A "great spy"

 

RowZ was most definitely kidding us not on the open thread the other day when he pointed out that on Boxing Day on the BBC News Channel Ben Brown ended an obituary with the words "That great spy, George Blake":

Thank you so much for talking to us about that great spy, George Blake. And an extraordinary life. 

Hmm, I'd have said "infamous traitor" rather than "great spy". 

Checking TV Eyes, I see that the BBC News Channel throughout that day had been using the word-for-word formulation, "Russia gave him medals and much praise but, to Britain, he is the Cold War traitor who escaped justice." Very even-handed!