As time passes (and with the fall of the Soviet Union), eye witnesses, politicians and spies both seek peace with their past but also feel more relaxed about revealing the secrets that cost many people their lives on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Watch spies betray their country to save the world in "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" – a co-production between BBC and the Open University.
Here's how to watch "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" from anywhere with a VPN – and potentially for free!
► Date and time: "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" episode one lands on BBC2 on Wednesday, May 8 at 9 p.m. BST (4 p.m. ET/ 1p.m. PT) with a repeat on Friday, May 10 before episode two on Wednesday, May 18 at 9pm. The show will stream on BBC iPlayer shortly after episode one on BBC iPlayer.
• FREE — BBC iPlayer (U.K.)
• Watch anywhere — try NordVPN 100% risk free
The imminent threat of nuclear armageddon existed from even before the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 to the fall of the Soviet Union in December 1991 and this gripping three-parter seeks to flesh out, in particular, the role of double agent Oleg Gordievsky in preventing that from happening.
Lionized in the West as a hero and despised by his former colleagues in the Soviet Union, his role in the exchange of vital information was undoubtedly pivotal but how much it contributed to the prevention of a nuclear war is still open to debate.
The espionage and counter-espionage stories, however, were all played out on the world stage and for the highest odds imaginable, and the jeopardy still resonates. Read on for how to watch "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" online and from anywhere in the world.
Watch 'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' for free
In the U.K., "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" is available to stream for free, in full, on BBC iPlayer shortly after broadcast of episode one on BBC2 on Wednesday, May 8 at 9 p.m. BST (4 p.m. ET/ 1p.m. PT).
But what if you are a Brit abroad and you don't want to miss this gripping three-part doc? Don't worry — you can watch it via a VPN instead. We'll show you how to do that below.
Watch 'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' from abroad
If you are a Brit abroad and can't wait a moment longer to watch "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game", a VPN (Virtual Private Network) might be the answer to your prayers.
The software allows your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are, making it ideal for anybody away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN.
Using a VPN is incredibly simple.
1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance, if you're away from the U.K. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.
3. Sit back and watch the show. Head to BBC iPlayer.
Can I watch 'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' online in the U.S.?
As yet there are no plans for the U.S. to pick up "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" but if you are a Brit in the States for work or on vacation, you can stream all three episodes of the show by using a VPN such as NordVPN and choosing U.K. from the list.
Can I watch 'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' online in Canada?
As with the U.S., Canada has no plans to pick up "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" but if you are a Brit and there for work or on vacation, you can stream all three episodes of the show by using a VPN such as NordVPN, choosing U.K. from the list.
Can I watch 'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' online in Australia?
If you are an Aussie away from home for work or vacation, you can stream "Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game" by using a VPN such as NordVPN, choosing U.K. from the list.
'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' trailer
Click here to see trailer from Episode 1: Iron Sphere - The context of the Cold War in Moscow in the 1980s. Catch the whole series on BBCi Player or, if abroad, with Nord VPN.
'Secrets and Spies: The Nuclear Game' Episode Guide
EPISODE 1/3
It’s summer 1982, and KGB spy Oleg Gordievsky travels from Moscow to take up a post at the Soviet embassy in London. East and west have a deep mistrust and misunderstanding of each other, and as a result, the Cold War, which has been rumbling on for almost 40 years, is heating up. The spying game and paranoia magnify the suspicion between superpowers, and an arms race threatens to bring the world to nuclear armageddon. Including rarely heard archive interviews with Oleg Gordievsky and the unpublished letters of Michael Bettaney, as well as interviews with former aides to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and former KGB, MI5 and MI6 officers, some of whom have never spoken publicly before.
EPISODE 2/3
With Gordievsky’s help, Britain identifies Mikhail Gorbachev as a possible new contender for Soviet leader; he could be the ticket to better relations between east and west. But fragile steps towards diplomacy are threatened by the vested interests of other spies still stuck in the old-world order.
The CIA is set on knowing who Britain’s super spy is, but their head of Soviet counterintelligence, Aldrich Ames, is getting disillusioned. He turns traitor for a paltry sum, and shortly afterwards, Gordievsky is summoned back to Russia to almost certain danger.
The episode includes exclusive audio recordings of Aldrich Ames, audio interviews from Oleg Gordievsky, interviews with former KGB, FBI, CIA and MI6 officers, some of whom have never spoken before, as well as colleagues of Thatcher and Reagan.
EPISODE 3/3
It's 1985, and Mikhail Gorbachev is the new, young leader of the Soviet Union at a very tense time. While both sides have hopes of peace, they have been publicly stockpiling nuclear weapons for decades. Neither side wants to appear weak. Thatcher and Reagan hope that fresh leadership in the Kremlin will offer an opportunity for constructive dialogue.
Top double agent Oleg Gordievsky is pivotal in these negotiations, but a sudden summons back to Moscow by his KGB bosses has unnerved him - do they know he is secretly spying for Britain? When he arrives at his Moscow flat and discovers that a lock which he never turns has been used, his fears are confirmed.
Including exclusive audio recordings of Aldrich Ames, audio interviews from Oleg Gordievsky and interviews with former KGB, CIA, FBI and MI6 officers, including one of the MI6 officers who rescued Gordievsky. Other interviews include colleagues of Thatcher, Reagan and Gorbachev, and experts with personal connections to the story such as Susan Eisenhower and Nina Khrushcheva.
Where else has the Oleg Gordievsky story been told?
As the poster boy for the success of the British intelligence services, the former KGB Colonel has become a media pundit and author/ co-author of six books. He has also appeared in dedicated episodes in several recent documentaries including "Spy Wars With Damian Lewis" and "Spy Ops" on Netflix. In 2018 Ben McIntyre wrote a biography of Gordievsky - "The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War." The retired double agent is now 85.
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