David Omand, the former head of GCHQ, told the Cheltenham Literature Festival that the author’s works were entertainment and should be read ‘for pleasure’ John le Carré worked for MI5 and MI6ANDREW FOX/MIRRORPIX/GETTY IMAGES David Sanderson, Arts Correspondent Wednesday October 14 2026, 1.00pm BST, The Times Listen • 4:40 minShareSave John le Carré’s fiction should be forgotten about as it gives an unrealistic portrait of the intelligence services, the former head of GCHQ has said. David Omand said that the authors Somerset Maugham and Graham Greene gave realistic depictions of the intelligence community, adding that many others including le Carré were just entertainment. Omand, … Continue reading Forget John le Carré’s novels — they’re unrealistic, says former spy chief