21 May 2026 (past event)
- 18:30 to 19:45
Talk
The Cambridge Spy Ring: 75 Years since the first defections
Join Gordon Corera in discussion with Gill Bennett as they investigate the legacy of the Cambridge Spies, 75 years on.
- Date
- 21 May 2026
- Location
- The National Archives, Kew
About this image
Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean's disappearance papers (1951–1953). Catalogue reference: FCO 158/6
Join us in person at The National Archives, Kew and online via Zoom Webinar for this talk.
Please note that a tube strike is planned for Thursday 21 May and we may make the decision to run the event entirely online. We will notify attendees with plenty of notice
In May 1951, two British diplomats, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, seemingly disappeared from the country, sparking a media frenzy and a worldwide hunt to locate them. As new allegations about their past emerged, they became the face of a wider espionage operation that compromised Britain for decades.
75 years later, join Gordon Corera (author and journalist) in discussion with Gill Bennett (historian) as they investigate the legacy of these spies.
The Afterlife of the Cambridge Spies
This event is part of a programme of activities associated with the AHRC funded project, The Afterlife of the Cambridge Spies.
With 2026 marking 75 years since the first public revelation of the spies, this AHRC Curiosity project will therefore instigate a multidisciplinary analysis of the complicated legacies of the Cambridge spies across this full and entwined political, social, and cultural landscape. Engaging participants including academics, archivists, cultural producers, educators, and government stakeholders, the project’s aim is to address a series of interlocked research areas.
Project Leads
Professor James Smith, University of Durham
Professor Michael S Goodman, King’s College London
Project Partner
Event details
- Date
- 21 May 2026, 18:30 to 19:45
- Price
-
Free
- Location
- In person and online
-
The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, TW9 4DU
This event has sold out.
Dates for this event
Plan your visit
What is The National Archives?
The National Archives is the official archive of the UK government, and England and Wales. We are the guardians of over 1,000 years of iconic national documents.
Everyone is welcome to visit our headquarters in Kew. We put on exhibitions, events and displays and offer reading rooms giving access to our collections there.
Getting here
The National Archives is located by the River Thames in Kew, 30 minutes from Central London. We offer advice on travelling to us by car, bike, train or bus.
Children and families
We provide a warm welcome to visitors of all ages, including children and family groups.
- Free activity sheets (for ages 1+) are available from the Time Travel Club trolley in our entrance hall
- Our café is child-friendly and there are picnic benches outside
- Prams and buggies are welcome, and we have a buggy park
- Baby changing facilities are located by our entrance hall, at the top of the main stairs, and in the library
- Emergency supplies of nappies and wipes are available
Joining this event online
You can join this event online using Zoom. You do not need a Zoom account to join, and you can join from your browser from a laptop or mobile device. For the best experience we recommend using either a laptop or desktop computer.
All communications for the event will be sent to you via email from Eventbrite.
You will receive a reminder email including a link to join in advance of the event. Please ensure you enter the correct email when signing up and check your spam if you have not received the email the day before the event.
This event will be recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel at a later date.
