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, Vanessa Kirby, Sophia Di Martino and Daisy Ridley 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
May 21, 2024 • 45 mins
It's 1937. The Spanish Civil War is raging, and author George Orwell is fighting on the Socialist front. But as Orwell lives out his anti-Fascist adventure, his wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy, is embroiled in a subtler conflict. At the headquarters of the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification in Barcelona, she's dealing with a brutal police force, Stalinist spies, and an atmosphere of political terror. And on top of all that, it's up t...
Mark as Played
May 14, 2024 • 44 mins
Former CIA Operations Officer Aaron Brown joins Rhiannon Neads to discuss his role in two defining moments in the CIA's War on Terror.
In Part 2, the aftermath of Khost informs the most dramatic operation in the history of the modern CIA. And Aaron has a seat at the table.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Music by Nick Ryan.
Aaron Brown is the host of ...
Mark as Played
May 7, 2024 • 37 mins
Former CIA Operations Officer Aaron Brown joins Rhiannon Neads to discuss his role in two defining moments in the CIA's War on Terror.
In Part 1, we follow Aaron's journey into the Agency's inner sanctum - and its' darkest hour.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Music by Nick Ryan.
Aaron Brown is the host of the UnderSimplified Podcast, and a keynote sp...
Mark as Played
April 30, 2024 • 56 mins
Just how influential is the 'white noise' of information, and disinformation, emanating from Russia?
In this second and final episode on the phenomenon of modern disinformation, hear from author and former Executive Director of the US Disinformation Governance Board: Nina Jankowicz. She shines a light on how small acts of manipulation, made on the other side of the world, can pit fellow Americans against themselves...
From SPYSC...
Mark as Played
April 23, 2024 • 47 mins
Just how influential is the 'white noise' of information, and disinformation, emanating from Russia?
In this first of two special episodes on the phenomenon of modern disinformation, Ukrainian-British journalist and author Peter Pomerantsev, reveals the evolution of the dark tactics the modern Russian state uses to cripple both neighbouring countries, and dissenters within its own borders.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup An...
Mark as Played
April 16, 2024 • 52 mins
Born to the British upper-crust - devoted to the Revolution. Harold 'Kim' Philby was the ultimate Soviet superspy.
For decades, Philby sold secrets to the Russians from inside the upper echelons of MI6. Inspired by an unpublished memoir recently acquired by Spyscape, we bring his fascinating story to life.
In Part 2, Rhiannon Neads follows the trail of booze, bad luck and betrayal that brought Philby down.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of ...
Mark as Played
April 9, 2024 • 52 mins
Born to the British upper-crust - devoted to the Revolution. Harold 'Kim' Philby was the ultimate Soviet superspy.
For decades, Philby sold secrets to the Russians from inside the upper echelons of MI6. Inspired by an unpublished memoir recently acquired by Spyscape, we bring his fascinating story to life.
In Part 1, Rhiannon Neads details Philby's rise to the top - and the fateful decisions that will lead to his undoing.
From SPYS...
Mark as Played
April 2, 2024 • 46 mins
Nestled in the mountains of Myanmar, there's a nation that you won't find on the map. The mysterious, controversial Wa State is what journalist Patrick Winn calls a 'Narcotopia' - a country whose main source of income is the international drugs trade.
In Part 2, we learn more about Saw Lu's dangerous entanglement with the US Government. Listener discretion is advised.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. S...
Mark as Played
March 26, 2024 • 50 mins
Nestled in the mountains of Myanmar, there's a nation that you won't find on the map. The mysterious, controversial Wa State is what journalist Patrick Winn calls a 'Narcotopia' - a country whose main source of income is the international drugs trade.
In Part 1, Patrick tells the story of his journey to Wa State, and his chance meeting with one of the most powerful figures in its history, Saw Lu - a man whose vision for the isolate...
Mark as Played
March 19, 2024 • 49 mins
Bigamist. Fantasist. Betrayer. Betrayed.
Known only as Agent Sniper, Polish double-agent Michal Goleniewski sold secrets to the USA from behind the Iron Curtain. But this complex, ambitious man was no match for his American handlers.
In this episode of True Spies, author Tim Tate reveals a life full of romance, tragedy and Cold War intrigue.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. ...
Mark as Played
March 12, 2024 • 42 mins
It's 2003, and the USA is on the brink of war. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been issued a deadline - leave the country, or face a full American invasion. In the event of his refusal, the CIA has a plan to strike Saddam's Dora Farms compound - potentially stopping the war in its tracks.
The operation is overseen by the head of the Agency's Iraq Operations Group - Luis Rueda. In this episode of True Spies, the former CIA heavywe...
Mark as Played
March 5, 2024 • 44 mins
The Chevalièr d'Éon, was an 18th century war-hero, an indispensable spy and a famous diplomat. But today, they're best known for their pioneering approach to gender boundaries.
Historian Gary Kates pulls back the curtains on this fascinating True Spy. Hear the groundbreaking story of d'Éon's life - from undercover geopolitical manipulation in the Russian court, and plotting Louis XV's French invasion of England, to being recognize...
Mark as Played
February 27, 2024 • 43 mins
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Risen, details the life and work of Frank Church - the man who forever changed the US intelligence community.
From humble Idaho beginnings, through to his lofty Presidential ambitions, we delve into who Church really was, and his tireless devotion to serving American ideals of transparency and accountability - culminating in the Church Committee. However, Church learnt that you can't...
Mark as Played
February 19, 2024 • 48 mins
No one takes on the cartel and comes away unscathed. Miriam Rodriguez understood that from the start.
In the second and final part of this extraordinary True Spies story, The New York Times’ Azam Ahmed picks up the story of the housekeeper who sought revenge on Mexico’s notorious Zetas.
Having discovered the grim truth of what happened to her kidnapped daughter, Miriam Rodriguez makes it her life’s mission to bring down the crimin...
Mark as Played
February 12, 2024 • 40 mins
In this two-part True Spies story, The New York Times’ Azam Ahmed tells the unbelievable tale of Miriam Rodriguez, a 56 year-old housekeeper turned rogue agent – and thorn in the side of one of Mexico’s most feared gangs.
In Part One, we meet Miriam as her world is turned upside down by news of her daughter’s kidnapping. Soon, she embarks on a quest for answers and for vengeance. It will bring her face to face with the Zetas – a po...
Mark as Played
February 6, 2024 • 30 mins
During the cryptocurrency boom of the 2010s, those who held their assets made huge fortunes. Among them was James Zhong - a young man who'd amassed an unbelievable virtual treasure trove. But he'd come across his fortune illegitimately - by executing an audacious one-man heist against the most notorious black market on the Dark Web.
Sophia Di Martino joins IRS Criminal Investigation agent Tyler Hatcher, whose digital detective work...
Mark as Played
January 30, 2024 • 39 mins
The Silk Road was one of the most notorious black markets on the internet. Run by the notorious, anonymous Dread Pirate Roberts, this online bazaar allowed its users to trade cryptocurrency for illegal drugs, items and services. But, buried beneath layers of digital proxies, the Silk Road was almost impenetrable to law enforcement.
Almost.
Sophia Di Martino joins former FBI Special Agent Chris Tarbell to tell the story of how a com...
Mark as Played
January 23, 2024 • 33 mins
Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in the age of Mutually Assured Destruction during the bloody 1940s.
In 2020, a newly declassified document muddied the waters - who was Sonya really working for?
In this two-part True Spies story, a new theory deepens the mystery of her life and work.
In Part 2, Sophia Di Martino and Pro...
Mark as Played
January 16, 2024 • 28 mins
Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in the age of Mutually Assured Destruction during the bloody 1940s.
In 2020, a newly declassified document muddied the waters - who was Sonya really working for?
In this two-part True Spies story, a new theory deepens the mystery of her life and work.
In Part 1, Sophia Di Martino joins P...
Mark as Played
January 9, 2024 • 42 mins
Emily Anderson was the best codebreaker you've never heard of. Fiercely devoted to secrecy, she served Britain's interests in two World Wars - mastering five languages along the way.
In this remarkable True Spies story, Sophia Di Martino and historian Jackie Ui Chionna give Anderson a much-deserved moment in the limelight.
From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bow...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people.
A straightforward look at the day's top news in 20 minutes. Powered by ABC News. Hosted by Brad Mielke.