"You have to be in it to see it."
A director for MI6 said working for the agency can be more exciting than a James Bond film.
The officer, named only as Kwame, said that during his career, he has seen things “way more than what you see in the spy movies”.
He added that popular depictions could give the impression that all MI6 workers are white, middle-class and male but “that’s not true”.
Kwame is the first black spy to give a broadcast interview.
He spoke to BBC Radio 1Xtra as part of a drive to recruit more people from black and Asian backgrounds.
He said: “It’s more exciting than James Bond.
“I’ve seen some of the coolest stuff. Things that will blow your mind.
“You have to be in it to see it.”
Kwame described himself as the director of organisational development – effectively the finance and HR director – and said part of the aim of the recruitment drive was to tell people that anyone can work for MI6, whatever their ethnicity or background.
He stated: “The issue is if you talk about James Bond it gives you a different connotation.
“I’m afraid it makes you think that everyone who works here is a white, middle-class male, who is driving an Aston Martin, who likes women and all that. But that’s not true.
“You can see that’s not necessarily true about me.
“We want to reach out to all the brothers and sisters out there and say actually SIS [Secret Intelligence Service], MI6, it’s a place for you.”
His colleague Jay is the MI6 director of global intelligence reporting and is from an Indian background.
He said the agency did not just want Oxbridge graduates but people with the right skills and did not want people to self-censor.
Jay said: “Not rule [themselves] out because they’ve watched, you know, No Time to Die and have seen Daniel Craig and thought I’m not sure when I look in the mirror I’m quite like him … that’s not what we want.”
Jay said that James Bond is synonymous with MI6, which has created its own problems.
He continued: “So our brand recognition is quite strong.
“Many, many people will know what MI6 is. The trouble is it tends to attract a certain type of person.”
Kwane said the real-life Q is a woman and so is her deputy.
“We’ve got a whole line of Qs doing really cool stuff in the tech space who are women.”
The agency’s head is Sir Richard Moore. Apart from him, MI6 officers work under the condition of anonymity.
Kwame admitted that he told his wife and sister where he worked but not his young children.
While his job is well-paid, Kwame said his real reason for working at MI6 is because of the impact he can have.
He added: “Ultimately, our mission is about protecting the UK [and] protecting the people of the UK.”
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