In the 60s British cinema audiences were transfixed as James Bond foiled the evil plans of a villain called ‘Goldfinger’.
Little did they know that Goldfinger’s plot to break into Fort Knox was not just a work of fiction, but a version of a true story that happened in London in 1914…
In this programme, new documentary evidence uncovered by historian Andrew Cook, reveals that the ‘Real Goldfinger’, was a cunning German Spymaster, who planned to blow up the Bank of England and devastate the British Economy on the eve of the First World War …
At the time, British espionage was in its infancy – The Secret Service Bureau (the organisation that would become MI5) had been formed just a few years earlier in 1909.
Trained by the likes of Houdini, our fledgling British Agents successfully uncovered an extensive German spy ring operating in Britain.
And, as this programme reveals, managed to save the country from crippling economic warfare.
Featuring interviews with top espionage historians, demonstrations of invisible ink, counter invasion plans, Royal Navy war ships and a journey into London’s forgotten network of disused underground tunnels, this documentary looks at the birth of the British Secret Service and tells the story of the real-life British spies who foiled the greatest bank job of all time.
Broadcaster: five & The History Channel
TX Date: June 2009
Total Episodes: 1
Duration: 60 mins
Executive Producer(s): Bill Locke
Presenter(s): Andrew Cook