From Spy Chief To Author with David Bickford CB
About this episode:
In this highly compelling episode, we’re joined by David Bickford CB, a former senior intelligence official who served as Legal Director and Under-Secretary of State at both MI5 and MI6. David played a key role in shaping the UK's counter-terrorism and intelligence laws, creating the legal pathways that enabled operational intelligence to be used in court—revolutionising the intelligence community's ability to act and protect.
Now a bestselling author, David brings decades of real-life espionage experience into his critically acclaimed Katyathriller series, co-written with his wife Cary. His fiction is celebrated for its authenticity, moral complexity, and international scope—taking readers from Arctic missions to Cold War Berlin.
In this conversation, David reflects on his extraordinary career, the moral challenges of intelligence work, leadership lessons and how he continues to explore global intrigue through his writing.
Expect sharp insights, fascinating stories, and powerful reflections on leadership, loyalty, and the real world of espionage.
More about David Bickford:
David Bickford is a former senior intelligence official turned bestselling author. As Legal Director and Under-Secretary of State at both MI5 and MI6, he played a pivotal role in shaping the UK’s counter-terrorism and intelligence laws, creating the legal framework that allowed operational intelligence to be used in court. For his service, he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB).
Bickford began his career as a solicitor before joining the Foreign Office and eventually moving into the world of national security. His work spanned high-level legal reform and some of the most sensitive operations in British intelligence.
After retiring, Bickford turned to fiction, drawing on decades of real-life experience. His critically praised Katya series follows a former FSB agent navigating international espionage, terrorism, and betrayal across Europe, the Arctic, and beyond. With his insider’s understanding of intelligence operations, Bickford’s novels are known for their authenticity, moral depth, and gripping pace.
He writes in close collaboration with his wife Cary, whom he married in 1965. Together, they develop plots during early morning walks and continue to bring complex, high-stakes spy stories to life. Bickford is currently working on additional titles in the Katya series and a standalone prequel set in Cold War Berlin.