Former spy reveals top secrets of one of ‘most dangerous jobs’

By Jake Meeus-Jones

A former MI6 intelligence officer has revealed how he was recruited by his university professor and had 14 alias identities.

Matthew Dunn, 57, joined the secret intelligence service in 1996 and spent many years working across the world in "one of the most dangerous jobs."

For a while, he wasn't able to tell his family what he did and would often be operating abroad under another identity.

During his career with MI6, Matthew operated alone in hostile locations around the world, targeting some of the highest-ranking figures in rogue states.

His work earned him a rare personal commendation from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for an operation that significantly enhanced the security of Great Britain and its allies.

He is now set to embark on a new stage show transforming audiences into members of an MI6 command center as they navigate a high-stakes intelligence operation inspired by the realities of modern espionage.

Matthew, who lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, said: "At peak I had 14 alias identities.

"It means you need to be that person - or as much that person as possible to withstand a degree of scrutiny.

"For example at entry and exit of ports - where one can naturally be questioned.

"What that actually means is not just to cover the job of the person you are, but also your backstory - which university, which street you live on, the name of the pub, what beers are on draft etc.

"So if somebody starts probing, you can talk for a period of time.

"In operations - it's not like you see in the movies, your aliases overlap, not just one at a time.

"I might be juggling and moving between operations and identities.

"I think deep down, the ability to do it, is within the individual.

"MI6 are recruiting spies before they are spies."

Matthew was recruited by a talent spotter while studying politics and economics at the University of East Anglia.

He said: "MI6 approached you, not the other way round.

"That was done by talent spotters across Britain - a good hunting ground was universities.

"I was in the back end of my under-graduate studies working with a professor.

"He asked me what I envisaged doing after graduation and as a youngster I was very interested in books and I encountered spy fiction.

"So when I was at university, I remember reading the likes of le Carré and others and knew this is where they recruit.

"So when he asked me what I was looking to do, I thought this was the time to consider some kind of entry into MI6.

"My response was I was thinking about government service and specifically foreign service - I did wonder if this person in front of me was a talent spotter.

"Nothing happened overnight but now again the conversation would pop up again.

"Later on, he finally said there was some people in London he'd like me to meet and I said 'of course.'

"I met the aforementioned people and their opening question was 'do you know who you're talking to?' and I said 'Yes, you're MI6'.

"Afterwards I went through rigorous testing and interviews.

"If at any point I didn't pass, that was it."

While Matthew naturally cannot discuss details of operations — protected under the Official Secrets Act — he revealed that he rarely felt fear, even when he "should have."

He added: "The nature of espionage by nature is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world - it always carries that threat.

"That was a given - it's illegal in most countries around the world, including ours, yet here we are all playing the game.

"My personal experience of operating was that I was always aware of that threat, but on occasion it was thrust in my face and I can't go into anymore detail on that.

"I cannot remember a time where I had fear, abject fear - I was in positions where I should've done, but I didn't.

"I think the reason for that is our focus was always about the challenges."

He also wasn't initially allowed to tell family members about his line of work.

Matthew said: "In the vetting process what they ask you to do is give them a list of people you've known in past and present - family, employers, anyone.

"They take that list and they start networking around it to build as big a picture as possible of who you are.

"I do remember having to tell my parents that I was a diplomat until I was given them authority to say otherwise.

"I bumped into my mother one day and I had to improvise.

"She quite naturally would say let's meet for lunch near Whitehall and I had to bluff the whole thing!"

Since leaving the intelligence service, he has become a bestselling author and security expert and will begin a run of 70 dates for his upcoming stage show.

He said: "The driver behind this was that we want to take the audience into a situation they've never seen before - into the heart of the MI6 control room where a live operation is being monitored.

"Audiences, whether theater or movies, have this sense of the way of life of MI6 but we knew to a large extent that is a heavily fictionalised version.

"We want to make it rooted in reality and what's going on now - to show how it would actually be conducted.

"We thought it would be great on a stage - right up close and personal, to make the audience part of the experience."

Tickets to Matthew's show are available here.