The Rest Is Classified

MI5 have discovered a bomb making factory in East London, but how do they stop the Al Qaeda plotters from carrying out their terrifying plans? In the second episode of their series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, David and Gordon share the inside story of how MI5 surveilled the extremist cell and “legally” broke into the bomb factory. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the w...

In the aftermath of 9/11, while the world was still reeling from the deadliest terror attack on US soil, Al Qaeda were plotting an airline attack with ever graver consequences. This is the story of the Liquid Bomb Plot. Listen as David and Gordon delve into the story of how MI5 foiled the plans of an extremist cell in East London. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into th...

A Russian agent is trying to defect to Britain, but there’s only one person in his way: Kim Philby. Will the communist double agent at the heart of MI6 sell his comrade down the river to save himself, or spare his life at the risk of giving the game away? As David and Gordon reach the end of their first foray into the infamous life and career of Kim Philby, they ask: can you ever feel sympathy for...

Kim Philby’s moment in the sun has finally arrived: he has been recruited by MI6 and asked to join the anti-communist division. With access to intelligence beyond his wildest dreams, this is Philby’s chance to show the Russians what he’s made of. Listen as David and Gordon continue their story on the rise of Kim Philby from war correspondent to one of the most important men in British intelligence...

Kim Philby has been recruited by the communists to spy on the growing fascist movement across Europe, but he can’t seem to penetrate the intelligence services. So, like all men with access to an old boys’ network in 20th century Britain, he asks a friend for a job.  In this episode, David and Gordon chart Philby’s rise as a war correspondent for The Times in London; eventually finding himself in S...

Kim Philby has gone down in history as Britain’s most notorious double agent: spying for Stalin while running the MI6 counter-intelligence operation against him. But how did a quiet public school boy go on to change the course of the Cold War? Listen as David and Gordon begin their four-part series on the rise of Kim Philby, from the son of an anti-colonial eccentric in India to one of the most po...

To coincide with the release of David's latest novel, The Persian, we have the book’s first chapter in audiobook form for you to enjoy.   Mixing suspense with strikingly cinematic action, David McCloskey takes readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel.   The Persian by David McCloskey, is OUT NOW in the UK. Pre-order a signed edition ⁠via this link.⁠ ------------------- What happens...

Why is Trump backing down on his plans to seize Greenland? Are the Russian's already spying in the Arctic? And should we be fearing Chinese influence in the icy north? In this emergency podcast, David and Gordon delve into the intelligence story regarding Greenland and ask why Trump's forcefulness may be distracting us from the plans of China and Russia. ------------------- Make someone a Declassi...

What does history tell us about how a revolution is going to play out? What can intelligence agencies and political scientists working on Iran learn from Syria? And why didn’t Donald Trump follow through on his plan to militarily intervene in Iran? Listen as David and Gordon look at the ongoing situation in Iran through the lens of intelligence analysts and ask what there is to be learnt from stud...

How are intelligence agencies reacting to the recent protests in Iran? Is the regime on the edge of collapse? And is it ever possible to predict a revolution? Listen as David and Gordon analyse the ongoing situation in Iran and look at what the mass uprising, and its suppression, means for intelligence agencies across the globe. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year...

It has been alleged that Robert Maxwell, father of convicted child sex offender Ghislaine, had connections to the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Through these links, some have suggested that Maxwell recruited Jeffrey Epstein, who then also became an Israeli asset. While this has never been confirmed by Mossad, conspiracy theories are rife.  In their second episode on Epstein’s intelligence c...

Was disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein working undercover for an intelligence agency? And, if so, which one? Listen as David and Gordon begin a two-part series on Epstein’s alleged espionage connections. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insi...

*Declassified Club exclusive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to listen to the full series* What does one of the CIA's leading experts on Venezuela think about the operation to capture President Maduro? What will history say about the decision to invade a sovereign nation? And how involved were the Cubans? Listen as David and Gordon are joined by former CIA officer and Latin America Chief of Operations to di...

President Trump is now “running Venezuela”, but how did we get to this point? Why would a US president want to control Latin America? And is it really all about drugs and oil? Listen as David and Gordon explore the reasons behind Trump’s attack on Venezuela and try to understand why this Latin American country holds so much potential for the future of the global order.  ------------------- Make so...

What is actually happening between the US and Venezuela? Trump has captured President Maduro of Venezuela and extradited him to the US, but how was he able to pull off such a complex, and legally contentious, plot?  Listen as David and Gordon take a look inside the raid that brought down Maduro and share the intelligence scoop on why it was so successful. ------------------- Make someone a Declass...

Does China want to hack into your washing machine? What really is the dark web? And can you ever avoid being spied on in the 21st century? Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by the CIA's first Chief of Tradecraft and Operational Technology, Glenn Chafetz, to discuss the nuances of ubiquitous technical surveillance and how you can protect your data in the digital age. ----------------...

The world of surveillance has changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years with the advent of technology. From CCTV cameras to cookie tracking, it's not so easy to escape the long arm of the intelligence services in 2025. David and Gordon are joined by the CIA's first Chief of Tradecraft and Operational Technology, Glenn Chafetz, to explore the ever-changing world of ubiquitous technical surv...

Bill Donovan has set himself up across an entire floor of the swanky London hotel, Claridge’s. From here he is now running international intelligence operations and laying plans for the future of espionage in the United States. But, his arch nemesis, J. Edgar Hoover has an alternative vision for how these lofty ideas should play out. Listen as David and Gordon continue their tale of Wild Bill Dono...

“Wild” Bill Donovan laid the template for the formation of the modern CIA, but this wasn’t the way his life was supposed to turn out. A working class boy from Buffalo, Bill dreamt of something better for himself. These dreams took him to the trenches of Belgium and the beaches of Normandy, then to the halls of power themselves.  This is the story of the man behind the CIA. From decorated war hero...

Nine people dead. A severed head laying motionless in the rubble. Silence punctuated by screams. The moments after the 2009 Camp Chapman attack sound like something out of a horror film, but this was the devastating reality for those who trusted an Al Qaeda double agent to deliver on his promises. In this episode, David and Gordon reach the climax of their series on one of the deadliest days in CI...

Jennifer Matthews was one of the most capable and formidable CIA analysts working in the Counter Terrorism Centre during the War on Terror. She was also underestimated by her male colleagues who doubted she had what it took to run one of the most dangerous stations in Afghanistan. When Matthews took the post of CIA station chief at Camp Chapman, she knew the risks she faced. But, what she didn’t k...

Forget what you think you know about reality. The Rest Is Science is a mind-bending new show from Goalhanger that tears down familiar ideas… time, randomness, beauty, it will reveal just how bizarre the world truly is. Join Professor Hannah Fry and science creator Michael Stevens (aka Vsauce) twice a week to explore big, small and surprising questions as they deep dive into theories, concepts, obj...

In the years following 9/11, the US launched the War on Terror to root out the most dangerous Al Qaeda operatives across the Middle East. Their determination to avenge those who lost their lives in the 2001 attacks was unrelenting, and they were willing to go to any lengths to win, even if that meant putting their trust into a jihadist turned Jordanian agent. In this episode, David and Gordon cont...

On 30 December 2009, an Al Qaeda terrorist detonated a bomb inside a CIA station in Afghanistan. This is the story of how a quiet doctor from Jordan became responsible for one of the deadliest days in CIA history.  Listen as David and Gordon chart the rise of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi from a doctor working in a Palestinian refugee camp to one of Al Qaeda’s most prolific online voices. -----...

In 2017, former CIA officer Kevin Mallory was drowning in debt when a message landed in his LinkedIn inbox. A Chinese “headhunter” said he had consulting work. Mallory - fluent in Mandarin, seasoned in intelligence, and once trusted with some of America’s most sensitive secrets - replied. In this episode, David and Gordon unpack how Chinese intelligence services used think-tank cover, tailored tas...