It’s been an ambition of mine since the age of 11 to step inside the mysterious world of Spymaster in London. So when I was commissioned to write this BBC online piece on real life private detectives, that legendary shop was first on the list. You want a bugging device? They sell it. How about a safe disguised as a Fanta can? No problem. My favourite piece of spy gear however fits firmly into the miscellaneous category – a one man submarine. They’re the kind of items Sherlock Holmes would salivate over but they’re also very present in the real world of private investigators. James Harrison-Griffiths who I interviewed for the piece uses a variety of gadgets to help in his work of re-investigating suicides and following wayward spouses. But any old member of the public can go into the shop for a snoop. I only wish I’d done it earlier.
