True Spies takes you inside the world's greatest espionage and detective operations. Our hosts Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Sophia Di Martino, Daisy Ridley and Rhiannon Neads talk to the real spies behind the missions. What do they know? What are their skills? And what would you do in their position? We explore and investigate real life thrillers, mysteries and crimes - stories that prove truth is stranger than fiction! These stories cover lies, murder, theft, sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. You’ll meet experts from the top intelligence agencies including FBI, CIA, MI5, MI6 (SIS), KGB, GRU, Mossad and many others. You’ll discover characters who spied because of money, ideology, coercion or just plain old ego. And, if you’d like to dig deeper into the world of secrets, and test your own secret intelligence skills, head over to spyscape.com for articles, games, experiences, puzzles and videos.
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A Cup & Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Music: Nick Ryan.
In this historic True Spies Classic, Protestant England faces an existential threat from Catholic Spain. Queen Elizabeth calls on Sir Francis Walsingham, the Royal spymaster, to undermine the Spanish war effort. Vanessa Kirby tells a story of loyalty, fear, and the terrible lengths to which a good spy will go to protect Queen and Country. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Sir Francis Walsingham is voiced by Linus Roache. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Ju...
Historian Dr. Jenny Benham joins Morgan Childs to explore the murky world of medieval espionage. You'll learn about the real 'little birds' who inspired Game of Thrones' Master of Whisperers, and the exiles, slaves and captives who parlayed information for security in a time before formalised intelligence agencies. Dr. Jenny Benham is Reader in Medieval History and the Co-director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at Cardiff University. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle product...
Content Warning: This episode contains adult themes throughout. When defense journalist Brendan McNally stumbled across a long-forgotten name in 1990s Prague, he had no idea of the remarkable story he would uncover. It belongs to Martha Dodd: ambassador's daughter, mistress to Nazi officials, and Stalinist spy. In the second episode of this two-part True Spies special, Martha returns to the USA, and waits to be activated. But she might be waiting a while. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cu...
Content Warning: This episode contains adult themes throughout. When defense journalist Brendan McNally stumbled across a long-forgotten name in 1990s Prague, he had no idea of the remarkable story he would uncover. It belongs to Martha Dodd: ambassador's daughter, mistress to Nazi officials, and Stalinist spy. In the first episode of this two-part True Spies special, Brendan traces Martha's journey from Chicago socialite to the toast of Berlin society - and the great loves that guided the cours...
In this True Spies Classic, it's the late 1980s, and change is in the air in Eastern Europe. For a young journalist like Mark Baker, Czechoslovakia is an interesting place to be. But Mark has attracted some unwanted attention - a fact that he'll only discover several decades later. Sophia Di Martino joins Mark to travel through the True Spies looking-glass, and discover what it's like to become the target of a recruitment effort by an intelligence agency - whether you know it or not. From SPYSCA...
Dr. Daniela Richterova joins host Morgan Childs to discuss the relationship between Cold War intelligence agencies and non-state actors like the infamous Carlos the Jackal. Dr. Richterova is Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies at Kings College, University of London From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Hear again from British historian Helen Fry, joining Rhiannon Neads for the second and final installment of a two-part dive into one of the most crucial, but little-known intelligence forces of the Second World War - MI9. Hear the conclusion to the gripping story of the department, and reasons behind their ultimate secrecy in a post-WW2 world... From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
This episode unmasks MI9, a secret British intelligence unit crucial in WWII, focusing on its creation, personnel, and daring operations. It details the ingenuity of Q Branch in creating escape tools, the establishment of escape lines across Europe, and the incredible stories of escaped soldiers like Jimmy Langley and Aerie Neve. However, the episode also covers the dangers of betrayal, as seen with Harold Cole.
In this True Spies Classic, CIA analyst Gina Bennett shows Vanessa Kirby the origins of America's most infamous enemy. Throughout the 1990s, Osama bin Laden launched a series of attacks on American interests at home and abroad. Operating in the man's world of counter-terrorism, Gina had to fight to have the threat he posed taken seriously. Would YOU trust your gut? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Tim Mansel. Mu...
Former CIA counterterrorism analyst, hunter of Bin Laden, author and proud mother - hear from the fantastic Gina Bennett in this week's Debrief. Bennett authored the earliest warnings of today’s terrorism trends including the 1993 report that foreshadowed the danger of Osama bin Laden. Hear her current prescient predictions for what she is calling the new paradigm for national security, and how this will affect the U.S, and nations around the world... From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And ...
International Relations journalist and author, R.T Howard, reveals the tensions, subterfuge and devastating errors that marked the first Cold War. In the 1920s and 30s, the Allies waged an intelligence war against a rising star in global politics - Adolf Hitler. Young intelligence agencies tried in vain to penetrate the Nazi's veil of secrecy. In this episode, you'll hear three stories from this turbulent era - and learn the lessons of the past. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle...
In this classic episode of True Spis, undercover CIA agent James Olson takes Vanessa Kirby on a nail-biting mission behind the Iron Curtain. In the late 1970s, James was tasked with tapping an underground communications line between Moscow and a top-secret nuclear weapons facility. Under constant surveillance from the KGB, he would need to use a combination of traditional spycraft and hi-tech gadgetry to intercept this priceless intel without risking a diplomatic catastrophe. From SPYSCAPE, the ...
Do you know about the rising threats posed by transnational repression? Hear from Bob Dougherty, veteran of 26 years as a CIA undercover operations officer. Today, Bob works as an instructor for multiple government agencies, increasingly speaking on the dangers of transnational repression; the intimidation, harassment, or other human rights abuses perpetrated by countries on their own people beyond their borders. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe...
Journalist and author Steve Vogel unravels the unlikely tale of George Blake, the cunning Cold War double-agent who betrayed one of the most ambitious wire-tapping operations of the 1950s - and made a name for himself as one of spycraft's greatest escapologists. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our ninth round of insights from the world of espionage, Rhiannon Neads looks back on lessons drawn from intrepid cyber-cops, nuclear double-dealers, crafty codebreakers and more. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Alex Burnard. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this True Spies Classic, Hayley Atwell tells the story of Mubin Shaikh, an Islamist extremist turned undercover agent for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Undercover as a member of the terrorist group that would be known as the Toronto 18, Mubin was told that his cover would be blown. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Louise Clarke-Rowbotham. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...
What can drive an ordinary person to extremist ideology? Hear from former security intelligence and counter terrorism operative, Mubin Shaikh, on his current work as a Counter Extremism Specialist. He delves into real world cases of those who succumb to extremist ideology, why it happens, and his challenging work trying to bring people back. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...
National security journalist Zach Dorfman returns to True Spies with the tantalising tale of one of the War on Terror's most secretive undercover operatives. Known only by his pseudonym, this CIA spy delivered intel directly to the highest echelons of power - and paid a heavy price for his success. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this True Spies Classic, Hayley Atwell tells the story of the capture of Pablo Escobar, with the DEA agents who helped bring him down and inspired the TV show 'Narcos'. Steve Murphy and Javier Peña found themselves in Colombia on the trail of the notorious druglord - two "gringos" with a price on their heads. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Gemma Newby. Music by Nick Ryan. https://www.deanarcos.com/ Learn more about yo...
Hear from Tim Tate, best-selling author, award-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist, as he dives into a scandal born deep in the heart of the British Intelligence Service. Time untangles the connections between KGB mole Mikhail Golenevsky and MI5 spy catcher Peter Wright. And recalls how in the process of writing his 19th book, he learned he was himself considered a threat to national security, for delving too deep... From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle produ...
Veteran journalist Tim Tate tells the story of Peter Wright, the crusading MI5 whistleblower who humiliated the Thatcher government in the 1980s. As the British security services' chief scientific officer, Peter employed unsavory tactics to root out Soviet spies - but a dramatic change of heart would come to define his controversial legacy. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
In this Classic True Spies episode, learn the details of an elite clandestine unit, Special Forces Berlin, with the help of former operative James Stejskal. Stationed in West Berlin but deployed wherever their skills were needed, they found themselves at the centre of the Tehran Hostage Crisis, but no-one could know they were there... From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Justin Trefgarne Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
James Stejskal, ex-special forces, tells of the jubilant and vitriolic scenes, as the Berlin Wall came down. November 9th 1989 - the Iron Curtain descends. Hear how it was on the ground, as both ordinary citizens, and global intelligence services, descend on East Berlin, seeking the vast archives of information meticulously gathered over decades by the Stasi. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about you...
Deep in the African rainforests, how do you hold together a decolonising nation in the wake of mass regional instability? James Stejskal, ex-CIA and former Green Beret, tells the story of his time in Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As the nation wrestles with its post-colonial identity, regional instability, and the AIDS crisis, James' job is to keep an exposed US Embassy safe and operating - giving Zaire its best chance to survive in the post-Cold War new world order... From SP...
In this classic True Spies episode, Eric O'Neill describes the hunt for the infamous FBI mole Robert Hanssen. This entire operation hinges around Eric needing to get Hanssen into a hire car so his own car can be searched for evidence of his betrayal... but the hire car isn’t there. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What will cost the global economy $20 trillion come 2026? In this latest Debrief, hear from author and famed security expert: Eric O'Neill. Eric discusses with Morgan Childs the growing hotbeds for cyber espionage, crime and warfare in the world right now, their consequences. Crucially, they also discuss how individuals and companies alike can safeguard now, to prevent catastrophe moving forward. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced ...
Hear the story of the extraordinary life of the spy with 29 names: Juan Pujol Garcia Born into a tumultuous Spain, Garcia, or Agent Garbo, was a natural spy, seeking out the Allies so strong was his distain for Nazi Germany. Amongst a storied espionage career, learn how his daring actions rescued the Allied invasion of Normandy, from the jaws of defeat. From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Producer: Justin Trefgarne. Series producer: Joe Foley. Music by...
In this classic True Spies episode, Tracy Walder shares what went on during 9/11 inside The Vault, the CIA's top secret bunker. 9/11 was only the second day of Tracy's first real CIA assignment, and she was tasked with hunting the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, with President George W Bush looking on. From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Producer: David Waters. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad c...
Spying is stressful, often traumatic work - how do they cope? Former FBI and CIA employee Tracy Walder speaks to True Spies producer Morgan Childs about the mental health ramifications of intelligence work, and her personal experiences as a woman in the line of duty. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the aftermath of D-Day, Hitler's armies were losing the Second World War. But in September of 1944, the Nazis enjoyed one final triumph over the Allied forces - the disastrous failure of Operation Market Garden. Author Robert Verkaik sheds new light on the shadowy figures who betrayed Market Garden to the Germans - including a mysterious codename that could mask the involvement of one of Britain's most damaging moles. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produ...
