This single play from Granada Television reconstructs the espionage activities of a Soviet spy ring operating in suburban London. The narrative follows the key figures in the conspiracy: agent Konon Molody, operating under the name Gordon Lonsdale, and his accomplices Harry Houghton, Ethel Gee, and the American couple Morris and Lona Cohen, who lived as Peter and Helen Kroger at 45 Cranley Drive, Ruislip. The programme charts the flow of classified information from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment at Portland to the suburban bungalow that served as the ring’s communications hub, culminating in the arrests and trials of the five conspirators.
45 Cranley Drive is a prime example of Granada’s aggressive approach to topical television. Written, produced, and transmitted with extraordinary speed, the programme aired within hours of the guilty verdicts being delivered at the Old Bailey. Its function was less dramatic than journalistic: to provide the public with an immediate and factual re-enactment of a major news event.
This production was an exercise in relevance, turning a complex espionage case into accessible television drama at the moment it concluded. The play solidified Granada’s reputation for marrying the techniques of documentary with the immediacy of live broadcasting, creating a new and potent form of current affairs programming.
Broadcast: ITV – Granada, 1 Episode, Friday, 24 March 1961
Written by: Philip Oakes
Director: Mike Wooller
Producer: Tim Hewat
