When a former national newspaper editor is best known for his history books rather than his Fleet Street exploits, you know he is worth reading – and indeed hearing from.

Such was the case with former Daily Telegraph editor, Sir Max Hastings, who was at the Royal Pavilion to talk about his new book, The Secret War.

The latest of his history epics tells of the men and women who had more impact on the outcome of the Second World War than whole armies - and all without firing a single bullet.

As with in the book, he steered clear of just talking about Bletchley Park and Alan Turing’s enigma breakers and instead explored what the Russians, Germans, Japanese and Americas were doing.

The Americans: full of turncoats, the Russians: daring, dangerous and brutal and the Germans: incompetent.

Hastings told how the Germans had by far the best army man for man, but their intelligence was pitiful. So afraid of reporting unwanted information to Hitler, his top agents kept quiet.

In his booming, frightfully posh and authoritative voice, he hailed the Bletchley Park codebreakers as the best brains in the war and declared Turing “a genius”.

However, he ended the talk by giving Benedict Cumberbatch’s Oscar nominated film about Turing, The Imitation Game, both barrels.

In particular he said the portrayal of station commander Alastair Denniston by Charles Dance was “cruel” and not enough was made of Turing’s team.

His verdict on the Hollywood hit: “Absolute drivel”.

His talk was quite the opposite.

Four stars