SIR RICHARD DEARLOVE: The Making of a Spymaster

Sir Richard Dearlove is one of the world’s greatest living spymasters. He joined MI6 in 1966 at the age of 21, and over nearly four decades ran agents under intense Cold War surveillance in Nairobi, Prague, Paris, Geneva and Washington, before rising in 1999 to become Chief of the Service — the role known simply as C. His five years at the top were among the most turbulent in the Service’s history: his headquarters was struck by a rocket, 9/11 remade the global security landscape, and Britain went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since leaving the shadows, Sir Richard has built a second, very public life — Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, business adviser, outspoken commentator, and co-host of the hugely successful foreign-affairs podcast One Decision.

In this conversation, Andy Coulson lifts the bonnet, as far as Sir Richard will allow, on the experiences that formed him, the decisions that defined him, and the lessons a lifetime in intelligence can offer the rest of us.

I know what it is to have the right legal support around you when facing a crisis. Kingsley Napley are the kind of lawyers I wish more people knew about – there to help you make the right decisions, protect what matters, and build real resilience when the pressure is on. This episode is powered by Kingsley Napley. Visit www.kingsleynapley.co.uk for more details.

FOUR LESSONS FROM RICHARD

Grasp your opportunities – don’t wait for luck. A successful career isn’t handed to you by chance. It comes from spotting the opening when it appears, and trusting your instinct for how to handle it.Build a team you can trust. Pick dependable, loyal, focused people, lean on them, and let them carry the weight.Self-pity gets you nowhere. The Dearlove family creed was simple: you get on with life. Whatever you’re facing, someone has faced worse and carried on.The most dangerous problems don’t arrive with a bang; they build quietly while no one's looking. Start putting them right today, not when it’s too late.

CHAPTERS

07:15 – What resilience really means to a spymaster

08:54 – His father: an amputee who won Olympic silver on crutches

11:50 – Boarding school at four, and the making of a tough character

13:18 – The tap on the shoulder: joining MI6 at 21

18:58 – Prague: a life lived under constant surveillance

21:07 – Running a double agent behind the Iron Curtain

24:36 – How to read who holds up under pressure – and who cracks

28:03 – Becoming C

30:22 – The rocket attack on MI6

33:36 – 9/11: a shock, but not a surprise

39:07 – Iraq, the intelligence, and his quarrel with Chilcot

42:10 – Leaving the Service

46:51 – Russia, China and the end of the rules-based order

56:25 – Bond, Le Carré, and the myth of MI6

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This was a Crisis What Crisis Production – Rex Fisher (producer), Ioana Barbu (studio manager), Fred Sharp (research), Johnny Seifert (audio), Gem Hall (video)

Crisis What Crisis with Andy Coulson

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