The Keys to the Reich

The first episode reveals that Station X was the cover name for the World War II radio interception station co-located with the Government Code & Cypher School at Bletchley Park. In 1938 the British Secret Service bought Bletchley Park, installing wireless receiver (call-sign: "Station X") to pick up German messages. A small group of aristocratic codebreakers visited the Country house with their staff and butlers under the guise of "Captain Ridley's shooting party" to establish its suitability. With war Military Intelligence began to recruit various skillsets. Geoffrey Tandy, a marine biologist expert in Cryptogams, was selected when someone confused these with cryptograms. The youthfulness of many staff was noted by biographer Andrew Hodges, who noted that young people had the keys to the Reich.