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

In the divided Germany of the 1980s, spying was a way of life. Dave Butler knows - he was there. As part of BRIXMIS, a British military liaison unit with an unofficial sideline in espionage, he ran missions deep inside Communist territory. But they didn't always go to plan. Vanessa Kirby tells a story of danger and disaster behind enemy lines. Could YOU go up against the Stasi? From SPYSCAPE, the...

A single spy can change the course of history - for better, or for worse. Takeo Yoshikawa was one such spy. 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 story with Vanessa Kirby. From SPYSCAPE, the home o...

Location - unknown. Time period - classified. Hero? You decide. Jim Lawler is one of the CIA's most successful recruiters of foreign spies. But even he had to start somewhere. Vanessa Kirby joins Jim on his first foreign posting. His mission? To enlist a crucial intelligence asset for the USA. To do it, he'll stop at nothing to manipulate, subvert, and seduce his target. How far would YOU go? From...

Betrayal. It's an important theme in spy fiction. But Steve Chao, investigative journalist, has seen it up close - and the price of betrayal is all too real. Vanessa Kirby joins Steve as he meets a reluctant spy who could be the key to breaking a story of truly global significance. Would YOU break your silence? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma...

Once, money made the world go round. Today, it's semiconductors. They're the hardware that enables global communications, nuclear weapons systems and more. Taiwan is the world's largest semiconductor producer - and it's under attack. Vanessa Kirby meets Chad Duffy and CK Chen, cybersecurity experts who defend the industry from catastrophic damage at the hands of malicious hackers. Could YOU become...

CW: Violence, Suicide, Strong Language Undercover FBI agent Joaquin 'Jack' Garcia spent more than 20 years in disguise as various drug dealers, gangbangers and bad guys. But his final role was the one he was born to play. With little more than his wits, a wire, and an encyclopedic knowledge of Italian food, Jack infiltrated New York's notorious Gambino crime family. Vanessa Kirby tells a story of...

At the peak of his career, Jack Devine was one of the world's top spymasters. But everybody starts somewhere. Vanessa Kirby follows Jack to Chile on his first overseas assignment. It's 1971, and the CIA is determined to undermine the country's socialist government. But as a military coup plot begins to gather steam, he's about to learn an important lesson - be careful what you wish for. Could YOU...

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. Could YOU sink an Armada? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Sir F...

From the Australian outback, a top-secret NSA signals station intercepts intelligence concerning America and her allies. It's 1995, and a US fighter pilot is shot down over the former Yugoslavia. The team at Pine Gap must locate his distress signal before it's too late. Vanessa Kirby joins signals analyst David Rosenberg on an international race against time. Could YOU save a life at 8000 miles? F...

Bill Browder's fund made billions in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. But in the new Russia, the cost of doing business could be counted in more than cash. When Bill caught wind of widespread financial corruption in the country, he decided to act - making powerful enemies in the process. Vanessa Kirby unravels a story of money, power and terrible sacrifice. Would YOU challenge the powers t...

Vanessa Kirby meets Andrea Crosta, a dotcom tycoon turned undercover activist and elephant saviour. Confronted with the brutality of the illegal ivory trade, Andrea made it his mission to make a difference - by any means necessary. How hard would YOU fight for what you believe in? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by James Trew....

Meet the EU Disinfo Lab, the open-source investigators exposing disinformation at the heart of Europe's most important institutions. In 2019, they discovered a complex network of websites and NGOs, all hijacked by actors with an anti-Pakistan agenda. Researcher Roman Adamczyk brings Vanessa Kirby on a mission to reveal the fake news and malign influences that shape international politics. Do YOU b...

What do you get if you combine a huge quantity of heroin, a terrorist organisation, and an undercover agent? Operation Zulu Cricket. Peter Bleksley spent years breaking bread with dangerous criminals, but one mission pushed him to his limit. Vanessa Kirby explores a story of tactics, terror and tradecraft in Cool Britannia. Would YOU give yourself away? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup An...

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. Vanessa Kirby tells his story. Could YOU break bread with the enemy? From SPYSCAPE,...

In the golden cornfields of rural Iowa, mysterious men are stealing seeds. Corn is big business - and the secret of growing good corn is priceless intellectual property. But is this a simple case of corporate theft, or foreign espionage in a vital strategic battle between nations? Vanessa Kirby joins Special Agent Mark Betten, FBI, on his mission to find out. Could YOU dig up the truth? From SPYSC...

From London to Lagos, a web of corruption is spreading. At its center is James Ibori, AKA The Big Man - a Nigerian politician with a taste for the high life. Vanessa Kirby meets Jonathan Benton, the British detective who followed the trail of dirty cash that put Ibori behind bars. But when allegations of corruption were turned against Jonathan's team, he had to fight to ensure that justice was ser...

In 2005, actress Sarah Edmondson joined NXIVM, a company offering 'personal development' coaching. 12 years later, she realized that she had been brainwashed into a dangerous sex-trafficking cult. She borrowed techniques from the world of spy tradecraft to bring down the man behind the curtain - Keith Raniere. Vanessa Kirby joins Sarah on a journey that forced her to question everything she though...

July 20th, 1993. White House Counsel Vince Foster is found dead, apparently by his own hand. Rumours of foul play are circulating - and some very famous names are in the mix. FBI Profiler Jim Clemente must use his best tradecraft to find out what happened. Vanessa Kirby follows Jim on an investigation that sent shockwaves through the corridors of power. Could YOU uncover the truth? From SPYSCAPE,...

It's high summer in the Italian beach resort of Rimini. But Garry Rogers isn’t on holiday. He’s working undercover, infiltrating some of Britain's most dangerous soccer hooligans as they enjoy the 1990 World Cup. Vanessa Kirby follows Garry into a violent world of booze, beatings and naked belligerence as he walks a thin line between lawman and thug. Could YOU handle the pressure? From SPYSCAPE, t...

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny believes the Russian state poisoned him in August 2020. In January 2021, he released a film that sent shockwaves through the country. Part-exposé, part-psychological portrait, his investigation claimed to reveal a culture of corruption within the Kremlin - with President Putin at its heart. In February 2021, Navalny was jailed. In this special episode of Tr...

CW: This episode contains details relating to the sexual abuse of children. In 26 years undercover with the FBI, Bob Hamer developed a thick skin. He's posed as a contract killer, a drug dealer - even an international arms dealer. But there's one case he could never quite shake off. Vanessa Kirby tells the chilling story of Bob's descent into the twisted world of NAMBLA - an organization dedicated...

CW: This episode contains descriptions of Nazi war-crimes that some listeners may find upsetting. During the Second World War, Vera Atkins sent hundreds of British spies into Occupied France. Some of them never came back - and nobody knew why. Vanessa Kirby shares the story of one woman's mission to find answers in the rubble of post-war Europe. How far would YOU go for the truth? From SPYSCAPE, t...

As an undercover officer in South Africa, Bradley Steyn played his part in a deadly culture of racial oppression - Apartheid. After meeting an inspirational freedom fighter, he made the life-changing decision to switch sides. For years, Bradley worked from the inside to destroy the institutions of apartheid. What would you RISK for what you believe in? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And...

How do you flee your country and join the other side? A former Russian intelligence agent gives Vanessa Kirby a rare masterclass in international tradecraft. Janosh Neumann fled Moscow armed only with his wits, a suitcase and the names of Russia's most influential money launderers, to begin a dangerous journey to the other side of the world. Could YOU do it? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A C...

In 2017, superstar rapper Meek Mill was incarcerated - again. To free him, Tyler Maroney had to go back to the scene of Meek's first arrest a decade earlier, and use all his best tradecraft to contend with corrupt cops, biased judges and a broken prison system. Could YOU deliver justice to justice itself? With Vanessa Kirby. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series p...