True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics
True Spies takes you inside the world's greatest espionage and detective operations. Our hosts Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby 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. A Cup & Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Music: Nick Ryan.
Episodes
June 27, 2022 • 47 min
October 17, 2001. The dust of 9/11 has barely settled. America and the world are reeling.
In Afghanistan, 8 CIA officers - a crack team of linguists, tribal experts and paramilitaries - are the first Americans to infiltrate Taliban territory after the attacks. Their mission is to ensure that Al Qaeda does not strike again. They are Team Alpha.
In Part 1, Vanessa Kirby joins CIA linguist David Tyson and author Toby Harnden to tell t...
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June 20, 2022 • 36 min
Throughout history, spies have used sex, seduction and emotional manipulation to achieve their shadowy aims. In this 3-part anthology, Vanessa Kirby joins espionage authors Henry Schlesinger and Michael Smith to uncover the real stories behind some of history's most explosive honeytrap operations.
In Part 3, Michael and Henry tell the real spy story behind one of history's most famous murders. When Ramón Mercader attacked M...
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June 13, 2022 • 45 min
Throughout history, spies have used sex, seduction and emotional manipulation to achieve their shadowy aims. In this 3-part anthology, Vanessa Kirby joins espionage authors Henry Schlesinger and Michael Smith to uncover the real stories behind some of history's most explosive honeytrap operations.
In Part 2, Henry Schlesinger reveals the unlikely life and times of a celebrity spy. In 2010, Russian property entrepreneur Anna Cha...
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June 6, 2022 • 40 min
Throughout history, spies have used sex, seduction and emotional manipulation to achieve their shadowy aims. In this 3-part anthology, Vanessa Kirby joins espionage authors Henry Schlesinger and Michael Smith to uncover the real stories behind some of history's most explosive honeytrap operations.
In Part 1, Michael Smith relates an audacious plot by the Israeli Mossad in the turbulent 1960s. Mossad officers targeted Iraqi pilo...
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May 31, 2022 • 51 min
When he was arrested in 1996, Jim Nicholson - nicknamed 'Batman' - was the highest-ranking CIA officer to be convicted of espionage for the Russian Federation. 10 years later, he did it again. Join Vanessa Kirby for the first ever True Spies duology - a tale of spy-craft, treachery, and a toxic father-son relationship.
In Part 2, DoJ Attorney Ethan Knight shines the spotlight on Nicholson's son, Nathan, who was manipula...
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May 25, 2022 • 1 min
The Spying Game is a new series from the Spyscape Podcast Network in which real spies and storytellers dissect your favourite tales of espionage. Your host Rory Bremner sits down with Hollywood filmmakers, international authors and TV stars, along with real spies to separate the facts of true espionage from the fiction we see on screen and on the page.
The Spying Game is available now wherever you get your podcasts, or you can lis...
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May 24, 2022 • 47 min
When he was arrested in 1996, Jim Nicholson - nicknamed 'Batman' - was the highest-ranking CIA officer to be convicted of espionage for the Russian Federation. 10 years later, he did it again. Join Vanessa Kirby for the first ever True Spies duology - a tale of spy-craft, treachery, and a toxic father-son relationship.
In Part 1, veteran CIA case officer John Maguire tells the story of his strangest mission - an operation o...
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May 17, 2022 • 38 min
L:inkedIn - the social network for professionals - is a part of working life for millions of people around the world. But do you really know who you're connecting with? Vanessa Kirby joins former DIA officer J.T Mendoza on a cross-agency collaboration to take down Kevin Patrick Mallory - an American traitor recruited online by a hostile foreign power. Do YOU think before you click? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And ...
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May 10, 2022 • 39 min
True Spies work in all sorts of far-flung locales - but some assignments are closer to home. For Andrew Kirsch, a Special Operations officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, the suburbs of Toronto hold as much intrigue as Moscow or Baghdad. Vanessa Kirby joins Andrew on a nail-biting infiltration mission to unmask a home-grown terrorist, right in his back yard. Could YOU spy in suburbia? From SPYSCAPE, the home of s...
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May 3, 2022 • 44 min
Deep in the jungles of Central America, right-wing 'Contra' guerrillas face off against government forces. Major Alex, a Honduran army officer, trains and supplies the Contras on the ground. Except Major Alex isn't a Major at all - he's Ric Prado, CIA. Vanessa Kirby joins Ric as he recalls the most nail-biting moments from his time undercover. Could YOU survive the jungle? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup A...
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April 26, 2022 • 48 min
In the Old West, money talks and six-guns shout. All too often, it's not a world that rewards subtlety. Enter Charlie Siringo - a detective with the world-famous Pinkerton Agency. Vanessa Kirby joins Charlie to outwit outlaws, bust fraudulent prospectors and bring the hammer down on union toughs. Could YOU survive the Frontier? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Charlie Siringo is voiced by Mike Ca...
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April 19, 2022 • 49 min
Some stories are too fascinating to go untold. Author and journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee tells them. When he heard about a dyslexic spy who came close to selling some of America's most dangerous secrets, he had to know more. With the help of the FBI agent who brought the traitor to justice, he spent years researching this incredible tale. Could YOU put the pieces together? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle...
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April 11, 2022 • 54 min
It's 2003, and coalition forces have taken Baghdad. A conference is held to portion out the contracts that will sustain the occupation. The United Kingdom sends a minister to negotiate their share - but the war-torn city is too dangerous for him to travel alone. Enter Carlton King - a senior protection officer with the Metropolitan Police Special Branch. With no time, 3 handguns and a broken sat-phone, Carlton and his tight-kni...
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April 5, 2022 • 52 min
In 1992, the Cold War is all but over. But for Special Agent John Whiteside, the counter-espionage case of a lifetime is about to begin. An anonymous source reports a traitor within the NSA, active during the height of the Vietnam War. He thinks he's gotten away with it - but the crimes of the past call for modern justice. Could YOU turn the heat up on a cold case? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production...
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March 29, 2022 • 43 min
In the remote mountains of Northern Idaho, there's no shortage of places to hide. Fortunately, Deputy US Marshal Marc Cameron is an expert seeker. It's 1996, and a dangerous fugitive has taken refuge in the dense forests of Bonner County. Vanessa Kirby joins Marc on an audacious operation to lure the outlaw into the open. Could YOU hunt the deadliest game of all? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle producti...
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March 22, 2022 • 52 min
It's World War One, and German submarine technology terrorises the British Navy. Fortunately, Captain Gordon Campbell is anything but traditional. He's at the helm of the first 'Q-boats' - heavily armed sub-busters, ingeniously disguised as civilian ships. Vanessa Kirby sets sail with Captain Campbell on a secretive mission to take back the oceans. Could YOU stare down a torpedo? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. ...
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March 15, 2022 • 48 min
It's 1989, and the USA has invaded Panama. The country's corrupt leader, General Manuel Noriega, goes in to hiding. Martha Duncan of the Defense Intelligence Agency is tasked with tracking him down - and she'll do whatever it takes to bring him out in to the open. Vanessa Kirby joins the hunt for Panama's most wanted. Could YOU catch a dictator? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. . Seri...
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March 8, 2022 • 45 min
Uruzgan Province, Southern Afghanistan. An Army convoy rumbles in on the dangerous highway from Kandahar, bringing vital supplies to American troops. This is facilitated by Matiullah Khan, a local warlord with connections in the Afghan government. When two US soldiers are assassinated by an Afghan ally, Naval intelligence officer Matt Cricchio suspects that Khan might be behind the attack. Vanessa Kirby joins Matt on a mission to b...
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March 1, 2022 • 41 min
2 years after the USA resumed diplomatic relations with Cuba, American intelligence officers on the island began experiencing strange and debilitating neurological symptoms. Before long, the phenomenon began affecting US officials around the world. Veteran CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos was first afflicted during a trip to Russia in 2017 - and he's been fighting ever since. Vanessa Kirby joins Marc, Russia expert John Sipher a...
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February 22, 2022 • 51 min
Who was Britain's Ace of Spies? The truth is, nobody really knows. But the name he used was Sidney Reilly - and nobody did it better.
Vanessa Kirby follows Sidney on his dark and bloody path through the early 20th century, reckoning with oil barons, personal pride, and the rise of Communism. Could YOU survive decades on the edge? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Sidney Reilly is voiced by Thomas ...
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