Soviet space program omitted reports of failure or trouble". Out of fear of admitting any defeat, reports of cosmonauts' missions leaned towards an exaggerated positive spin rather than factual substance. "The USSR was famously described by Winston Churchill as 'a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma' and nothing signified this more than the search for the truth behind its space program during the Cold War. Although the Space Race was literally played out above our heads, it was often obscured by a figurative 'space curtain' that took much effort to see through" says Dominic Phelan in the book "Cold War Space
The Riddle of the Sphinx (Inside No. 9) in his mouth. Blood splatters over the crossword and a second nina: "RIPNHS". "The Riddle of the Sphinx" is less comedic than many episodes of "Inside No. 9", drawing upon gothic themes. Several critics identified "Sleuth"—"a grandfather of sorts" to "Inside No. 9"—as a key influence. William Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus", the 1973 horror film "Theatre of Blood", and the work of Anton Chekhov were also identified as possible influences. Chekhov and his work are referenced in the episode; Chekhov's gun is referred to in the closing seconds, while Squires identifies the gun in the episode as from a production of