True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

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, 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. For episodes first and ad-free, subscribe to Spyscape+ at: plus.Spyscape.com A Cup & Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Music: Nick Ryan.

Episodes

August 5, 2025 46 mins
In this classic episode of True Spies, CIA analyst Sarah Carlson drops Vanessa Kirby into the pressure-cooker of post-revolutionary Libya. In 2011, the Arab Spring swept Colonel Gaddafi from office, leaving a deadly power vacuum. Three years later, civil war engulfed the nation. Under a hail of rocket fire, Sarah had to figure out a way to extract 150 American personnel from the carnage. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and s...
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The history of espionage is long and shrouded in mystery... Hear it chronicled in True Spies: Brief Histories, the new monthly episodes of True Spies. From the intricacies of Ancient Roman tradecraft and Medieval propaganda, all the way to the surveillance systems of the twenty-first century, you’ll discover the hidden figures, secret dealings and daring special ops that brought us to where we are today. Get episodes a w...
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True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins researcher and author Seth Thévoz to discuss the origins of London's elite gentlemen's clubs - and the movers, shakers and spies who have called them a home-from-home. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Seth Thévoz is the author of London Clubland: A Companion for the Curious. Learn more about your ad choi...
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July 22, 2025 62 mins
Author, historian and former British Foreign Office official Tim Willasey-Wilsey tells the incredible story of Wilhelm Von De Ropp - the high-born chameleon who had Hitler's ear in the build-up to WW2. But unbeknownst to the Nazis, 'Bill' was MI6's man on the inside, passing on information that would help Britain to win the war... From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produc...
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Rediscover a classic from the vaults with Andrew Kirsch - a Special Operations officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. True Spies work in all sorts of far-flung locales - but some assignments are closer to home. For Andrew, 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. ...
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Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide. True Spies producer Morgan Childs sits down with author and journalist Douglas Waller to discuss the complex and controversial legacy at the heart of his latest book, The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Le...
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July 1, 2025 34 mins
Former Canadian Security Intelligence Service operative Neil Bisson delivers a compact masterclass in Human Intelligence gathering in this blow-by-blow account of a Mobile Debrief. Along the way, you'll discover how Canada's intelligence apparatus works - and how it could change in the years to come. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Learn more abou...
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Investigative New York Times journalists Jane Bradley and Michael Schwirtz speak to True Spies producer Frank Palmer about the discovery of a Russian 'spy factory' in Brazil. This is a free taster of the exclusive content you'll uncover with a Spyscape+ subscription. Sign up at plus.spyscape.com. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Learn more abo...
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Journalist Stephen Davis has spent 30 years working to uncover the truth behind one of the most secretive chapters of the Gulf War. When British Airways Flight 149 landed in Kuwait on the 2nd of August, 1990, Saddam Hussein's invading army took the passengers hostage. Today, some of those passengers allege that they were subjected to horrific treatment - and that the British government could have averted their ordeal. In this Deb...
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In late 2001, veteran CIA Officer Duane Evans deployed to Afghanistan as part of the US response to 9/11. This is his story. In Part 2, Duane and Team Foxtrot make the perilous journey to Kandahar. But the Afghan city proves to be no safe haven. From SPYSCAPE, the home 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
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In late 2001, veteran CIA Officer Duane Evans deployed to Afghanistan as part of the US response to 9/11. This is his story. In Part 1, we find Duane as he swears vengeance against Al Qaeda - and moves mountains to get himself to the heart of the action. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...
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In this True Spies Classic, you'll revisit the story of a true American hero. It's 1944 - 3 days after D-Day. 22-year old Guy Stern lands in Normandy. Unlike many of his comrades in the US Army, it's not his first time in Europe. Forced to leave Germany in 1937, he returns as part of an elite Military Intelligence unit charged with interrogating German POWs in their native tongue. Now 99 years old, Guy tells Vanessa Kirby a story...
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Veteran Greek journalist Alexis Papahelas tells Morgan Childs about the CIA's role in aiding Greece's military junta, which ruled between 1967 and 1974. 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
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Author Henry Hemming tells the twisting tale of two very different British spies operating in Northern Ireland during the 30-year conflict known as The Troubles. In Part 2, Frank Hegarty and Freddie Scappaticci are drawn ever deeper into the violent world of the Provisional IRA - and soon, there'll be no turning back. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank ...
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Author Henry Hemming tells the twisting tale of two very different British spies operating in Northern Ireland during the 30-year conflict known as The Troubles. In Part 1, family man Frank Hegarty and menacing IRA enforcer Freddie Scappaticci begin down a dark path together - one that ends in the dark, deep in the Irish borderlands. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Pro...
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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. In this classic episode of True Spies, 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. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Sidney Reilly is voiced by Thomas D...
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Celebrity, campaigner, national treasure... spy. This year, Josephine Baker's memoirs have been made available in English for the first time. The University of Cardiff's Prof. Hanna Diamond tells Morgan Childs more about the extraordinary life of a showbiz spy in wartime France. 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. ...
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April 15, 2025 62 mins
Professor James Crossland of Liverpool John Moores University uncovers the extraordinary life of a British diplomat-cum-spy in Bolshevik Russia - Robert Bruce Lockhart. A tale of doomed love, assassination, failed coups and bad reputations. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. James Crossland is the author of Rogue Agent: From Secret Plots to Psych...
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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 vo...
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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 Univ...
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