David McCloskey

You know, it's the scuzzy van really fits.

And we should say, our producer, Becky, has noted here that many people think that steak knife was supposed to be spelled S-T-E-A-K.

Sort of suggesting a sharp operative designed to cut through the IRA, slicing the organization to pieces.

But steak knife, which is how it's spelled, S-T-A-K-E knife, is believed by some to be a clerical error by military handlers, leading to the nickname mistake knife.

So there you go.

Mistake knife.

So the scuzzy vans, though, it's not MI5.

Yeah, not MI5, it's the Frou.

It's the Frou.

There's a real undercurrent of glamour throughout this entire story, isn't there, Gordon?

This is the grittiest possible intelligence story.

The rat hole is exclusively for managing steak knives intelligence.

So he's got no spy gear here, right?

I mean, he's just going to a phone, calling this number to set up a meeting or to pass intelligence directly over the phone.

It is remarkable when we have done more modern spy stories of just how much more complex now

the tradecraft has become around comms and how much harder it is.

Because I mean, the way he's being handled in this case, I mean, it's almost, it feels quaint.

It almost feels ancient now.

The idea that you can just go to a pay phone or go to, you know, maybe he's not making these calls.

I presume he wouldn't make these calls from his home because I suppose the IRA wouldn't