[jonyt]

Not sure what the author's point is. That all spies are incompetent? KGB infiltrated UK's intelligence establishment successfully, got the plans for the nuclear bomb and the space shuttle etc. etc. So clearly at least one organization is not completely without merit. Maybe he means specifically UK's spies? If so his anecdotes are not very convincing.

[nthcolumn]

I would say rather than KGB infiltrating it was a case of British socialists fearing an imbalance of power reaching out to the Soviets. And yes he is poking fun at old Johnny English. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melita_Norwood was the most important of these atomic spies, was never prosecuted and ended her days in a cottage in Bournemouth I think it was, the nice little old lady next door. The BBC itself is heavy with British spooks so this piece may not be the jolly little fna-fna it purports to be. I even suspect OP (no offense old chap).