 5he years but the most common one is: MI1 Code Breaking MI2 Russian and Scandinavian intelligence MI3 Other European intelligence MI4 Aerial Reconnaissance MI5 Internal Security (as in within the UK) MI6 External Security (outside the UK) MI8 Signals Intelligence/Communications MI9 Escape and Evade Not all are still active as they were setup for WW2

[@johnnyuk3365]

Thank you for clarifying this.. I have a friend whose grandfather was in MI9 during WWII. This division is long forgotten. No handsome Sean Connery was employed by them. I understand his main job was establishing safe routes back to the UK. As movies show, there was a certain amount of trying to hide things in parcels to POW; such as maps sandwiched in board games or compasses in buttons, but unfortunately the Nazi guards nearly always got wise to this, but could cast a blind eye if given money from the board game.

[@Trebor74]

You're forgetting CI5, The Professionals.

[@vijay-c]

A detailed list & history is here en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directorate_of_Military_Intelligence_(United_Kingdom)

[@jeffreybarton1297]

Dr John Dee also played a big part in Queen Elizabeth 1st's Spy network. The codename for James Bond, 007, was actually Dee's codename for himself when communicating with the Queen. He was an expert in codes and ciphers, too.

[@TerenceDixon-l6b]

There is also an urban story that 007 was the number of the bus Ian Fleming used to travel from Canterbury (his home) to London, and was his inspiration - the 007 route still runs between Dover and London. Unfortunately, we can't ask him.

[@jeffreybarton1297]

​@@TerenceDixon-l6b could be true! As you say, hard to prove.

[@alendra-f3q]

James bond might be from Mi 7 😂

[@Jill-mh2wn]

@@TerenceDixon-l6b The name of his hero (James Bond ) was taken from the author of the ornithological books that Ian Fleming ,a keen bird watcher ,used in Jamaica.

[@LondonEve24]

Dee was an extraordinary character but I didn’t know he was part of the spy network.

[@paulvamos7319]

Thank you for sharing ladies 😊 Happy New Year! 🎉🥳

[@mikekitterhing1618]

Happy new year guys, love your channel. ❤

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

@mikekitterhing1618 thank you! We love your taste! 💋

[@pauljones1513]

Yep... this gentleman knows his shit. He speaks because it's knowledge , Not reading a autocue. He's respected.

[@chrisaris8756]

Weirdly MI6’s HQ is now one of the most distinctive and bizarre buildings in London on the south side of the Thames Embankment

[@brian9731]

And to add to that, this is the building that was blown up at the end of (I think) Skyfall. I can confirm that in real life it's still there and in use (don't know for what of course) - I drive past it often.

[@reluctantheist5224]

That's what they want you to think.

[@brian9731]

​@@reluctantheist5224- haha. I don't know for sure what it's used for but the phrase bristling with cameras is appropriate. It definitely was their building but since Judy Dench (M) was killed and the hole got blown in the wall, maybe they downgraded it. 😉

[@briansmith6862]

Curious fact. The conifer trees visible on the riverbank side of the building are actually antennas!

[@JimJammXVII]

@@briansmith6862 I have seen something similar all around the UK.

[@OneAndOnlyMe]

Yes, here in UK we know about our SIS. MI6's headquarters is a very well known and recognized building, it's even featured in the Bond movies since the Pierce Brosnan era. In real life "M" is known as "C", section chief. "Q" is still "Q", quartermaster. You may also like to know more about the other parts of our SIS: - MI5 (Military Intelligence, Section 5) which is responsible for national security, rather like your NSA - GCHQ (Government Communication HQ) which does communications monitoring and signals intelligence gathering - Defence Intelligence which undertakes military intelligence gathering

[@roywinstanley9402]

Happy new year ladies.keep up the good work.x

[@samnemeth-smyth6109]

One of the Soviet moles Simon mentioned, Oleg Gordievsky himself is worth a look into as well, since he was the highest ranked Soviet to defect during the entire cold war. MI6 also had to pull off an insane rescue mission for him after he was outed by a traitor in the CIA.

[@HDRW]

And Gordievsky has appeared on UK television a number of times - an interesting character!

[@normawithers4447]

Read 'The Spy and the Traitor' by Ben McIntyre.

[@alisonlinnell8943]

Happy New Year ladies! I’d love to see a reaction to England’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. Elizabeth 1 was fortunate to have him and his networks.

[@anthonysharp8079]

Morning Ladies, Happy New Year. When you slowed him down he sounded like you'd given him a secret drug to knock him out. 🤣. Love to both. ❤

[@markjones127]

I've always been fascinated with the SIS and I think it's pretty normal for most kids to find the whole notion of a secret military service of spies fascinating, as far as I've ever been able to tell from reading stuff on the subject is there are no actual James Bond style operatives as such, the MI6 agents themselves are surveillance agents with a basic and very specific military training as required, but their work is more geared towards the intelligence gathering side of things, but they can look after themselves if need be, whereas any military muscle required they get from the E Squadron he mentioned which is the cream of the crop of UK special service troops which the SIS has at their disposal, so as far as I can gather an E Squadron operative is probably the closest thing to a real life James Bond. Another great video, Happy New Year from Wales, or "Blwyddyn Newydd Dda" as we say!

[@captaincorky237]

Oh there are James Bond types. One of them was my old French master. He had gone undercover in occupied Europe. Taught me French which did me well in later life as a merchant seaman in dock areas of France, though which might not have been the type of French which gets you into the 'institut du Bois Robert' or a job as the swimming master in any of the ladies colleges.

[@davidbarlow431]

During WW2 Ian Fleming worked for the Special Operations Executive. These were the people who trained operatives to send behind enemy lines on sabotage missions, coordinate the various resistance cells etc. When Fleming wrote James Bond he actually based him on the extremely brave SOE agents he had worked with in the war, not MI6. Fun fact, the actor Christopher Lee was a real life SOE operative in WW2. Thats a story worth looking into.

[@stevesoutar3405]

I would definitely recommend you ladies take a look at the career of Ian Fleming - he is credited with making the initial proposal that became Operation Mincemeat, he was put in charge of forming an espionage network into facist Spain (called Operation Goldeneye) in 1941/42, as well as forming a specialised commando group (30 Assault Unit) trained to pick locks, crack safes and seize important intelligence documents following in the main assault forces during landing operations He then went on to become a successful author after he retired from the covert intelligence world

[@Macilmoyle]

Another SOE officer of note was the actor Antony Quayle (featured at 25:33) who served in Albania. Two of my (distant) cousins were SOE officers, one in Italy and the other in France. The latter was caught and sentenced to death, but managed to convince his captors that he was related to Winston Churchill, (He wasn't), and was eventually treated as a "Prominenten" or a prisoner who could be used as a hostage/candidate for exchange.

[@alexisnorman9446]

The SIS did not like the SOE, to the extent of refusing to provide support equipment such as aircraft suitable for inserting or recovering agents. This was because SOE operations tended to upset the Germans, so they increased security, but spying works better when the enemy is complacent.

[@nigelbundy4008]

The headquarters of MI6 (SIS) isn't very secret. It is on the Thames in Vauxhall (were the car company started) Central London, called Vauxhall Cross. It is on the railway line into Waterloo mainline station. I pass the back of it every time I go into London from Guildford. It has appeared three times as Bond's HQ in the Bond Movies. In one of the movies the building was attacked. An advanced showing of the film, was shown to SIS in the building and they cheered at that scene!

[@1155davy]

Happy new year girls I enjoy your comments a lot

[@busking6292]

Yes,everyone knows about the Thameside fancy headquarters,a big frilly dress lit up like a christmas tree, HQ ? really ?? let's just leave it at that.

[@CharlesDickson-nv2ol]

Active field agents never visit Vauxhall Cross they only meet their handlers at anonymous Safe Houses here or abroad

[@weirdscix]

Yes, the highly secretive agency has a public headquarters, lol.

[@billyhills9933]

Virtually opposite Tate Britain for any tourists visiting. I love Vauxhall Bridge but got very paranoid about taking photos of it due to its proximity to MI6.

[@philfenn3991]

Writing entirely in green ink may be a MI6 quirk, but it is an extension of what was standard civil service practice. In the days when people sent real paper memos and wrote in real files in manila folders all the heads of government departments signed their names (or more usually wrote their initials) in green ink. Needless to say, if a memo signed in green landed on your desk a certain degree of panic was appropriate.

[@zulu5282]

Standard naval practice is why cummings used green. Also used ny military auditors.

[@philfenn3991]

@zulu5282 Interesting, I wonder if the practice of the most senior officers using green ink originated in the armed services or the civilian arm of government.

[@zulu5282]

@@philfenn3991 it was a naval tradition.

[@philfenn3991]

@zulu5282 Probably spread to the rest of the departments from the Admiralty then.

[@andrewcoates6641]

The person who became the first head of the SIS who is the one who became the first to write his initial letter C and become the unofficial reason for all heads of theSIS to be named C had actually been a real secret agent himself and earned the subtitle Licensed to Kill had been a spy before WW1, mainly in southern Europe and the Balkans. He had one of his legs removed while in the army in I believe it was India and when he had to hide any documents he had a hidden compartment in his leg to hide everything in. I was also told that when he was meeting someone for the first time in his office he would have a knife open on his desktop and at some point in the meeting he would feign anger, pick up the knife and stab himself in his wooden leg, which he had made sure that the person he was meeting didn’t know about.

[@wrorchestra1]

Up until the 1990s, the British Telecom Tower (or GPO Tower or Telecom Tower) was technically an official secret. Problem was it is 531ft high, had a revolving restaurant at the top and for nearly 20 years was the tallest building in London. The government simply ignored its presence and refused to confirm its existence, and it was never included on the Ordinance Survey maps (just a blank space).

[@jopearson3022]

That's because it was part of a nuclear attack-proof communications network made up of a chain of microwave relay towers running all of the way up to Scotland.

[@wrorchestra1]

@jopearson3022 I know. Shame they took the microwave transmitters down as they were an interesting feature.

[@misterbonzoid5623]

I went up to the viewing gallery of the Post Office Tower (as it was called then) in the late '60s. An excellent safe vertigo thrill, looking directly down onto the pavement (sidewalk) below. It was bombed by persons unknown in 1971 and the viewing gallery closed to the public from then on.

[@misterbonzoid5623]

It WAS actually included on Ordnance Survey and other maps from 1971; UK MP Kate Hoey wrongly claimed that it was not in the House of Commons in 1993, creating that urban myth.

[@DeannaNichols-b3v]

Good morning lovely ladies, wishing you both a Very Happy New Year ❤❤

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

Happy new year!!

[@Maxley..]

A few years ago I became friends with my Somerset village neighbour, a gent called Michael Oatley. [Everything in this post is in the public domain, and verifiable online] Michael was an officer in SIS/MI6 and 1973, was posted to Northern Ireland during the height of 'The Troubles'. Despite the refusal of the British government to engage in dialogue with the Provisional IRA, Michael secretly established lines of communication with them (using landline telephones, because 1970s). He said he'd deliberately get called in the middle of the night. Michael seriously believed that communication would end the conflict and his IRA contacts thought the same. They started to trust each other. They were proved right. The secret channel lasted from the 70s until the 90s and was pivotal in leading to the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. He's been labelled the most important British agent to have worked in Northern Ireland. Now retired, during much of the 80s he controlled MI6's interests throughout the Middle East. He politely opted not to elaborate much when I asked. He's a sprightly 90 years old now, and a more thoughtful, kinder and less James Bond-like man I can't imagine. But he's the cleverest person I've ever met, with a fine sense of humour. (Michael and his lovely Dutch wife once slowed their Jaguar to give me a lift. As I clambered in I cheekily asked Michael if he'd checked underneath the car before setting off. He simply smiled).

[@iainmelville9411]

I love spy stuff, it’s a very interesting world. Great video - and I didn’t expect to see. James Bond was invented in 1953 by Ian Fleming, who was an officer in British Naval Intelligence during World War Two. Much love and many Blessings and HAPPY NEW YEAR ! ! ! ❤

[@johngilling9028]

Looking good ladies. Haven't tuned in for a while but keep the videos coming. Always a good balance of intelligent comment and information.

[@Pomdownuder]

During the "hidden years" mi6 operated from The St. Ermin's Hotel it has a reputation for use by the UK's secret intelligence agencies. During the 1930s the hotel and the building at 2 Caxton Street, The Caxton Bar, noted meeting place of London's secret intelligence officers for over 60 years were used by officers of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS or MI6) located close by at 54 Broadway the office know as "the circus" to meet agents and is well documented from March 1938 as the headquarters first of SIS's Section D, Anyone employed were know as "civil servants" it's a great cover all.

[@GaryNoone-jz3mq]

Not surprised you're still hear. You're both a lot of fun!

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

@@GaryNoone-jz3mq aw, thank you!

[@beepinger]

He sounded funny when you slowed him down. 😄 The one thing he didn't say, was why the agents are named double 0. In the 14th century a guy named John Dee was a astrologer and confidant of Queen Elisabeth I. Dee later became a teacher at Paris University. While in Paris, he wrote the Queen letters with things he heard and found out about the French government and King. On these letters, he sent to the queen, were two 00 what meant "for her eyes only". "Her" would be the queen, so whoever got the letter in the palace knew only the queen was allowed to open it. So the zeros were in fact two eyes. And after the 00 he signed with his name and his signature "Dee" looked like a 7. And thats why 007 became a thing.

[@brentwoodbay]

After Dad left the Army, he joined the War Department Constabulary, an armed force that did security for many UK establishments. He worked at a munitions plant where along with making the weapons, they also disposed of out of date bullets, bombs and shells. On patrol one day, a friend of his called him over from an open window. His friend held his hand out and said "Look at these" . In the hand were what Dad thought at first were iron filings. He was told to take a closer look and was amazed to see they were tiny bullets! Dad thought they would have been small enough to fit in a cigarette lighter, or a pencil! They really do have that stuff ! Must have been from SIS !

[@chrisbousfield5529]

In the video Bletchley Park is described as part of SIS, it was part of the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS) a distinctly different intelligence service that later transformed into GCHQ. Its own history is absolutely fascinating and dates back to Naval Intelligence in World War One.

[@rcormie]

2021 - wow. Think i have been here from the beginning. Well done both of you and look forward to continuing these reactions with you. Robbie. (also Stoke on Trent) x

[@marksheeran1717]

It is a fact that you only hear of the occasional failures of the security services and never hear about the hundreds of times they keep you safe every day. We have a family member who recently mentioned that he worked for one of the departments or sections, I think it was MI7 and not the more widely known MI5/6. He said that when the Falklands was invaded in 1982 his section was put on standby to sail with the task force. The reason being the lack of update and accurate maps of the island that would have been needed for the planning of retaking and libation of the Falklands. His and the other members of his sections job would have been to collect and draw up new map for the military commanders aboard the task force. As it happens they did not have to sail with the force in the end.

[@Sulynn_RG-52.]

I just love the way he uses completely unrelated film clips!

[@MrHws5mp]

When my late uncle worked in the defence industry, he was quietly told one day, strictly off the record, that our entire family had been "positively vetted", that is, deeply investigated for trustworthiness by MI5, and found to be 100% clean, which is both reassuring _and_ creepy at the same time. It's also interesting because a relative of ours, who always seemed to be mixed up in dubious activities that we could never figure out (and didn't particularly want to), wound up dead in suspicious circumstances one day, and this was BEFORE the positive vetting took place. You'd have thought that if whatever he was mixed up in was either criminal or treasonous (i.e. working for a foreign government), then the Positive Vetting wouldn't have come back clean, so the fact that it did implies that whatever he was doing may have been for, or at least approved of by, one of the British intelligence services. Do I know any more? Nope. Do I care to investigate? Also nope. Everyone close to him is dead now, I never liked the guy anyway, I don't remotely have the skill set or contacts, and I'm not one of these idiots who feels that all secrets need to be revealed eventually on principle. Some things are secret, and stay secret, for good reasons.

[@weegaz22]

TBF The positive vetting could have came back because he was working for the other side, after him turning up dead they then give the family the "100% all clear" hoping that someone else will think they aren't being looked at and pick up the mantle because maybe they thought the family were ideologues, because they'd ultimately want to figue out whoever his contact was.

[@MrHws5mp]

@@weegaz22 Thing is though, the family genuinely are NOT ideologues, and the positive vetting would have shown that up, making that exercise pointless.

[@weegaz22]

@MrHws5mp yes the vetting may have showed they were all clear, but how many non ideological "neutral" people did we turn to the other side in places like Iraq and Afghanistan after we killed family members of theirs? A lot...There may have been some form of surveilance like phone tapping for a period of time after being given the all clear, or as you say it was a genuine "all clear" thing is you'll never really know because security services are only feeding you what they want you to know, as for the bigger picture you're essentially treated like mushrooms...kept in the dark and fed a lot of poo.

[@Atheosandras]

This isn't uncommon today even if a member of a family wanted to join the police force or military the immediate family is vetted too

[@Bakers_Doesnt]

MI (Military Intelligence) are departments of the Department if Defence (formerly the War Office). They are numbered MI1 to MI19 plus some others such as MIR (Russia) and have specific roles and fields of operation (such as topography, aerial photography, security, POW interrogation, liaisons with allies, etc.). A lot have been subsumed into MI5 and MI6 which respectively deal with affairs in the UK and overseas. MI1 was responsible for administration but was the forerunner of GCHQ. Only MI5 and MI6 are still active after the end of WWII.

[@marciarichards9446]

Good morning Natasha and Debbie, missed the live but great show as always. Happy New Year🎉

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

Happy New Year

[@halcroj]

Surprised and pleased. Keep it all coming for our entertainment and edification.

[@HarrisMiller-qw6xh]

Morning from London, hope you had a great Xmas, looking forward to seeing more of your reactions happy new year gonna check out your reaction to this later on, have a great day ❤

[@CallumIsRaving]

When I was in the Air Cadets in my teenage years, my squadron was based in Hut 19 at Bletchley Park.. we got to see a lot of the code breaking stuff and things like Collosus (the first programmable electronic computer) but also take part in tactical night exercises across the Bletchley Park estate which was so cool when you think of the history and importance of the place!

[@barryroberts2196]

Happy new year ladies. Keep well & safe.

[@debraanneclark2188]

Good morning ladies Happy New Year, What a great video and as someone who is British I didn't know much of this but I do know what MI6 stands for, Military Intelligence section 6.

[@kathrynmcintosh2726]

Good afternoon watching from Perth Western Australia, hope you had a happy New year 🎉🎊👋

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

Join us in Live chat!

[@emmaeltringham91]

We seem to use the letter D for a number of secretive things in the UK, examples The Govt issues a 'D' notice if it doesn't want the media not to broadcast information on a subject; Special Section D in HMRC (the UK's IRS) deals with all financial matters for security and other selected officials which the usual staff are not allowed to see.

[@joestacey6185]

I watched an interview with a former head of MI5 and Sir John Sawers, former head of the MI6. In it, Sawers said that James Bond would be completely unsuitable for the job in real life.

[@adriandorman7511]

Interesting aside, in the 1980s I was recruited to an ostensibly technical organisation. Once I had completed my induction trsining I was given my own office and handed a pile of documents to review and comment on. Without much thought I reached for the first pen to hand to write my comments in the margins. Finishing up I went home. The next day I was given a severe dressing down by the Deputy Director General for using green ink. It was made clear to me that only the Director General wrote in green ink! I enjoyed my time with them; particularly the professional freedom I was granted. Fun memories.

[@lesscott4301]

I was a British spy during the Cold War. Unfortunately I wasn't a very good one. I never got as far as MI6 or even MI5, I just got as far as MI1. Didn't even pass the exam for MI2!!! By the way, if there are any of my old colleagues out there, 'The meerkat runs tonight'😉😉😉

[@ArferKipper]

Ian Fleming, who wrote The James Bond stories was In a Top Secret unit that was a hundred miles in front of the advancing British and Americans units liberating Europe. Seizing document and securing proofs and war secrets from the Germans and Russians. His own stories of his own war as a member of the SEO are particularly interesting.

[@skipper409]

Geoffrey Rush playing Walsingham was a tour de force in the movies

[@OnASeasideMission]

Which explains how he managed to infiltrate the Pirates of the Caribbean under name of Captain Barbosa.

[@TrishaBailey-o4v]

My dad was in the Royal Signals, they are usually the first in and last out in any conflict, to set up communications and dad said they work closely with the secret services. My dad didn't talk a lot about his army career but in his later years he would talk about some things and that was one of them, although he didn't go into depth about it.

[@shannontaylor345]

My dad was Royal Signals too. He never said much only that he knew men in the SAS. Mi5, Mi6 and not forgetting SOE during WW2

[@alistairgoodwin4472]

my Uncle was in the Division, and even now at 90 years old answers the phone with "Speak To ME!" brilliant

[@geoffpriestley7310]

I have a grandson in the signals and one in the military police another in the logistics . The mp as been working with the signals and likes it that much he's hoping to retrain and join them .he Loves setting up the equipment and installing it in the vehicles . He said their relationship with officers is alot less strained and informal

[@TrishaBailey-o4v]

@@shannontaylor345 yes my dad said he knew men in the SAS, small world

[@TrishaBailey-o4v]

@@geoffpriestley7310 my Dad said he loved the Signals regiment, best regiment but I think he was biased.

[@skipper409]

MI5 - internal to the UK, (counter intelligence), MI6 - external intelligence

[@Mark-f9x9b]

Happy New Year , loving all the content 👍🏻😊

[@garethfarman9540]

up until 1994, and I remember the announcement, we promoted the names MI5 and MI6. Members of Parliament are not allowed to openly lie. So when asked about MI5 or MI6 they would say truthfully that they don't exist. We never said we had no secret service. MI5 is called the Secret Service (not the SS, for reasons) and operates in the UK. MI6 is the SIS as stated and operates abroad. they do work together when necessary.

[@TheOfficialMinistryOfTruth]

Happy new year. There is a bit of a misnomer regarding MI5 and 6, one being internal and the other external. This isn't strictly true as many operations involve threats that are multi-national. Therefore 5 may have outside dealings and 6 may have internal dealings. Both organisations have the power to bring in special-forces for any noisy options, although both have the facility via certain field operatives to use their own deadly force. Both buildings have a large gym, numerous social facilities and even a bar to have a tipple. Both have a plethora of employees, from admin, electricians, builders, security, right through to field-operatives. Everything is compartmentalized into departments, so no one knows about each other's operations. The UK governments have tried in the past to limit MI5's (with 6) powers (including 5 having dossiers on all MP's) but thankfully the courts have ruled mainly in 5's favour. It's important to see that the intel-services are the long line that runs through a county's history, where politicians (and royalty) are temporary. There has been some backlash over the recent years, due to both organisations recruiting largely from the 'Ox-Bridge' set, but both now offer new jobs via their websites. However, should one have the right qualifications or experience for a new job vacancy, the whole process takes months and one has to pass numerous stages, including timed written tests across different areas, phone chats, video chat, interview at HQ (Thames House or 6 just over the bridge) role-playing within a small group etc. They won't even let you know how you did at each stage and and the 'stuational awareness tests' are a pain! Actual 'field agent' work rarely comes up for applications and one may find oneself moving within the organisation to settle on a position more suitable for both parties. The pay isn't very good, especially as one will usually need to live near/in London and one can't tell anyone about your application, results or possible acceptance into either organisation. You are allowed to tell family once one has been accepted into the 'civil-service', but nothing more. Usually IO's tell their family they have a boring desk job with more paperwork than a wall paper shop..the job is certainly not boring, but the paperwork is true. In fact, one will lose contact with most of your old friends as meeting up for socials etc. will be difficult, plus one will effectively be living a double-life where any security breaches can/will be severely detrimental to your colleagues' health. Self-styled James Bond's are laughable and wouldn't get through the application stages. Like the SF, it pays to be the grey-man who hears much and says absolutely nothing. Don't expect to buy a DB5 as you'll spend more time on the bus/taxi/train. You will be mentored closely though and helped by your colleagues and line-manager all the way. It's not a 'job', it's a vocation.

[@KevinBowden-f3f]

Outstanding outlay, ,,,it certainly is a position for those who want to serve king and country,,, Without fanfare,,,, acknowledgment.

[@UnknownUser-rb9pd]

MI6 unoffically used to be close the Foreign Office which itself was semi- independent from the rest of Government in that they were dealing with relationships with other countries and organisations that spanned decades and diplomacy was considered a far too delicate matter to be left up to politicians. Ambassadors were (mostly) career Foreign Office civil servants. MI6 used (still uses ?) other assets other than agents or technology. Like business people or academics who may be visiting other countries or who may have contacts with important people from other countries. This informal approach to information gathering allowed them to gain a better view of what was happening in regimes and pick up inside knowledge. Thic could for example, help identify disaffected people who they could turn into agents or predict who was going to make the next bid for power and may be worth cultivating etc.

[@johnhoward7684]

i remember about 30 years ago ,i was on a coach going through London, when the coach driver decided to give us an improptu tour of London. He pointed out the tower of London and other such sites and then he said "and this odd shaped building coming up on the right over the river is the new secret MI6 building"

[@JanetYoung-f3q]

Oh boy watching you later this morning nearly 10 am and my husband has just woken me I slept well happy new year ladies ❤❤

[@jimfisher1916]

Your a spy . I am a shepherd. Your a shepherd's pie!!!!! Happy new year ladies.

[@reggy_h]

If you are going to be silly, all I can do is join in. Voyle is a fairly common name in Wales. I can imagine a female spy saying "My name's Voyle --------- Olive Voyle." 😁. Doesn't have the same ring to it. 🤔Sorry about that. Enjoyed the video presentation.👍

[@Chris_GY1]

There is a museum in Essex with clothing etc from two MI6 agents on a Walther PPK pistol (same pistol used in Bond films) there are the numbers 007 on its side the man whose pistol it was is a friend of Ian Fleming writer of the James Bond books and he helped him with the Bond books.

[@mikedignum1868]

They have also been known to test students in schools (along with MI5). They were looking for people who were good and had an aptitude for puzzles and computer skills.

[@_Mentat]

SIS are humint. Sigint nerds go to GCHQ.

[@teresanew9247]

That was very interesting and informative even to us English.

[@debbie8674]

Ok, this was REALLY COOL. ❤

[@stewartrimmer8327]

Happy New year ladies

[@dave_h_8742]

MI9 was an interesting organisation getting pilots out of grmany and France in WW2. Shure iheard at the very start it was room 1,2,3,4,5,6 etc. Each department in each room getting larger till it was split up to different places.

[@petershelley1406]

you should look at The GCHQ Christmas Challenge 2024

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Yes indeed. Designed to encourage lateral thinking in school-age young people, this series of challenges designed by GCHQ (part of The Five Eyes) began in 2021, aimed at 11-18-year olds.

[@chrisives2152]

Retired head of MI5 or maybe 6, Stella Rimington, has written a couple of spy novels

[@catbevis1644]

The idea of the CIA being really open while British Intelligence was always denying it's own existence reminded me of a story an ex-soldier told me about one of his colleagues in the Middle East. This guy was trapped behind enemy lines and wounded so he couldn't get out. He crawled over to a bush to provide himself with what little cover he could get while he waited for help to arrive. The guy became aware of the Americans trying to get to him all guns blazing, like a Wild West shootout trying to break through the lines in the distance. Then from the bush he heard in an English accent "don't worry mate, we're here".

[@williampne]

Great show as usual girls.William from England X

[@gemgenie06]

Lol at Natasha slowing him down at the end.....while im here watching on 1.25 speed. Happy New Year girls hope its going to be a good one for you. Oh btw you dont need the cartoony graphic overlays content is good without it and they just detract from what you do.

[@lauraburnett9320]

The fact that our UK SIS was hidden until the 90`s was probably a great help in stopping bad stuff getting to the USA, I lived very close to the present MI6 building while it was being built, and used to walk across the bridge that was used as a vantage point when it was `blown up' in the James Bond film.

[@stuartanderws5705]

If you asked a taxi driver to take you to "ddfhgaodfhg;dhfg" he would reply "spook house then?"

[@chrisaris8756]

MI + Military Intelligence. MI5 is for domestic stuff (aka Box 500). MI6 is the international branch. MI5 used to operate from Thames House on the Thames Embankment - may have moved out now of course.

[@pureholy]

Still there, they even have a website

[@shanewaterman4125]

Still there. I worked in the building next door when they moved in. It was previously the headquarters of ICI.

[@PaulDee-k4p]

Ian Fleming worked for Naval intelligence in world war 2. Some of the plans he put forward were very much what you saw in the bond movies. One plan put forward included taking over a German vessel by using a normal vessel in trouble asking for assistance and a bunch of commandos attacking and seizing the coding machine. That particular plan was not used but a machine was eventually obtained.

[@mattymoowhite]

See also Christopher lee . Yes him ..

[@nigelbundy4008]

@@mattymoowhite Christopher Lee, Ian Flemings step cousin, went into RAF intelligence what happened after that he would not discuss. Asked about it by a reporter. He asked the reporter if he could keep a secret. " Yes I can" said the reporter. "and so can I" replied Lee.

[@alexisnorman9446]

It would be interesting to find something about the greatest success of the SIS (the double cross system in WWII), or their greatest failure (being infiltrated by the Cambridge 4). Interestingly these are connected because the commitee which ran the double angen programme (called the 20 commitee, after the roman numerals of double cross - XX) had Anthony Blunt as its secretary, and he passed everything to the Soviets.

[@mandypotts9090]

Great episode to kick start the new year . Had fun and learned a lot . I will rewatch later because l am sure l missed some information. You both look like sexy spy’s to my well trained eyes ❤❤❤👀

[@AngeDownie-by8ee]

Another great episode Mz Whippy n Twitcher... loved it

[@TheNatashaDebbieShow]

😆

[@paulhooton6261]

I have a favourite UK TV series from the 1980's called The Sandbaggers. This gave a fictionalised view of SIS but it gave you the impression that day to day life in SIS might be a bit like this. The Sandbaggers section in the program was similar to the James Bond's 00 section, but nowhere near as sensational. The Sandbaggers agents don't even like to carry guns.

[@nickgrazier3373]

Have a quick look at GCHQ which is a very visible building in Cheltenham we call the “Big Doughnut”

[@marieparker3822]

GCHQ is the equivalent of the American NSA.

[@petertyson4022]

It's not to late to say happy Christmas and happy new year, lady's. Ther is a few documentary on KZbin about sir Francis Walsingham. But one I can remember is " Queen Elizabeth Secret Agents ( mini TV series. Made in 2017.)".👽🇬🇧👍

[@ianmeredith7969]

At 23:53 is that a very young Kenneth Cope aka Marty Hopkirk from the classic 69s British TV series... Randal and Hopkirk (Deceased)

[@gailbryan8520]

Great content video ladies 👏👏👏👏, looking at you both watching this is thinking..... Do you need popcorn 🍿😅😅🤭🇬🇧

[@nekite1]

The MI designation stands for military intelligence. My father worked for the RAF as a cartographer back in the late 1960's compiling maps from fresh reconnaissance photos collected by the RAF. Where he worked was guarded by armed RAF personnel. Pretty sure some of those made their way to MI2 - the map people.

[@individualmember]

On a slight tangent, the BBC used to collaborate with MI5 in a process called “vetting” where they would investigate potential employees. In the early days of the BBC, through WW2 and the Cold War that was somewhat understandable, but it continued until the 1990s. I’m old enough that I might well have been “vetted” when I first jot a job at the BBC, although as a young trainee I doubt it would have been much more than a criminal record check, but I was required to “sign the official secrets act”.

[@jopearson3022]

In WW2, we also had MI9, who had the job of trying to help shot-down aircrew and prisoners of war escape back to the UK. So they were the ones who came up with the compasses hidden in buttons, maps and money hidden in board games, and all of those things that you see being shown and revealed today.

[@Simon-hb9rf]

if you like this topic i would recommend checking out the work of Mi-19 the military intelligence division responsible for interrogating POW's during the second world war who famously ran Trent park, a luxury manor house for housing high level POW's that was filled with hidden microphones monitored by spies 24/7. it was one of the most effective intelligence sources of the war. there is one video on the topic I've found on KZbin "Why Treating their Captured Enemies NICELY Helped the British win WW2" but its quite a good brief look at the program. Mi-9 is also a historians favourite being the division responsible for coordinating with allied POW's in captivity to facilitate escapes, you'd be amazed what you can smuggle when the germens agree to let you send monopoly sets to keep your captured troops entertained.

[@LondonEve24]

His Most Intimate Betrayal is a compelling book about Kim Philby, the Soviet spy at the top of British intelligence. Not only is it an intriguing insight into that world, but it’s also fascinating portrayal of the British class system

[@Ereldor]

Awesome reaction as always ladies - I was wondering if I could recommend a movie you might enjoy - 'Operation Mincemeat' (2021): the story of how Britain tricked the Nazis into thinking they were going to invade Greece. It's a very enjoyable film, and in fact shows some of the part Ian Fleming played himself in the beginnings of MI6.

[@julesmorgan5986]

The MI stands for Military Intelligence, as you know. The number refers loosely to the room number occupied by each SIS section in their original Whitehall building prior to and during WWII

[@Lucy-8313]

Great video! SIS secret intelligence service- MI6 military intelligence section 6 cool stuff!

[@duncanliath]

Ironic, when talking about the speed of Simon’s delivery, that Natasha said she had no problem with it when she frequently pauses and rewinds part of the video because she didn’t catch what Simon just said or have time to grasp the import of what he had said before he had galloped on to his next few sentences 😁

[@robert-hh2ft]

absolutely loved this video,im one of those that really likes simon.ACE video!!!

[@NigelLangmead]

Happy new year to you good people.

[@gailbryan8520]

Happy New year lovely couple 🎉🎉🎈🥳🎊