Author: Lyn Brunton

Red Joan is based on a novel of the same name written by Jennie Rooney, which was itself inspired by the life of Melita Norwood. Norwood worked at the British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association (the body which was responsible for Britain’s atom bomb programme)  as a secretary and supplied the Soviet Union with nuclear secrets. The materials that Norwood betrayed to the USSR hastened the pace by about 5 years at which the Soviets developed nuclear bomb technology.

Sophie Cookson is the young Joan Stanley studying physics at Cambridge. She became involved with Communists and radical politics through her friend Sonya (Tereza Srbova) and Leo (Tom Hughes), a German Jew. Her story, which reaches as far back as 1938, is recalled in flashbacks as Joan in old age is questioned by the Special Branch. The questioning reveals that Joan was more concerned about “leveling the playing field” in the postwar world rather than communism.

The breakthrough for her and the Russians came when she was given access to research work relating to a theory about the corrosive nature of uranium at high temperatures. Melita was “groomed” for a life in espionage by her highly political mother Gertrude, who also spied for Moscow. In the 1930s Gertrude set up a safe house for the Soviets’ network of radio operators in the UK.

 “Melita was not a hard line Stalinist. She was an emotional Communist and quite naive. She thought what she was doing was for the benefit of the entire world.

“She thought of Stalin in those early days as a sort of Clement Attlee figure. When she became (politically) active in the 1930s, Russia was seen by many people as the only nation capable of defeating the Nazis.

“She once said she didn’t agree with spying against one’s country. She said her purpose had been to keep Russia abreast.”

However, a biographical book by  also reveals that Norwood herself recruited at least one spy to work for Russia. She declined to identify her recruit.

An historian who specialises in eastern European political emigres, Mr Burke first met Norwood in 1997. Mr Burke says Norwood had little time for the new generation of spies and their working methods which became Cold War lore.

“She didn’t like what she called the “playboy spies”. She also had no time for things like honeytraps. She believed in doing things the old-fashioned way.”

Professor Christopher Andrew, the official historian for MI5 who has written the forward to the new book said there was no doubt that the Russians thought she was a significant operator.

“Melita was the longest lasting Soviet spy in British history and that country’s most important female operative. How important particular pieces of information is often in the ears of the beholder. But the point is that the Russians thought what she was doing was very important and they told her so.”

The Spy Who Came In From the Co-op will be published by Boydell and Brewster on 17 October priced £18.99

Read full Telegraph article here

Missing Link (PG) – 24th May 18:00

Stellar International Cast Boasts Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Timothy Olyphant, Amrita Acharia, Ching Valdez-Aran, Emma Thompson and Zach Galifianakis in Fun-Filled, Globe-Circling Extravaganza.

LAIKA, the animation studio behind the Academy Award® nominated Kubo and the Two Strings, The Boxtrolls, ParaNorman, and Coraline, announces its fifth and most ambitious film to date: MISSING LINK.  

“Missing Link is an artistic and technical wonder,” said Mr. Knight.  “Led by our visionary director Chris Butler, LAIKA has once again blended fine art, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology to achieve something we’ve never tried before: a raucous comedy entwined with a swashbuckling epic, underscoring the universal need to find belonging.  Commingling keenly felt emotion, madcap humor, and retina-bursting visuals, Missing Link is a kaleidoscopic cinematic experience unlike any other.  It’s the most striking thing we’ve ever done.”

The charismatic Sir Lionel Frost (voiced by Hugh Jackman) considers himself to be the world’s foremost investigator of myths and monsters.  The trouble is none of his small-minded high-society peers seems to recognize this.  Sir Lionel’s last chance for acceptance by the adventuring elite rests on traveling to America’s Pacific Northwest to prove the existence of a legendary creature. A living remnant of Man’s primitive ancestry. The Missing Link.

Zach Galifianakis is Mr. Link:  the slightly silly, surprisingly smart and soulful beast upon whom Sir Lionel’s dreams depend.  As species go, he’s as endangered as they get; he’s the last of his kind, and he’s lonely. Proposing a daring quest to seek out his rumored distant relatives, he enlists Sir Lionel’s help in an odyssey around the world to find the fabled valley of Shangri-La.

Together with Adelina Fortnight (voiced by Zoe Saldana), an independent and resourceful adventurer who possesses the only known map to the group’s secret destination, the unlikely trio embarks on a riotous rollercoaster of a ride.  Along the way, our fearless explorers encounter more than their fair share of peril, stalked at every turn by dastardly villains seeking to thwart their mission. Through it all, Mr. Link’s disarming charm and good-humored conviction provide the emotional and comedic foundation of this fun-filled family film.  

Bursting with humor, heart, and a profound message of acceptance and finding one’s place, Missing Link is written and directed by Oscar® nominee Chris Butler (ParaNorman).  LAIKA’s head of production and Oscar® nominee Arianne Sutner (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings) is producing with Mr. Knight, who earned an Academy Award® nomination and BAFTA win for his directorial debut on Kubo.

“It was a constant source of delight to witness how our game and captivating cast imbued these larger- than- life characters with distinct personality,” said writer/director Chris Butler.  “Hugh lends Sir Lionel a giddy schoolboy enthusiasm bubbling beneath the surface of his suave English gent; Zoe brings an unflappable ardor and a witty playfulness to Adelina, and Zach’s performance as Link is not only laugh-out-loud funny, but a beautifully nuanced balance of innocence and vulnerability. It was a treat to be able to join this eclectic gang of adventurers on their journey across the world.”

In addition to Jackman, Saldana and Galifianakis, the estimable voice cast boasts a roster of internationally renowned and award-winning actors from all corners of the world.  Oscar® winner Emma Thompson (Sense and Sensibility), Stephen Fry (The Hobbit), Timothy Olyphant (Justified), Matt Lucas (Alice In Wonderland), David Walliams (Little Britain), Amrita Acharia (Game of Thrones) and Ching Valdes-Aran (Nurse Jackie) bring their extraordinary talents to this globe-trotting spectacle. ©