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Can you introduce us to the story of Fakers?

"Fakers tells the story of the maverick propagandists running Britain’s Cold War forgery empire. Their mission was to secretly disrupt and discredit adversaries around the world using phantom groups, fake sources, and counterfeit documents. Some of these plots were comically absurd, such as impersonating hippies and ghosts, whilst others were dangerously controversial.

"The book combines high stakes Cold War espionage and intrigue with some lighter bureaucratic farce. I was particularly pleased when one of the early readers described is as Le Carre meets Monty Python!"

What was your inspiration for this book?

"It was a book I didn't intend to write, but the government declassified about 8,000 files around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic. I couldn't believe what I was reading. They were so rich in operational detail, stories, and characters, that I was stunned they'd all been released.

"I wrote an academic article on the propaganda campaign but got so engrossed in the operations and people that I just couldn't stop! I'm so delighted that their story can be told. At the same time, I was inspired by the wider political context. One of my goals as a professor is to put things like disinformation into their historical context."

How do you feel the book is relevant in the modern era of disinformation?

"One of my favourite moments when writing it involved me attending a large summit of practitioners working on counter-disinformation today. After listening to their debates for a day, it was my turn to speak. I read out a document from the 1960s which pretty much said word for word everything they'd been discussing! So much of this isn't new. The core principles, debates, trade-offs are all remarkably consistent over centuries. What is new is the speed and scale of today's propaganda landscape, turbo-charged by technology."

How do you take any of the themes from the book into your teaching?

"I'm lucky enough to teach an MA module on covert operations. I think it's one of the only ones - if not the only one - in the country. This includes a week on propaganda, where students compare Cold War and contemporary operations. I love research-informed teaching because I get to share the most recent discoveries with students before they're even published and the students ask really probing questions. Discussion in class undoubtedly helps me as much as it does the students. That is what a research intensive university is all about."

Do you enjoy the process of promoting your books as much as you do writing them? 

"I love telling stories; I would have been a rubbish spy! It is such a privileged part of the job to be able to speak at book festivals up and down the country, sharing newly unearthed material and meeting readers. It's also a great way to bring academic research to the wider public, showing the cool - and important - things that universities do, which, I would argue is especially vital right now given challenges facing the sector. On this note, I'm very excited to be talking about Fakers at the Nevill Holt festival. It's a local one, so I might even drag my kids along to see daddy in action!"

See Rory discuss Fakers at the Nevill Holt Festival on Sunday 7 June 3.30-4.30pm: