Who saw this disappointment coming? Being a spy in real life is apparently nowhere near as glamorous or exciting as it is in the James Bond movies.

Security service chief Andrew Parker, who is the head of MI5, has revealed the spooks who work at his agency are more “ordinary” than the 007 films might suggest.

Mr Parker told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The men and women who work in MI5 are of course basically ordinary people who are part of our society, live in our communities, but are committed to protecting us from those who mean harm.

"So of course people are perhaps more ordinary than is perhaps described in fiction."

Asked if he would be going to see the new Bond film Spectre when it is released next month, the MI5 boss said: “I love the James Bond films because they are so distant from reality that we can all enjoy the fiction.”

So, there goes that illusion. It seems being a spy might not be a fantasy job after all full of world travel, fast cars and your pick of sexual partners.

But then in the world of espionage you never know what to believe, so maybe Mr Parker is bluffing and being a secret agent is even better than in the movies but he just doesn’t want us to know. Hmm.

Even if it is “ordinary”, working for MI5 is probably more interesting than about 99 per cent of other jobs.

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