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

As the Iron Curtain descends across Eastern Europe, the West is determined to roll back the march of Communism - starting with Albania. Historian Stephen Long is your guide to Operation BGFiend/Valuable - the joint MI6-CIA operation that laid the groundwork for 40 years of Cold War. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower....

Content Warning: This episode contains sex references. In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's espionage capitals. In Berlin, we'll meet a 19th century innovator in political policing, follow the little-known spy origins of the 20th century's most hated dictator, and follow an elite British unit into hostile East Germa...

In the desert of Southern Afghanistan, CIA Case Officer Douglas Laux is on the hunt. He's traced a number of deadly IED attacks to a shadowy figure with ties to the Taliban. In this classic episode of True Spies, his mission is to bring him down before more US personnel are killed. To do so, he'll have to push himself - and his assets - to the limit. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuz...

True Spies producer Joe Foley speaks to Ralf Little and David Eldridge - the star and writer of the stage version of John Le Carré's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, currently touring the UK. They talk about bringing Le Carre’s world to life, the resonance of this story in the 21st century, and a meeting with the legendary author himself. Morgan Childs will return for the next Debrief. From SPYS...

It's the summer of 2006, and former DEA Agent Jeffrey James Higgins is your guide to an audacious HUMINT operation against an Afghan narco-terrorist. But in a lawless part of the world, the life of a lawman is a dangerous one - and success is always tempered by tragedy. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Learn more ab...

It's 1993, and Russia is tearing itself apart. A violent coup is threatening to derail Boris Yeltsin's fragile post-Soviet government. Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, Deputy Chief of Station for the CIA in Moscow, is caught in the crossfire. To get out alive, he'll need to lean on an unlikely new ally - Russian Intelligence. In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby tells his story. From SPYSCAPE,...

True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins ex-CIA officer and Russia expert Sean Wiswesser to go deep on the strategy, ideology and political goals of the Russian intelligence community. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Sean Wiswesser is the author of Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and...

Content Warning: This episode contains references to torture and mutilation. In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In Beijing, we'll learn about the Eunuch who became the most powerful man in China, a brazen Cold War deception, bold investigative journalism and the heartbreaking tale of a captured...

Bryan Stern and his team at Grey Bull are specialists in exfiltrating Americans from highly volatile contexts. In this episode, we follow Bryan into the heart of the conflict in Ukraine, where he'll need to rely on his wits to rescue a young man from the heat of battle. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Learn more...

To her colleagues, South African journalist Sue Dobson appeared to be a pro-Apartheid conservative. Nothing could have been further from the truth. In fact, she was a trained paramilitary and secret agent, infiltrating the government's propaganda wing on behalf of the African National Congress. In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby relates an incredible story of bravery in the face...

True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins author and Financial Times reporter Miles Johnson for a debrief on the international intelligence community's relationship to organised criminal groups. Miles' investigative journalism has unearthed frightening findings about the connections – and crimes – made possible by our globalized world. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production....

Ever wondered how NOT to plan a coup? In the first ever telling of this story, Private Security professional Julian Fisher can teach you. It all comes down to forward planning, keen situational awareness - and a little bit of Frederick Forsyth. True Spies joins Julian as he travels to West Africa - and finds himself in a very sticky situation. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle p...

In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In Moscow, we'll discover the origins of Russia's intelligence culture, go underground with the CIA"s Moscow Station, and hear a first-hand account from an FSB defector. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produce...

In the early 1950s, Iran elected a forward-thinking new leader. But where previous regimes had played ball with British and American oil companies in the country, Mohammed Mossadegh refused. In response, Western intelligence services mounted a deadly coup. In this classic episode of True Spies, Sophia Di Martino and historian Ervand Abrahamian unpick the shocking downfall of Iran's last democratic...

Writer Aaron Tracy joins Morgan Childs to discuss the complexities and controversies around Roald Dahl - a man whose reputation as a children's author leads many to overlook his previous life as a wartime spy for the British Security Coordination in America, and much more besides. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs...

Content Warning: This episode contains sex references. Author Robert Verkaik unpicks the complex and fascinating relationship between two giants of the 20th Century - author and screenwriter Graham Greene, and Soviet super-spy, Kim Philby. When World War Two threw the two men together as MI6 spies, a strange yet enduring friendship blossomed. But how far did their loyalty to each-other go? From SP...

Ryan Hillsberg can be whoever you want him to be. As a CIA case officer, he recruited assets for the Agency by transforming himself into their ideal companion - a confidante par excellence. But maintaining a degree of professional detachment isn't always easy, as you'll discover in this classic episode of True Spies. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Learn more about...

a new season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In New York, we'll visit the Revolutionary Culper Spy Ring, learn about the intelligence contributions of the Big Apples 'Blue Bloods' and learn about the city's radical history. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produc...

Former CIA officer Christina Hillsberg is the author of Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA. In this conversation with True Spies producer Morgan Childs, Christina reflects on the lesser-known women who helped to build and reform the Agency, as well as discussing her own experience at Langley. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Fol...

Christine Kuehn grew up believing that she was part of an ordinary, patriotic American family. But in 1994, a surprising letter revealed a darker side to her ancestry; a story that began in Nazi Germany. Christine and her husband, Mark Schiponi, spent 30 years unraveling the truth - an emotional journey that brought her face to face with one of the most famous and tragic disasters in American hist...

A single spy can change the course of history - for better, or for worse. In this Classic episode of True Spies, you'll meet one of them - Takeo Yoshikawa. Stationed in Honolulu, Yoshikawa's intelligence was used by the Japanese to launch a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The massacre brought the USA in to WW2, and ultimately led to Japan's crushing defeat. He shares his unsettling sto...

Terry Stiastny, award winning author and journalist, takes on a deep dive into the world of the British wartime propaganda machine. The ragtag group convened with one shared purpose: to create and distribute "believable lies" that would undermine the enemy morale at a vital time in history. The British propaganda vehicle known as the Political Warfare Executive used a network of radio stations to...

In a new season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In London, we'll delve into early-modern counter-terrorism, an influence campaign at the birth of a new nation, elite associations and dirty money. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Learn more ab...

High in the Himalayan mountains, a team of climbers are attempting to plant a device that will give them eyes on a growing threat. But they'll leave behind more than they bargained for. In this shocking episode, Investigative reporter Jeffrey Gettleman is your guide to a tale of high altitude and higher stakes in the 1960s - and one that still resounds in the present. From SPYSCAPE, the home of se...

In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby meets Pat and Jean Owtram, two British sisters who played crucial roles as Allied codebreakers during World War 2. Bound by the Official Secrets Act, neither sister knew that the other was a spy until decades later. In their 90s, they reveal their hidden hands in planning D-Day, aiding the Resistance, and cracking the Enigma code. Tune in to Tru...