A History of the World in Spy Objects

Can you ever truly suppress a curious mind? If there was one aim of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, it was that. The lauded writer Jung Chang joins Alice Loxton to revisit a childhood characterized by surveillance and prohibition. But even in Communist China – at a time when pins bearing the face of the great leader were worn on every chest – curious minds found a way to explore… From SPYSCAPE,...

What would you need to go it alone behind enemy lines? For the agents of the notoriously brave Special Operations Executive in World War II, a select toolkit of spy gadgets represented the difference between life and death. Design Museum CEO Tim Marlow and host Alex Loxton discuss the groundbreaking folding motorcycle that accompanied SEO operatives on their thrilling missions into war torn Europe...

How does the old spy regard himself, when he’s left alone with his thoughts? The answer to this question can be found in the aborted memoir of one of the most notorious traitors in history: Kim Philby. Screenwriter Alexander Cary and host Alice Loxton unpick the inner workings of a complicated spy. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Mo...

If Nijo Jinya’s walls could talk, what story would they tell? World-renowned architect Kengo Kuma joins host Alice Loxton to discuss a still-standing Kyoto guest house where, in Japan’s Edo era, power was bought and sold, and silent ninjas stalked the corridors in search of secrets. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Cla...

What’s it like to be the child of a world-famous spy? Gary Powers Jr. takes his name and his inspiration from his father, Francis Gary Powers – the pilot of the U2 spy plane that was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, sparking a major Cold War crisis. Here, Powers and host Alice Loxton discuss the legendary U2, and the life of its most famous pilot. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup...

Who pays for all the King’s secrets? In between the lines of a tired old accounts ledger, a hidden history of espionage and scandal lies in wait. Antiquarian bookseller Tom Ayling and host Alice Loxton guide us through the secret affairs of King William III – with direct access to the payments that he kept away from prying eyes. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Seri...

How dangerous is metadata? According to the artist and author Trevor Paglen, it can be deadly. Paglen joins host Alice Loxton to shine a light on Skynet – a network of all-seeing satellites – and the ominous AI algorithm that farms metadata and gets to decide who lives and who dies. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Cla...

Who keeps on moving the coffee pot? That innocent question plunges one East German woman into a dangerous world of deception and betrayal. Photographer and archivist Simon Menner joins Alice Loxton to unravel a Cold War domestic mystery centered around the most inconspicuous of objects. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs,...

How did Napoleon keep a sprawling empire under his thumb? Ask Sheehan Quirke – who runs the popular history feed, The Cultural Tutor – and he’ll tell you that the great historical leader depended on a vast network of spies to keep him clued up. The fruits of their toil were delivered to him each morning in a leather briefcase. Here, Quirke and host Alice Loxton open up that tired old folio and exp...

What secrets are hiding under the bed? For the Portuguese artist and sculptor, Joana Vasconcelos, a troubling inheritance of deceit lay lurking in wait in her late grandparents’ apartment. Here, she and host Alice Loxton discuss the dark journey that her discovery sent her on – and the powerful work of art it inspired. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produce...

How do you solve a problem like a Russian radar? That question lies at the heart of one of the most innovative and intricate planes ever to be made: the SR-71 Blackbird. Acclaimed industrial designer and artist Marc Newson and host Alice Loxton tell the story of an aircraft born out of an impossible brief. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Bur...

What official secrets hide inside that battered red leather box? Popular historian Dan Snow and host Alice Loxton peer inside a Victorian Prime Minister’s despatch box, and speculate on the world-changing intelligence that such a storied case once contained. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Foley, F...

What did George Orwell and the CIA have in common? Perhaps more than the great socialist writer would have cared to admit. The groundbreaking visual artist Daniel Arsham and host Alice Loxton bring us inside the CIA-sponsored production of Animal Farm. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Foley, Frank P...

To whom do retired spies turn after the collapse of their mission? Los Angeles’ Wende Museum holds one of the most impressive Cold War collections in the world – and has become something of an amnesty box for old agents seeking to preserve a piece of their former lives. The Wende’s director Justin Jampol and host Alice Loxton explore highlights from the collection and peer into the history of trad...

What does it take to betray your country? Less than you might think. Dr. Elizabeth Bruton and host, Alice Loxton, break down the surprisingly humble tool kit of one of the most destructive espionage networks in British history – the Portland Spy Ring. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Foley, Frank Pa...

How many secrets weigh 1500 lbs, cost $100 million, and travel at 600 mph? Only one that we can think of. Acclaimed actor Jason Isaacs and host Alice Loxton take us inside the cockpit of Northrop Grumman’s legendary B-2 Spirit – the iconic stealth bomber that epitomized late Cold War ingenuity. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan...

How much depended on breaking Enigma’s code? Mathematician James Grime and host, Alice Loxton peer beneath the hood of one of the most storied inventions in military history: the near-unbreakable Enigma Machine, used by German military throughout World War II as a means of protecting critical communications. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex B...

For how long could you keep a secret? In the case of Joan Bright Astley, the answer was ‘To the grave.’ Acclaimed novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz and host Alice Loxton offer up a gift from the real-life Miss Moneypenny – a formidable woman who protected the secrets of the notorious Special Operations Executive for as long as she lived. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzl...

How can a button save your life?  It depends on who your tailor is. Military history expert Lynette Nusbacher and host Alice Loxton discuss an ingenious piece of covert pathfinding technology, designed for RAF pilots stranded behind enemy lines in World War Two. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Fole...

What was the sharp pain that Georgi Markov felt in his ankle as he crossed London’s Waterloo Bridge one day? Spoiler: it doesn’t end well for Georgi. Designer Thomas Heatherwick and host Alice Loxton tell the sad tale of a Bulgarian dissident’s encounter with one of the most notorious tools of spycraft. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnar...

What connects the radical 20th century painter Jackson Pollock and the CIA?  More than you’d think.  Artist Daniel Arsham and host Alice Loxton share the surprising secret history of Pollock’s 1949 masterpiece, Number 8.  From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produced by Alex Burnard, Morgan Childs, Claire Crofton, Joe Foley, Frank Palmer, Kellie Redmond and Isabe...

The Enigma Machine. The B2 stealth bomber. The poisoned-tipped umbrella. Napoleon’s Briefcase of Secrets. As long as there has been conflict, there have been spies, and as long as there have been spies, there have been incredible gadgets and iconic objects. These are the stories of the tools that power the world of espionage.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices