1987: Australian court lifts ban on MI5 memoirs

An Australian court lifted the ban on a former MI5 officer’s memoirs on 23 September 1987.

Peter Wright’s autobiography, Spycatcher, had been banned from publication in England after his first attempts to release the book. The UK government sought a ban on the book’s publication in Australia.

The Crown’s case was rejected largely because the book’s secrets were “already out”, as it had been published on other countries.

The UK government’s later appeal in the Australian high court ultimately failed, and the book’s UK ban was eventually lifted in 1988, following a long-running and costly legal battle.

BBC Archive: Originally broadcast 24 September 1987.