True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics
SPYSCAPE
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.comA Cup & Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Music: Nick Ryan.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 29, 2024 • 39min
The Silk Road Bust | FBI
The Silk Road was one of the most notorious black markets on the internet. Run by the notorious, anonymous Dread Pirate Roberts, this online bazaar allowed its users to trade cryptocurrency for illegal drugs, items and services. But, buried beneath layers of digital proxies, the Silk Road was almost impenetrable to law enforcement.Almost.Sophia Di Martino joins former FBI Special Agent Chris Tarbell to tell the story of how a combination of cyber-savvy and old-school detective work brought down the biggest name on the Dark Web.From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by James Trew. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 22, 2024 • 33min
Sonya’s Red Heart, Part Two: The Secrets of Sonya | GRU
Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in the age of Mutually Assured Destruction during the bloody 1940s.In 2020, a newly declassified document muddied the waters - who was Sonya really working for?In this two-part True Spies story, a new theory deepens the mystery of her life and work.In Part 2, Sophia Di Martino and Professor Anthony Glees explore a masterful double-cross by the Stalinist spy.From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Hannah Dean. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 15, 2024 • 29min
Sonya’s Red Heart, Part One: The Fairytale of Ursula Kuczynski | GRU
Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in the age of Mutually Assured Destruction during the bloody 1940s.In 2020, a newly declassified document muddied the waters - who was Sonya really working for?In this two-part True Spies story, a new theory deepens the mystery of her life and work.In Part 1, Sophia Di Martino joins Professor Anthony Glees to follow Sonya's rise to prominence within the Russian GRU.From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Hannah Dean. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 8, 2024 • 43min
Cribs, Codes and Cairo | Historical
Emily Anderson was the best codebreaker you've never heard of. Fiercely devoted to secrecy, she served Britain's interests in two World Wars - mastering five languages along the way.In this remarkable True Spies story, Sophia Di Martino and historian Jackie Ui Chionna give Anderson a much-deserved moment in the limelight.From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 1, 2024 • 43min
Tradecraft, Part 8
The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft.In our eighth round of insights from the world of espionage, Sophia Di Martino looks back on lessons drawn from masters of disguise, daring civilian spycraft, and nail-biting undercover work.From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Alex Burnard. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 25, 2023 • 37min
Tradecraft, Part 7
This podcast episode dives into various intriguing topics, including an audacious gambit in Iraq, surveillance evasion behind the Iron Curtain, creating convincing cover stories in Canada, submarine intelligence gathering, negotiating peace with a top terrorist leader, the importance of guarding and Operation Jackpot, navigating difficult terrains and coordinating attacks, unorthodox trade craft techniques to infiltrate a drug gang, and the power of ideas and trade craft skills in undercover operations.
Dec 18, 2023 • 50min
Operation Ajax | CIA & MI6
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.Sophia Di Martino and historian Ervand Abrahamian unpick the shocking downfall of Iran's last democratic leader.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 11, 2023 • 46min
Escaping ISIS
As ISIS sweeps through the Middle East, the regions' minority groups face brutal oppression. In Northern Iraq, ex-CIA officers Michele Rigby Assad and her husband, Joseph Assad, feel compelled to do what they can to help.Michele joins Sophia Di Martino to recount the steps that led to a dramatic evacuation of Iraqi Christians from Erbil in 2015.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Ashley Clivery. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 4, 2023 • 46min
The Wilderness of Mirrors | US Army CI
In the dying days of the Cold War, the West is on the verge of victory. But the Soviet Union's feared secret service, the KGB, won't give up without a fight.Sophia Di Martino and former US Army Intelligence officer Aden Magee tell the story of a mind-bending game of cat-and-mouse, played out on the streets of 1980s Munich.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Ashley Clivery. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 27, 2023 • 46min
The Swinging Spies | KGB
Karel Koecher always knew he was destined for greatness. At the height of the Cold War, he arrived in New York City – a Communist sleeper agent, hell-bent on infiltrating the highest echelons of American society. And with the help of his beautiful young wife, the American dream was well within reach.Sophia Di Martino and author Benjamin Cunningham tell the story of two glamourous Czech spies in swinging NYC - charting their unlikely rise and inevitable fall from grace.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
