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May 2025
MI5: Official Secrets – Online Curator Tour
- Wednesday 28 May, 19:30
Join exhibition curator, Mark Dunton, for an online tour of our current exhibition, MI5: Official Secrets at The National Archives.
For most of its history, MI5 has worked almost entirely in secret. Operating in the shadows enabled the intelligence agency to deal effectively with covert threats and to protect its agents, people and operations.
But in the 1990s, everything changed. For the first time, MI5 publicly named its Director General. It advertised for recruits in a national newspaper. And it began to release files to The National Archives.
Discover an ever-changing world of subversion and espionage over MI5’s 115-year old history in a ground-breaking exhibition that will take you behind the scenes of one of Britain’s most iconic institutions.
This online event will last approximately one hour comprised of a pre-recorded film followed by a live audience Q&A with exhibition curator, Mark Dunton.
June 2025
A Very Expensive Poison
- Wednesday 4 June 2025, 19:30
1 November 2006: Alexander Litvinenko is brazenly poisoned in central London. Twenty-two days later he dies, killed from the inside by polonium – a rare, lethal and highly radioactive substance. His crime? Having powerful enemies in Russia.
Discover the inside story of a real-life revenge tragedy that tore apart an individual and his family. Based on a decade’s reporting and interviews with the Russian mafia, the KGB and British police, as well as access to public inquiry evidence, Luke Harding uncovers the deadly trail of the poison that led to an assassination marking the beginning of the deterioration of Moscow’s relations with the west.
Researching your family history, 1837-1911
- Friday 13 June, 14:00
Learn about the key sources available for tracing the lives of your ancestors living in the 19th century.
Exploring civil registration records after 1837 and illustrating the evolution of the census, this webinar will help start your journey into discovering more about your family tree.
This webinar is presented by Jessamy Carlson, family history specialist at The National Archives, and will comprise a pre-recorded film followed by a live Q&A so come prepared with your questions.
Family history: tracing your Irish ancestors
- Friday 20 June, 14:00
In 1922, millions of Irish census records were lost when the Public Record Office of Ireland was destroyed in a catastrophic explosion and fire. This presents a major obstacle for anyone tracing their Irish ancestors prior to 1901. Now, The National Archives is a leading partner in the Virtual Record Treasury of Ireland (VRTI), a project working to track down surviving copies of the records destroyed a century ago.
Family history specialists Jessamy Carlson (The National Archives) and Brian Gurrin (VRTI) will explain how family historians can use newly identified census transcripts, and earlier census records in the VRTI, as well as how to combine them with other collections, to help you find your Irish ancestors.
This webinar comprises a pre-recorded film followed by a live Q&A so come prepared with your questions
July 2025
Spies, Secrets and Archives
- Wednesday 2 July, 19:30
Join Gordon Corera for the inside scoop on a career reporting on the world of secrets and spies.
As Security Correspondent for BBC News, over the past 20 years, Gordon Corera has reported on issues relating to national security and intelligence. He has covered some of the world’s biggest spy stories ranging from the Edward Snowden leaks through to the poisonings of Sergei Skripal and Alexander Litvinenko.
Join him as he discusses insights from his career covering the changing world of British intelligence through to his latest work investigating the secrets of the KGB archives and the remarkable story of KGB archivist, Vasili Mitrokhin.
Burgess and Maclean Disappear
- Friday 11 July, 14:00
In June 1951, a shocking news story gripped the nation when it was announced that two Foreign Office diplomats, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, had disappeared. Speculation rose about their whereabouts until it emerged that they had fled to the Soviet Union.
Join MI5: Official Secrets curator, Mark Dunton, to discover the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of these notorious members of the Cambridge Five spy ring, drawing on the rich archives of the Security Service, housed at The National Archives.
September 2025
Leading MI5
- Wednesday 10 September, 19:30
Join us for an exclusive online event with former Director General of MI5, Jonathan Evans, Baron Evans of Weardale.
While much of MI5’s work necessarily remains secret, this talk offers a fascinating and first-hand account of the world of intelligence.
Join us for a unique conversation with Lord Evans, former Director General of MI5, as he shares his experiences and insights from a 33-year career at the forefront of national security. In conversation with Saul Nassé, Chief Executive and Keeper of The National Archives, Lord Evans will discuss what it was like to work for and lead MI5. His career spanned a pivotal period in modern history, including the 9/11 attacks, which occurred just ten days after he became Director of international counter-terrorism in 2001. He went on to become Director General of MI5 in 2007, leading the organisation until his retirement in 2013.
This is a rare opportunity to hear from a former senior figure in the intelligence community, offering an important perspective on the world of MI5 and the challenges of keeping the country safe.
Missed an event or can’t watch a talk live?
Talks are available to watch for 48 hours after the event. You will be sent a link to the recording after the event is over.