The Spy Who Outran the KGB | The Chase | Episode 3

Podcast: The Spy Who
Hosts: Indira Varma, Raza Jaffrey
Release Date: December 9, 2025
Episode Theme:
A gripping, cinematic account of Oleg Gordievsky’s perilous escape from the Soviet Union in 1985, after being exposed as an MI6 double agent. This episode, “The Chase,” chronicles Gordievsky outmaneuvering the KGB, the British operation to extract him (Operation Pimlico), and the extraordinary risks taken by all involved.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Opening: Under Suspicion in Moscow

[00:18-05:04]

• Oleg Gordievsky is driven out of Moscow by Victor Grushko, head of the KGB’s Foreign Department, with an atmosphere thick with suspicion.
• At a remote bungalow, Gordievsky is drugged and interrogated, but uses denial as his only defense.
  • Notable Quote: “Deny, deny, deny. You have the wrong man. You have the wrong man.” — (Narrator as Gordievsky, [02:53])
• He is accused of being a British agent and is told his shoes and clothes were dusted with radioactive material, allowing the KGB to track him everywhere.
  • Notable Quote: “Your shoes and clothes were sprayed with radioactive dust. You’ve been leaving a trail for weeks.” — (KGB Interrogator, [06:52])

2. Life Under the KGB’s Shadow and Family Tensions

[08:15-10:45]

• After his release, Gordievsky is closely watched, his family summoned back to Moscow—clear signals of impending danger.
• He contemplates escaping with his family but is uncertain about his wife’s loyalty, given her own KGB ties.
  • Notable Quote: “Mountains? Don’t be idiotic. You’ve been reading too many novels.” — (Leyla, [10:36])
• Realizes he will likely never see them again.

3. Failed Attempts and Desperate Measures

[11:07-13:24]

• Gordievsky makes a failed attempt to contact MI6 via a brush pass in St. Basil’s Cathedral; panics when the stairway is blocked, and is forced to destroy his urgent note.
• He resorts to consulting and memorizing the secret escape plan hidden in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

4. Operation Pimlico: The Extraction Plan Triggered

[14:23-18:52]

• The meticulous plan involves coded signals: Gordievsky carrying a Safeway bag at a bakery, MI6 officer wearing gray trousers, eating a Mars bar, and carrying a Harrods bag.
• The signal exchange plays out in a tense, silent sequence.
  • Notable Quote: “It seems extraordinary to him that so grave a sequence of events has been triggered by such a mundane gesture.” — (Narrator, [18:02])
• Charles Powell, Thatcher’s aide, must rush to personally get the Prime Minister’s approval due to the immense diplomatic risk.

5. The Escape: Outrunning the KGB

[21:45-29:34]

• Gordievsky executes the escape, evading surveillance, jogging, and boarding a train to Leningrad, slipping just ahead of riot police.
• The MI6 team, posing as diplomatic families, embarks on the extraction drive—shadowed constantly by KGB cars.

6. Near Misses, Close Calls, and Quick Thinking

[29:34-34:32]

• A series of obstacles and tense moments: Gordievsky accidentally overshoots his drop-off, must bluff, hitchhike, and physically exhausts himself to reach the rendezvous.
• MI6’s diplomatic convoy is repeatedly hemmed in by KGB tail, forcing risky evasive maneuvers on the highway.
• At a crucial moment, MI6 uses the cover of a bread van and the breaking up of a military convoy to create a dangerous window for the pickup.

7. The Pickup and Border Crossing

[34:32-38:10]

• Gordievsky is hurriedly bundled into the boot/trunk of an MI6 car and covered with foil to mask his heat signature.
• The tense border crossing includes a sniffer dog distracted with cheese and onion crisps and a messy baby nappy, ensuring the scent inside the car is masked.
  • Notable Moment: “Inside the boot, Gordievsky does not know it, but he has just been saved by crisps, by nappies and by nerve.” — (Narrator, [36:01])
• Passing through multiple checkpoints, the group breathes a sigh of relief as music changes from soft rock to Sibelius’ Finlandia, signaling freedom.
  • Notable Quote: “No more soft rock, but the work of Sibelius—Finlandia, a hymn of freedom. Tears blur his vision in the darkness.” — (Narrator, [38:10])

8. Aftermath and Legacy

[38:41-40:47]

• Gordievsky’s life after exfiltration: lived in the UK, briefly reunited and then divorced his wife, and made profound contributions to Western intelligence during the Cold War.
• His intelligence bolstered UK and US relations with Gorbachev and reassured MI6 about the absence of Soviet moles.
• The episode also touches on the lingering controversy over Michael Foot’s alleged status as a KGB asset and notes CIA turncoat Aldrich Ames as Gordievsky’s betrayer.
  • Notable Quote: “Oleg Gordievsky’s exfiltration...remains unique, the only known successful rescue operation carried out by MI6 inside the Soviet Union.” — (Narrator, [40:47])

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Deny, deny, deny. You have the wrong man. You have the wrong man.”
  — Gordievsky, under interrogation ([02:53])

• “Your shoes and clothes were sprayed with radioactive dust. You’ve been leaving a trail for weeks.”
  — KGB interrogator ([06:52])

• “Mountains? Don’t be idiotic. You’ve been reading too many novels.”
  — Leyla Gordievsky ([10:36])

• “Am under strong suspicion and in bad trouble. Need exfiltration soonest. Beware of radioactive dust and car accidents.”
  — Gordievsky’s (destroyed) note to MI6 ([11:48])

• “It seems extraordinary to him that so grave a sequence of events has been triggered by such a mundane gesture.”
  — Narrator, on the MI6 and Gordievsky signal ([18:02])

• “Do it. We must honour our promises to our agents. Mr. Collins has taken grave risks for us. We must do everything we can to save him.”
  — Margaret Thatcher, authorizing the extraction ([21:25])

• “Inside the boot, Gordievsky does not know it, but he has just been saved by crisps, by nappies and by nerve.”
  — Narrator ([36:01])

• “No more soft rock, but the work of Sibelius—Finlandia, a hymn of freedom. Tears blur his vision in the darkness.”
  — Narrator ([38:10])

• “Oleg Gordievsky’s exfiltration in 1985 remains unique, the only known successful rescue operation carried out by MI6 inside the Soviet Union.”
  — Narrator ([40:47])

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:18 - 05:04 | Gordievsky’s interrogation, spiked drink, psychological mind games | | 08:15 - 10:45 | Family tension; reveals plan to wife; decides to escape alone | | 11:07 - 13:24 | Failed MI6 contact; destruction of secret note | | 14:23 - 18:52 | Signal at bakery; MI6 trigger; Charles Powell gets Thatcher’s go-ahead | | 21:45 - 29:34 | Gordievsky’s escape in motion; MI6 cars shadowed by KGB | | 29:34 - 34:32 | Pick-up maneuvers; Gordievsky races to rendezvous | | 34:32 - 38:10 | Extraction at layby; hidden in boot; tense border crossing | | 38:41 - 40:47 | Gordievsky’s aftermath and legacy |

Overall Tone and Style

The episode vividly recreates the claustrophobic paranoia, emotional distress, and razor-edge tension of Cold War espionage—immersing listeners in both the operational logistics and the psychological stakes of betrayal and escape. The narration is direct and dramatic, balancing deep research with character-driven, almost cinematic evocations of spycraft’s dangers, ethical dilemmas, and triumphs. Notable are the dry wit and undercurrents of human vulnerability that make the history immediate and affecting.

Next Episode Tease

[40:47]
Charlie Higson joins investigative journalist Tim Tate to explore the broader shadow world of British espionage and Soviet infiltration — shedding light on the decades-long context for Gordievsky’s story.

This summary covers the episode’s core narrative, intricate operational details, suspenseful moments, and its emotional, historical resonance for both seasoned Cold War enthusiasts and listeners new to Gordievsky’s remarkable saga.