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) was able to include "MYSTERYGUEST", "KNOWITALL", "UNDERSLIP" and "NEUN". The episode's second nina was created accidentally and seen at the last minute; by introducing a middle name for Pemberton's character, the writers were able to make it a part of the plot. At least one of the clues used in the episode—Squires's improvised "I teach wild creature without hospital building", resulting in "ARCHITECTURE"—was not a good one. This was acknowledged by Squires in the episode, but was kept in as it reflected Squires's view of his own actions. Pemberton hoped that "The Riddle of the Sphinx" would work as a