More often than not they're patently ridiculous, but there's a reason so many people believe in conspiracy theories involving celebrities. Particularly the nutball YouTube commenter's tipple of choice, the claiming that every Tom, Dick and Rihanna is a member of the Illuminati - the shadowy organisation that secretly controls everything that happens in the world, from the pop charts to international politics. Obviously Jay-Z and Beyonce aren't figureheads for a global conspiracy, but whether you like it or not, there's no denying that celebs have a surprising amount of pull in the way our society works. There are all the actors who have charitable and political causes under their belts, of course, and then just the fact that the rich and the famous tend to move in similar circles, regardless of how they made their millions. Rappers rub shoulders with foreign dignitaries, movie stars with presidential hopefuls, footballers with dictators; all the people with actual power spend a significant amount of their time hanging out with the people who wield power over our TVs, cinemas and stereos. And as much as they try to convince us otherwise, the intelligence agencies of the world aren't stupid - they know full well how much influence celebrities have, along with how much time they spend around powerful people. Which probably explains why so many people in the public eye have covertly been recruited by the likes of MI5 and the CIA. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense: nobody questions why a celeb is jetsetting around the world, hob knobbing with politicians and spreading spurious rumours. It's just what they do. And if they happen to hear some gossip that might be of some use to their local government, well, it makes sense to keep them on the payroll, right? It's a tactic that's been used since the First World War and all the way up to the present day, taking in Tibetan monks and game show hosts alike. These are ten celebrities who were - and possibly still are - secret agents.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
