In 1964, Christie was arrested in Spain and charged with attempting to assassinate General Franco. He was 18, far from his home in Glasgow, and could speak no Spanish. The worst part was that the charge was true. Christie was convicted, and became Britain's most famous anarchist. In 1972 he was arrested again, this time in Britain, suspected of being a member of the Angry Brigade. The Angry Brigade was an anarchist group that had - intending that no-one should be injured - blown up several London embassies and the houses of prominent British officials. Their trial became a sensational confrontation between the state and those who tried to overthrow it. Christie was not a member, although he knew those who were and stood trial along side them.

He was acquitted; all the others were sent to gaol. These events bookend an era when a sizeable proportion of the British population thought that the government might be overthrown by the will of the people, in favour of a better society, if only the right spark could be lit. It wasn't. People have never thought that way again.