Row over BBC's 'heroic' spy drama

The BBC is embroiled in a bitter row after it described Britain's most infamous spies as "heroic".

The corporation said its upcoming drama about the early lives of Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, Donald Maclean and Anthony Blunt was able to show them as heroes now that the Cold War was over.

But the portrayal has been branded "offensive" - by the man who wrote the four-part drama. Peter Moffat accused the BBC of painting too favourable a picture of his protagonists, adding: "A BBC representative said these men were heroic and I find that massively offensive.

"My only feeling is that they are complex characters, they behaved appallingly badly and I wanted to look at the reasons why they did what they did. Maybe protagonists and heroes can get confused."

When it first began publicising Cambridge Spies, the BBC made much of the heroic qualities of the characters, who all met at Cambridge University in the Thirties and went on to spy for the Soviet Union.

But the four are widely regarded by historians as hypocrites - supporting communism while living the high life in London.

Following Mr Moffat's comments, the BBC has issued a statement saying that the spies were "traitors" after all.

Cambridge Spies, which is due to be screened in May, charts their recruitment, up to the point of the defection of Burgess and Maclean in 1951.