07/02/2014 The One Show

Ignore the editor, he has been out all afternoon. Anyway, welcome to

The One Show with Alex Jones and Chris Evans. We have the on-screen

pair who occupy a world of grisly American politics. You may say that,

I cannot possibly comment. That is good. I wish things were that

fictional. If I was Kevin Spacey I would be getting a lot of stuff

done. Please welcome two stars from the hit TV series, Kate Mara and

Kevin Spacey. How do you get Barack Obama to be part of your promotion

for the House of Cards? I did not even know he watched the show until

I saw that clip. In some ways I feel a bit sorry for him because clearly

we are getting more done on our fictional show. You have got better

writers! We have heard a little rumour... That you are pregnant? No!

That you used the image of President Obama to try and make Kevin laugh in

a certain scene? Is it true can you explain the back story? We shot the

on election day. I had to go topless which is always fun. And so I

thought to make Kevin laugh or try and make him laugh because it never

works, I would print out some pictures of Obama's face and use

those as... Let my telly this, she got both my votes. We will be

hearing more about their version of House of Cards later. But first, as

Gordon Correra reveals, when it comes to intrigue and treachery, it

is often the case that fact can be as dramatic as fiction.

He was a war hero and a top ranking MI6 officer, but he has been

described as the greatest traitor this country has ever had. This is

the extraordinary story of British spy George Blake. George Blake was

not an ordinary spy. He was a double agent passing secrets to the soviet

union, doing significant damage to Britain during the Cold War. He

would zip around London passing confidential files to his handlers.

George Blake betrayed hundreds of agents. He was a very damaging man

in the context of the Cold War. On the visible front line of the Cold

War which is how it was bought in those days. He was exposed by an

Eastern European defector as a double agent. He was sentenced to a

maximum of 14 years on each of three counts of spying, totalling a record

42 year sentence. Blake's British spying career ended here at Wormwood

Scrubs prison in London. Within five years he would scale these very

walls and make an incredible escape to the east. The escape was

orchestrated by a collection of fellow inmates. One of them was

antinuclear campaigner Michael Randle. Did you have a sense then

that he wanted to escape? I did not but my colleague was in at the same

time, they were at the Rhino is together and Pat said to him, did

you ever think of escaping and George said, I never think of

anything else. Blake established a collection of supportive fellow

inmates. After his release, Randle communicated with Blake via a fellow

inmate and the plan was hatched to lower him through a tiny window

frame. How did he get over this high wall? That was with a rope ladder

and the rungs were reinforced with knitting needles. That was the idea

of my wife. If it had just been rope, the uprights would have come

together. George got to the top of the wall and then jumped down. It is

a long way and he actually broke his wrist. While the alarm was raised at

Wormwood Scrubs, Blake was on his way to a safe house just around the

corner. Once he was over, all hell was let loose. The whole country was

scoured. Ports, airfields, Special Branch were sent hither and thither.

But Blake remained elusive. He was moved around safe houses in the

capital. Then having adapted his van to hide Blake under the seats, he

set off -- Michael set off to Berlin. We looked like a normal

family, my wife and myself and the children in the back. And George

Blake and Denise. The camper van made it through countless

checkpoints across Europe and finally got to the board of

communist East Berlin. We could see the lights and he said, I will get

out here. That was the last use or of him? Blake travelled on to Moscow

where he was welcomed as a hero and still lives there today aged 90.

Randle was tried at the Old Bailey for aiding and abetting his escape.

His defence was he was acting out of necessity believing Blake's 42 year

sentence was in human. The jury found him not guilty. No one found

it more surprising than Blake himself, seen on BBC news footage

congratulating Randle from Moscow. I never thought you would get off

altogether and I am absolutely flabbergasted and I cannot find

enough words. People might say you helped a traitor, a KGB spy escape

from the country? Not really because his usefulness as a spy had expired.

The motivation was we felt it was an unjust and inhuman sentence and on

that basis, we were prepared to help. George Blake may have been our

greatest traitor, but thanks to Michael Randle's van and some

knitting needles, he remains a free man today. What a brilliant story.

Gordon is here now. George Blake gets 40 years, Randle smuggles him

out of prison, then smuggles him across many different countries to

East Berlin and does not get anything? It took 25 years to put

Michael Randle on trial and by the time they put him on trial the Cold

War was over an times had changed. He managed to convince a jury he had

done it out of humanitarian reasons and he had not been helping a

traitor. Even though the evidence was pretty clear, he got off and he

is still unrepentant at helping George Blake get out of prison.

E looks quite chipper in that film. They did not realise he was an MI6

officer. And he said it was his wife's idea about the knitting

needles and the kids had a man underneath them in a van going to

Berlin. The spy stories always have a mundane element. George Blake is

still alive in Moscow today thanks to Michael Randle. I tried to get in

touch with him. One day I had any mail from a KGB spy and he said, I

am afraid I do not want to talk to you. Even to this day, he does not

want to get into why he was a spy. He is in Moscow. Vladimir Putin, who

was an ex-KGB man himself, gave him a medal. Ex-KGB. George Blake is

still there in Moscow. And is his wife still knitting? That is the

most important thing! Knitting but not helping spies escape from

prison. Kate and Kevin, in your best English

accents could you read the next bit for us please? Viewers please watch

this next film. Alistair McGowan has discovered it might be RIP for RP,

that is received pronunciation. Good evening, we are beginning this

evening by giving half an hour for what I might call you bigger

children. The cut glass accent. The sound of the aristocracy, talking

posh to you and me. But the most enduring sound and symbol of Britain

is changing. Prince Charles may sound like a member of the Royal

family but his son, Prince William, is very different altogether. The

monarchy helped create the posh accent. From the earliest 16th

century, the wealthy and privileged were encouraged to copy the speech

used in the Royal Court. This new copycat accent was spoken in country

houses and great estates all over the land. However, it was not

regional. It became accent purely of social class. Mrs Veronica Munster

was born and raised in Wales, but because it was expected of someone

of her social class, she's still developed a cut glass accent. And

accent which language experts call received pronunciation or RP for

short. I spent 15 years in Germany. Very cold winters. We can still hear

some very traditional RP sounds? The very is distinctive of RP. For

generations, traditional RP was protected from change because the

social elite who spoke it pretty much kept themselves to themselves.

When you grew up did you associate with people who spoke like you? I

had three older brothers and I spent my entire time in the stables. The

post-war period ushered in a new a rear -- era of social mobility,

crossing class boundaries. Traditional RP speakers were being

exposed to some new and influential sounds. But the posh accent would

not give up without a jolly good fight. Despite social change in the

50s, broadcasters, politicians and the Royal family made sure posh was

still the sound of the British establishment. That is the end of

the announcement from Buckingham Palace. And it remained an

advantageous accent to have, even into the 1960s when Gigi Salamon was

targeted for a job because of the way she spoke. I was in the drama

department when the announcer came in and he heard my voice and said,

come and do a trial. If I can get in an eight hour day, eight hours, is

that what you do? I was hoping you would say ours. I was led up that

garden path. But now the posh accent is losing its grip. Broadcasters

have embraced regional accents. Having a traditional RP accent is no

longer seen as advantageous. Even the Chancellor George Osborne has

been accused of downgrading his natural accent by dropping his

teas. And the next generation of the upper class do not need to pretend,

their accents really have changed. Gigi's daughter, Bettina, has grown

up in London inspired by a number of different accents. I heard myself on

a voice now the other day and I did not realise I sounded posh. It is

interesting that she said posh but she sounds different to how her

mother and Mrs Munster speaks. There is using a got. At the back of the

throat. What would I be holding at the stumps? Cricket bat. Cricket

bat. The posh accent has been biting off allcomers for decades but it

seems it is now finally changing. Go on then. What? It is annoying

when sometimes Americans come here... Yes, they annoy us. I mean

they play British roles and you cannot tell. We cannot tell because

we are British. I had to, when I played Richard II, I had to sound

like a British king. Can you tell when people put on American accents?

Sometimes when it is not done well. I still prayed to the god of Danny

Kaye for getting it wrong bit but you have to win Paltrow in Sliding

cat macro doors and she was perfect. Well done. I thank you for all of

us. House of cards now. -- House Of Cards 's. It used to be and -- a UK

programme. Kate, you play very, a young journalist. But you had to get

the nod from Kevin to get the role. The I did. This is it! I auditioned

with David Fincher, and then he said, we have to wait for Kevin to

have a look at your tape. So I waited a really long time, and then

I heard that you watched the tape and said, she seems really cold and

driven. In a negative way! But that's what you want it! This is a

great example of why you should never believe anything anyone tells

you. How close did Kate come to not getting the role? Not at all. First

of all, she is remarkable in the role, and we have had a really,

really great time working together. But also, there's so much about the

story as it evolves, it's not about dialogue and what people say, but

about behaviour. The way we have worked together has been such a

pleasure. She's very intriguing. In the first series, Kate, you play

almost a super fan to Kevin's character. Stalker, another, then

would-be nemesis. What do you have in store for his character in the

second series? You bring champagne and some heels. You bring the most

expensive bottle of champagne, and you'll have to watch to see the

rest. You can see the second series starting on Friday, and you can see

how the dynamic between you has changed a bit. I am just asking

questions. You are connecting dots that don't exist. Should I just act

as if I don't know anything? Yes, I got Peter out, but beyond that,

there's nothing to know. Trust me or not, I'm about to be confirmed as

the Vice President, and our relationship extends to the oval

office now. Don't step out of the sunlight for no reason. Now that is

cold and driven! You are the same! For people who don't know about

Netflix, tell them what it is and how it works, and also why this

series is so important for the future of how we watch TV

entertainment. Will Netflix is a streaming service. You can watch all

the movies and television series they are able to stream and show.

This is one of the reasons that Breaking Bad became such a big hit.

More people saw it on Netflix than on its original network. There's

great documentaries on it, incredible stuff, and you can watch

it as many times as you want. You can watch the season premiere, and

also every episode that night if you wanted, which some of us do. We are

the first television show in history that has released its entire first

season in one go. That shows that in the same way as people are in love

with box sets, and they used to stay home and watched the whole season

over the weekend, it is showing that we have learnt the lesson that the

music industry didn't learn - give people what they want, when they

want it, and they probably will not steal it. It also gives the audience

control of when they watch their entertainment. You can pick it up

when you want, and put it down when you one. It's definitely a trend

that has caught on. Why did you choose to do House Of Cards, because

as Chris said, this was massively pioneering, a big series for

Netflix. Why choose one that was made by the BBC so many years ago? I

was in something that David Fincher directed, and we were talking about

working together again. He then heard that the rights to the

original House Of Cards were available. I had never heard of it.

But then we looked at it and we thought it would translate to the

US. From the beginning, I thought it was an incredible premise, it was

very successful here in the UK, and much beloved. For me, it was a

fantastic role, and it was the opportunity to do something that was

revolutionary, changing the paradigms of the show, in which

Netflix did an incredible risk. 26 shows, right off the bat. And we

didn't have to do a pilot. Often, networks insist you do a pilot. So

we had to establish all of the characters and come up with

cliffhangers. We wanted to start the story when we wanted, and we have

just picked up the third season. Was working with Kevin as you imagined,

Kate? He's a lot less serious than I imagined. And he's a lot more

immature. Sorry to call you out! The second series of House Of Cards is

available on Netflix from next Friday, and if you haven't seen the

first, it's there for you. After all the fuss about sugar being bad for

us, new research is now saying that low-fat yoghurt can help counter

Type 2 diabetes. Wrote a discovery that isn't exactly bad news for an

already booming business. The market is worth ?1.4 billion every year.

You'll get is an ancient food around the world, but until 50 years ago,

many people in Britain hadn't even heard of it. Look at it today.

Low-fat, no fact, Greek, Swiss, fruity, bio, for drinking or

pouring. Here is the main ingredient being pumped into a family run dairy

in the Chilterns. You can make it at home, but on a smaller scale. You

ferment the milk, add a culture of bacteria that gets the process

going, and some dried milk powder, and leave it overnight. Simple. But

it took us a long time to find out. Before the Second World War, you

couldn't really get yoghurt in Britain. There was a chap who run a

dairy in north London, and he won a competition during the war to rescue

milk from bombed out trains. He discovered the milk had started to

go off, and he knew enough to realise this was the start of

yoghurt. The clever man started to market it as this new wonder

ingredient, and before long, shops were taking yoghurt. It was the 60s

before Britain got a taste for it, and that was because it was

deliberately made sweeter and fruitier. It was given a huge

publicity drive. It has become what the food industry called a contrived

product. In other words, added ingredients made it more sellable,

and producers could increase the price. Food companies realise that

the Holy Grail was to add value to a product. You can put sugar in it,

fruit in it, package and market it in inventive ways, and then charge a

real premium. In the last ten years, sales of yoghurt and yoghurt style

products have gone up 30%. This company makes what they have to call

Greek style yoghurt. It's made in the UK so cannot be called Greek.

The irony is, the people who make it our Greek secrets. -- Greek

Cypriots. How long to shift? 64,000 pots of yoghurt? Eight hours. It

isn't just sugar and fruit. Some brand leaders have jumped on the

health food bandwagon. They have been adding bacteria to their

yoghurt and saying that the so-called probiotics are good. You

need to take all these claims with some scepticism, because the

European Food Safety Authority, in charge of all food labelling in

Britain, have checked out all of these claims, and hardly any have

stood up to proper scrutiny. Most yoghurt manufacturers are indeed not

allowed to advertise their products and claim that they do you tonnes of

good. In 50 years, yoghurt has gone from hippy health food to a family

staple in a business worth millions of pounds the year. But it is also a

great cooking ingredient! That was a yoghurt kind of thing. We

have been going Welsh while that film was on! We were discussing

whether you could have a Welsh cake with yoghurt. Because Kate was

saying that she likes Welsh cakes. But I don't like yoghurt. And then

my new friend Kevin said that you've actually got Welsh relatives. Spacey

is a Welsh name, but without the E. And I am told there is actually a

graveyard - where I am not going to end up, by the way! The Old Vic went

very well for you. Thank you so much for what you have done for it over

the last eight years. We know what you have given the Old Vic. What has

it given new? It's been the best decision I've ever made. To be able

to work on such an extraordinary stage, with the greatest luminaries

of the stage, really creating a company with a remarkable staff... I

have to say that my thanks really go out to the British public. They came

early, they came often, they told their friends, and they have really

helped us make the Old Vic a destination for theatre. In the next

18 months we have to raise a lot of money from the endowment and also

renovate the building from top to bottom. It has never been

renovated. The roof still leaks from World War Two. It is a historic

building. Some incredible institutions came out of the Old

Vic, such as the National Symphony and the National Opera. It holds

quite a special place in the hearts of the British public. Kevin, you

don't want to run the BBC, do you, by any chance? Will I have to sign

that form that says no naughty words? We are going to go outside

now. Let's go. Thank you! We have some keen people outside. They are

performing in Fame - The Musical, and they are going to showcase some

songs for us. We hear that you do some singing on the side! When I was

younger, I was in musical theatre nerd, so I am excited about this.

Thank you to Kevin and Kate, and the new series of House Of Cards is

available on Netflix from next Friday. We leave you from -- we

leave you with the kids from Fame - The Musical. On tour from February

the 20th. Come on!