Doing crosswords is a popular pastime, but there is a lot more to crosswords than you might think. I’ll start off by looking at the history of the crossword, and then, being a compiler and editor of crosswords myself, I will give you an insight into the ‘tricks of the trade’. Crosswords aren’t only about fun and killing time – the intelligence services have frequently shown an interest in crosswords, and so have revolutionary and subversive groups. This light-hearted and entertaining talk is suitable for all audiences, whether they do crosswords or not.