Secret War

Edwin Hardy Amies, fashion designer, businessman, couturier for the Queen. But, as a young man, he was also one of Britain’s most unlikely spymasters. He worked for S.O.E. – the Special Operations Executive – Winston Churchill’s secret army.

Charles “Lucky” Luciano was the father of modern organised crime, a pimp, a racketeer and a murderer. In 1936 he was sentenced to serve 50 years in jail, where he was meant to die, instead he spent just 10 years there and died a free man in Italy. A remarkable reversal of fortune and an unlikely collaboration of the Second World War.

A wealthy lawyer, debonair ladies man, consummate actor and fearless gambler, Dusko Popov played the role of playboy amongst the top echelons of British society to become one of Germany’s most trusted spies. In fact, he was one of Britain’s most successful double agents and some say the inspiration for James Bond.

In the chaos of 1940, Churchill created the ‘Special Operations Executive’. The actions of Charles Hambro, who oversaw two operations - Grouse and Gunnerside - that helped stop the Nazis from developing nuclear technology.

In October 1942 Monty Woodhouse; scholar, diplomat, warrior was parachuted into Greece to raise hell. With a motley band of partisans, he would pull off one of the most spectacular missions of the entire war.