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- [00:00]
A
Hi there, my name is Shahan Hamza and today I'm here to advertise Roll Britannia, a show recently launched on the RQ Network. Roll Britannia is a weekly comedy Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition podcast featuring six players who have little to no experience in Dungeons or Dragons. Join a crew of all British players as they set out across the high seas on dangerous but hopefully profitable adventures. The course is plotted and the crew couldn't be happier. It's time to press Play and Roll Britannia for the find over 300 other brilliant episodes in this series by searching for Roll Britannia. Wherever you listen to podcasts or find more information@rollbratania.co.uk or rustyquill.com have fun and enjoy the episode.
- [00:47]
B
Hi, we are here to talk to you about Sucrobae, a perfumery we love so much. They have not one but two official the Magnus Archives perfumes, one inspired by John and Martin and and another inspired by the mysterious Ex Altiora, a book from the library of Jurgen Leitner. Sucrobae also make official perfumes for our friends over at Old Gods of Appalachia, including Blood and Bone and Unknown Roads. You should check them out. Sucrobe is a women owned and operated perfumery that is vegan and cruelty free, witchy and sometimes irreverent. Expect perfumes like you're in a cult. Call your dad or vodka and swearing the ever popular Chloroform or Papa's Waffles. Sucrobe do a range of exciting and unique fragrances you won't find anywhere else. They broadly fit into the following five classic scents that pass the test of time. Goth scents for those who like it. Dark and mysterious, witchy scents that are mysterious and potiony. Nerdy sense for all the self professed nerds out there and Femme scents, the classically floral and sweet scents, but we recommend them for anyone of any gender. Sucro based small batch perfumes are not like any other. You can find out more by going to www.rustedquil.com perfume that's rustyquill.com P E R F U M E Also you can join the supportive and kind Sucrobay community with over 18,000 members on facebook@facebook.com groups Sucrobae that's s U C R E A B E I L L.
- [02:25]
C
E hi everyone, it's Karine, the voice of Simon Fairchild in the Magnus Archives. Today I'm here to advertise Simplisafe. Simplisafe is real security that stops crime before it starts. Traditional security systems only react and take action once somebody's already broken in. Simplisafe stops crime before it even starts by confronting potential threats the moment they appear. The system itself was easy to set up and very comprehensive with AI power cameras, intrusion detectors, temperature and water sensors covering all the security risks in my home. The thing that makes Simplisafe different is the way other systems react after crime has been committed. If the SimpliSafe AI powered cameras detect a threat while they're still outside your home, the Simplisafe agents are alerted and they take action, confronting the intruder, letting them know they're on camera and that the police are on the way. This brilliant service comes with no long term contracts or hidden fees, and you can cancel at any time that brings real peace of mind. Simplisafe were named best home security systems by U.S. news and World Report for five years running. And it comes with a 60 day money back guarantee so you can try it and see the difference for yourself. And right now, you can save 50% on a SimpliSafe home security system at simplisafe.com Magnus that's simplisafe.com Magnus hi everyone.
- [03:33]
D
It'S Billy Hindle here. Today. I'm here to advertise The Prophecy Season 2 Emmy Award winner Kerry Washington returns as Dr. Virginia Edwards in Audible's heart pounding supernatural thriller, the prophecy. Season 2. Also starring Giancarlo Esposito, Dulay Hill, Renzi Feliz and Ebony Obsidian. The battle between good and evil reaches new heights in this action packed sequel that pits faith against fear and pushes the fate of humankind to the edge. Do not miss Kerry Washington in Audible's new Must Listen The Prophecy Season 2, Evil is Rising and time is running out. Go to audible.com prophecy2, that's the number two. And start listening today.
- [04:19]
E
Sam. Hello and welcome to another episode of Sheeplechase, the podcast where we question everything, including our life choices. I'm Georgie Barker.
- [04:55]
F
And I'm Celia Ripley.
- [04:57]
E
So how are you doing today, Celia?
- [04:59]
F
I'm okay. Not much on outside of family stuff.
- [05:02]
E
Yeah, you look like you need a rest.
- [05:04]
F
Wow. I skipped mascara one time and suddenly I'm the walking dead.
- [05:10]
E
In a hot Twilight way, not a Night of the Living Dead zombie way. I just. I just meant maybe don't run any marathons.
- [05:17]
F
But what if I have to?
- [05:19]
E
Georgie, why would you have to run a marathon?
- [05:22]
F
I don't know. What if some disaster knocked out all the world's infrastructure and I had to send a really urgent message to someone 26 miles away.
- [05:30]
E
God, could you imagine? You wouldn't even get to stop for lunch. You'd have to run right through lunch.
- [05:37]
F
I feel like you might have other priorities than lunch at that point.
- [05:40]
E
Hard disagree.
- [05:42]
F
You know what? I retract my statement. You absolutely would still be obsessed with food.
- [05:46]
E
Damn right. So on that note, while I fish out my most tastefully erotic expanding joggers, let's hear from today's sponsor.
- [05:55]
F
Done. I forgot to cancel a subscription. Oh, and that one and that one and that one. Don't you just hate wasting money on old subscriptions?
- [06:10]
E
No, because I have subsub. The subscription service management Service Service Subscription.
- [06:15]
F
The subscription service sub. What?
- [06:19]
E
Subsub. The subscription service management service subscription. With subsub I can manage all my subscriptions in one place. So I never lose track of what I'm paying for. That could save me so much money at only 49.99amonth. It pays for itself. Literally. Because your sub sub is also managed through your sub sub account.
- [06:40]
F
Wow. Sounds like I really need a subscription. Service management.
- [06:45]
E
Subscription management service Subscription.
- [06:48]
F
Subscription management service.
- [06:50]
E
Just say sub. Sub.
- [06:52]
F
Sub. Sub.
- [06:53]
E
Sub.
- [06:53]
D
Sub.
- [06:54]
F
Sub. Sub.
- [06:58]
E
So, Celia, now I'm all dressed to flee from any government agents. Which conspiracy theory have you brought for us today?
- [07:04]
F
I think you're gonna like this one. The year is 1964. Rock and roll rules the airwaves. Lead paint is everywhere and the Cold War is getting hot. What a time for the UK to elect a KGB spy as Prime Minister.
- [07:29]
E
Harold Wilson.
- [07:30]
F
Yeah, today we are looking at UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson and whether he was a Soviet puppet planted in Downing street through a combination of manipulation, assassination and good old fashioned corruption. Spoilers? Probably not.
- [07:47]
E
So, what, the Tories had just hired Jean Le Carre as their new spin doctor or something?
- [07:52]
F
Interestingly, at first glance it does seem as if the story comes from a legitimate source. In 63, a KGB agent named Anatoly Golitsyn defected to the CIA and gave them a list naming Soviet agents in the US and uk.
- [08:08]
E
And Harold Wilson was one of them.
- [08:11]
F
Apparently. Now, obviously, when a KGB agent wanders into the CIA offices and starts naming British politicians like he's hosting Newsnight MI5, don't immediately assume they're all spies. But they do start asking questions. Like why he wore so many Lithuanian designed raincoats.
- [08:32]
E
Sorry, is that like an innuendo thing? Does he, you know, wear Lithuanian raincoats?
- [08:39]
F
The raincoats weren't even Lithuanian. Like they were made in Leeds.
- [08:43]
E
Notorious hotbed of international communist conspiracy.
- [08:46]
F
You say that, but the Guy who owned the factory was a Lithuanian immigrant. And someone had already told someone who worked at MI5 that that guy had played chess with a guy who might have talked to a different guy who was in the kgb.
- [09:01]
E
Ha. What was the real reason?
- [09:04]
F
No, that's the actual real reason. At least according to Peter Wright, the MI5 agent signed to the case.
- [09:10]
E
Wow. Okay, so if they were already investigating him for the Raincoat chess connection, they must have been totally psyched when someone actually named Wilson as a double agent.
- [09:20]
F
Yeah, you'd have thought so, but it sounds like they didn't really consider it that big a deal. In his memoirs, Peter Wright said that they thought it was rubbish, but because it came from the head of the CIA's counterintelligence division, they had no choice but to file it somewhere.
- [09:35]
B
Huh.
- [09:36]
E
Apparently, I'd be a terrible spy, because I definitely would have taken that more seriously than the whole Communist raincoat thing.
- [09:43]
F
Well, don't write off your future career just yet. There were a couple of mitigating circumstances. One was that the CIA counterintelligence chief, Angleton, was a known bullshitter, with one agent describing him as not above exaggeration.
- [10:01]
E
Brutal, put down for a spy.
- [10:04]
F
And Wright said he was known to manufacture evidence when none existed.
- [10:09]
E
Devastating.
- [10:10]
F
And Angleton said he definitely had evidence, but would only share it if MI5 pinky promised not to tell its government it was being run by a Soviet agent.
- [10:20]
E
And I'm guessing MI5 didn't go for it.
- [10:25]
F
No.
- [10:25]
E
Even with Raincoat Gate.
- [10:27]
F
I mean, they thought he was dodgy, but not like sliding into Khrushchev's DMs dodgy.
- [10:33]
E
So do we know now what evidence Angleton had?
- [10:37]
F
He had the Russian defector Gallitsyn. Which sounds bad at first, but let's just say the official historian for MI5 described him as an unreliable conspiracy theorist.
- [10:49]
E
I'm sorry, what kind of job is official MI5 historian? All your sources are classified. So do all your footnotes just say, trust me?
- [10:57]
F
Pretty much. Gallitzin was claiming some wild stuff like that Hugh Gaitskull was assassinated by the KGB to make way for Wilson.
- [11:07]
E
Oh, wow. Was he?
- [11:08]
F
Not unless the KGB invented lupus.
- [11:11]
E
But wasn't this Gallitzing guy the one who identified the Cambridge Five spy ring?
- [11:16]
F
Look, I'm not saying none of his info panned out, just that MI5 didn't trust him as far as they could throw him.
- [11:23]
E
Mmm. Sounds like they might have benefited from today's sponsor.
- [11:28]
F
Worst segue yet.
- [11:29]
E
Ouch. With so many scammers online it's easier than ever to lose your hard earned money to rogue ecourse providers. Thankfully, you can learn how to avoid low quality, overpriced and irrelevant E courses in a few short web seminars with Itzac online. Their patented 10 step method for avoiding online scams is so easy anyone can follow it. And you can learn at your own pace with a monthly subscription or save big with a year's Access for only 299.99. Learn your lesson and save your money for the important things in life. Like it's a con line. So, where were we?
- [12:13]
F
Unreliable conspiracy theorist.
- [12:16]
E
My kind of guy. So, given who else was named by this informant, could Harold Wilson have been a Soviet asset? Did MI5 miss something?
- [12:25]
F
Doubtful. They were already looking into him, remember?
- [12:28]
E
Because of the raincoats?
- [12:29]
F
Because of the raincoats. And jokes aside, they already had him under constant surveillance because of that bugs in his offices, his house, his car.
- [12:39]
E
So if he had been directly in touch with Russia, they'd be definitely have known.
- [12:43]
F
Oh yeah.
- [12:45]
E
What about indirect contact? Could he have used some sort of code word when he bought raincoats or something?
- [12:50]
F
I mean, it's possible, but you kind of hope MI5 would notice. Codes are kind of their thing.
- [12:57]
E
I thought their thing was suspecting entrepreneurial Lithuanians.
- [13:00]
F
They can have two things.
- [13:02]
E
So if they didn't think he was a Soviet spy, what were they bugging him for?
- [13:06]
F
Apparently they were concerned he might not be aware of the risk of being compromised.
- [13:14]
E
So they decided to secretly compromise his privacy.
- [13:18]
F
Pretty much. Irony. Yeah. So it turns out that as a person, Harold Wilson might have been the most boring Prime Minister ever. Plus it backfired because Wilson figured out he was being bugged.
- [13:34]
E
Oh, so he did have spy instincts after all.
- [13:37]
F
I mean, everybody close to him thought it was just paranoia.
- [13:40]
E
But it's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
- [13:43]
F
Well, quite.
- [13:44]
E
So, do you think this is what was really going on with the ghost thing?
- [13:48]
F
The what? The g. What's the ghost thing?
- [13:50]
E
You don't know?
- [13:51]
F
Know what?
- [13:52]
E
Harold Wilson was absolutely convinced that Downing street was haunted.
- [14:05]
F
Really?
- [14:06]
E
I mean, bear in mind, this is 50 year old gossip from the Oxford University Labour Club. But they say that he'd hear people whispering about him behind his back, but when he turned around, there'd be no one there. And there was this constant mechanical whirring just on the edge of his hearing. It sounds like all that might actually have been real. No wonder he resigned so suddenly.
- [14:25]
F
He actually resigned because he was ill though, right?
- [14:29]
E
Sure, but a doubt being haunted by MI5 helped?
- [14:32]
F
Suppose not.
- [14:33]
E
So, do you want to talk about the plotting as well?
- [14:36]
F
The plotting?
- [14:38]
E
You know, the scheme to oust him as pm. I know there was a proper coup planned at some point, which I guess makes a bit more sense if people thought he was a paranoid ghost obsessed Soviet spy.
- [14:47]
F
Well, that's the weird thing about this conspiracy theory. The rumors themselves resulted in three actual real life conspiracies against him.
- [14:56]
E
Three? How does something like this happen three. Three times?
- [15:00]
F
I mean, they might not all have been real, but the first one probably was. That was in 1968 and was orchestrated by the head of the International Publishing Corporation, Cecil King, who was also the chairman of the Daily Mirror.
- [15:15]
E
Classic Daily Mirror.
- [15:16]
F
It didn't go brilliantly. Apparently one of King's journalists, Cuddlip, happened to have met the head of the armed forces, Lord Mountbatten. So they arranged a visit between Cudlip, King, Lord Mountbatten and one of Mountbatten's mates, who was some random called Sir Solly.
- [15:35]
E
Mmm, that name doesn't exactly scream political mastermind, does it?
- [15:39]
F
So King turns up and says, lads, the country's on the brink of ruin, the government's about to collapse, there's going to be blood in the streets and the army will need to take over. You up to it? Mountbatten thinks about it. But then this Sir Solly guy says Mountbatten is no traitor. So that's the end of it. And King is kicked out.
- [16:00]
E
So that was the whole plot. A meeting that could have been a fax.
- [16:05]
F
I mean, King did publish a front page call for Wilson to be removed from office by any means necessary, but he was fired from the Mirror for it. Then Wilson was re elected in 1974 and allegedly history repeated itself.
- [16:20]
E
How far did they get this time?
- [16:22]
F
Well, we don't really know if they were plotting at all. Mostly it was just Mountbatten holding training exercise in really public places without any warning. Like a show of strength, maybe.
- [16:32]
E
I mean, that is pretty rude. And I could see how Wilson would get a B in his already bugged bonnet over it.
- [16:38]
F
Especially since a BBC documentary revealed multiple ex military personnel were building up private armies to march against him if he was outed as a Soviet plan.
- [16:49]
E
Ah, again, I think I might be Team Wilson on this one.
- [16:53]
F
It gets worse. At the time, a pair of journalists were secretly recording him with a bugged briefcase.
- [17:00]
E
Gross. Who wasn't secretly recording him.
- [17:02]
F
And MI5 were feeding information on him to the Tories so they could undermine him before the election. And his Private secretary was doing the same thing for Thatcher directly.
- [17:14]
E
Good grief.
- [17:16]
F
Oh, and you know the raincoat guy? Apparently he bought the secretary a house, so.
- [17:22]
E
Right, new conspiracy theory. Harold Wilson wasn't a Soviet spy, but he was being cursed by a vengeful Tory wizard disguising himself as a Lithuanian chess playing raincoat seller who magically convinced everyone that the biggest threat to national security was a boring lefty whose main passions were council housing and widows pensions.
- [17:42]
F
Makes about as much sense, doesn't it? So what's the verdict? Was Harold Wilson a Soviet spy?
- [17:50]
E
Not a chance. The KGB would have to queue for days behind all the other plots just to get near him.
- [17:55]
F
Even though he did try to open up trade with the Soviet Union at one point.
- [18:00]
E
I reckon that might be why the KGB assassinated Hugh Gaitskill. They reckon Wilson will be a bit better for them. So they just nudge a few germs towards Gateskill when he's over in Russia.
- [18:09]
F
And they can't catch Lupus. Right.
- [18:13]
E
I think it's quite clear that I did not know that. No.
- [18:15]
F
Cool. And what about the other plots against him?
- [18:18]
E
Let's just say if even a tenth of them were real, the poor guy must have been wading through hidden cameras just to get to the loo at night. What about you?
- [18:26]
F
I mean, there definitely were some plots against him, even if he did take a couple of things personally. And he can be forgiven for being twitchy given all the journalists, politicians and civil servants that have admitted to sabotaging his career.
- [18:40]
E
But was he a spy? Our very own Mancunian candidate?
- [18:46]
F
No. I think 1960s conservatives just didn't know the difference between wanting a slightly higher tax rate and full on militaristic communism.
- [18:56]
E
Plus a change.
- [18:58]
F
That's it for this week, folks. Thank you for listening. Please don't forget to rate, review us, compliment us however you like. Georgie and I will be back with a new mystery every week.
- [19:10]
E
We might actually have a special guest for an episode soon.
- [19:13]
F
Might we? Who?
- [19:15]
E
I don't want to say too much right now because it's not confirmed yet, but I'm pretty excited.
- [19:20]
F
Well, there's another mystery already. We didn't even have to wait till next week after all.
- [19:30]
E
Sheeplechase and the Magnus Protocol are podcasts distributed by Rusty Quill and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution non Commercial Sharealike 4.0 International License. Sheeplechase was created by Sasha Sienna, directed by April Sumner, and based on the works of Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell. This episode was written by Sasha Sienna and edited with additional materials by Jonathan Sims and Alexander J. Newell, with audio edits by Nico Vertese, mastering by Meg McKellar, and music by Nico Vertese. It featured Sasha Sienna as Georgie Barker and Lorianne Davies as Celia Ripley. To subscribe, explore exclusive extras and enjoy early access ad free episodes, visit members.rustedquill.com or join our Patreon Rate and review us online. Follow us on social media or email us@mail rustyquill.com thanks for listening.
- [20:32]
B
Hi, we are here to talk to you about Sucrobae, a perfumery we love so much. They have not one but two official the Magnus Archives perfumes, one inspired by John and Martin and another inspired by the mysterious Ex Altiora, a book from the library of Jurgen Leitner. Sucrobay also make official perfumes for our friends over at Old Gods of Appalachia, including Blood and Bone and Unknown Roads. You should check them out. Sucrobe is a women owned and operated perfumery that is vegan and cruelty free, witchy and sometimes irreverent. Expect perfumes like you're in a cult. Call your dad or Vodka and swearing the ever popular Chloroform or Papa's Waffles. Sucrobae do a range of exciting and unique fragrances you won't find anywhere else. They broadly fit into the following five classic scents that pass the test of time. Goth scents for those who like it, dark and mysterious, witchy scents that are mysterious and potiony, nerdy scents for all the self professed nerds out there and femme scents, the classically floral and sweet scents, but we recommend them for anyone of any gender. Sucro based small batch perfumes are not like any other. You can find out more by going to www.rustedquil.com. that's rustyquill.com P E R F U M E Also, you can join the supportive and kind Sucrobay community with over 18,000 members on facebook@facebook.com groups Sucrobay that's s U C R E A B E I L L E.
- [22:13]
A
Hi there. My name is Shahan Hamza and today I'm here to advertise Roll Britannia, a show recently launched on the Roll Britannia is a weekly comedy Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition podcast featuring six players who have little to no experience in Dungeons or Dragons. Join a crew of all British players as they set out across the high seas on dangerous but hopefully profitable adventures. The course is plotted and the crew couldn't be happier. It's time to press play and Roll Britannia find over 300 other brilliant episodes in this series by searching for Roll Britannia. Wherever you listen to podcasts or find more information@rollbratania.co.uk or rustyquill.com have fun and enjoy the episode.