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How a Jewish socialite exposed the infamous double agent Kim Philby

A new TV drama tells the story of how Flora Solomon exposed a cold war spy

December 6, 2022 13:38
A SPY AMONG FRIENDS EPISODE 2 04
2 min read

It was a chance conversation which changed the course of history and led to the unveiling of one of Britain’s greatest traitors. Now the key role a Jewish woman had in exposing the infamous double-agent, Kim Philby, has been dramatised for television.

A new drama A Spy Among Friends is based on the non-fiction novel by Ben Macintyre and opens with the whirr of a tape as a detective says: "We are in the home of Mrs Flora Solomon on January 8 1963.".

We then see actress Anastasia Hill, who plays Flora, tell the detective: "I very much regret it has taken all these years to realise who he is and the despicable things he has done."

The drama, which starts on new streaming channel ITVX on Thursday, focuses on the friendship between Philby, played by Guy Pearce, and Damian Lewis as his friend Nicholas Elliott, a fellow secret agent who was fooled and fooled again by the man who was spying for Russia while in a top position in the SIS (Secret Intelligence Service, the forerunner to MI6). But actually, the friendship between Philby and Solomon would be an even more fascinating tale.