Alice Loxton
Dive deep into secrets behind iconic spy objects and gadgets. Hosted by historian Alice Loxton and featuring stars from art, design, architecture and more.
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TRADECRAFT SECRETS: PART 5
The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our fifth round of insights from the world of espionage, Sophia Di Martino encounters a dictator on the run, an undercover Hells Angel, a mole in the NSA and more in our annual digest of the series so far. Could you master the craft?
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THE PYRAMID SCHEME, PART 2: HOW TO STEAL A MiG
In the skies over Cairo, an unlit military transport plane makes a wary descent in to the city's international airport. Under cover of darkness, it's loaded with a precious consignment - an artifact that the US has gone to great lengths to procure. Not a cursed relic, or a crystal skull - but a cutting-edge Russian fighter jet. In Part 2, CIA Officer Jim Fees' daughter, Paula, and aviation expert Steve Davies guide Sophia di Martino through the final stages of a daring desert heist - and explain the true significance of this exceptional Cold War coup.
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THE PYRAMID SCHEME, PART 1: HOW TO STEAL A MiG
In the skies over Cairo, an unlit military transport plane makes a wary descent into the city's international airport. Under cover of darkness, it's loaded with a precious consignment - an artifact that the US has gone to great lengths to procure. Not a cursed relic, or a crystal skull - but a cutting-edge Russian fighter jet. In Part 1, Sophia Di Martino flies cargo-class with the CIA's Jim Fees - the officer who stole a MiG-23 from under the nose of the Soviet Union in the late 1970s. To tell his story, we've enlisted Jim's daughter, alongside historian and aviation expert Steve Davies.
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ALDRICH AMES PART 2: THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE AGENT, OPERATION NIGHTMOVER
The CIA is only as strong as the weakest link. And in the waning years of the Cold War, weak links were in ready supply. A number of trusted Agency officers were caught selling secrets to the Russian regime. And the most notorious traitor? Aldrich Hazen Ames. In Part 2, Sophia Di Martino joins FBI Special Agent Leslie G Wiser Jr. on the toughest assignment of his career so far. But to take down Aldrich Ames, he'll need to bend the rules...
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ALDRICH AMES PART 1: THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE AGENT - SELLING SECRETS
The CIA is only as strong as the weakest link. And in the waning years of the Cold War, weak links were in ready supply. A number of trusted Agency officers were caught selling secrets to the Russian regime. And the most notorious traitor? Aldrich Hazen Ames.
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THE BIN LADEN FILES PART 3: A LION IN THE WINTER
As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives Gina Bennett and Tracy Walder join CNN’s Peter Bergen, the man who first interviewed Osama, to share the unvarnished truth about bin Laden’s rise to power. In Part 3, the hunt for the world's most infamous terrorist begins in earnest - and a humble courier has an important part to play.
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THE BIN LADEN FILES PART 2: TAKE THE SHOT
As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives Gina Bennett and Tracy Walder join CNN’s Peter Bergen, the man who first interviewed Osama, to share the unvarnished truth about bin Laden’s rise to power. In Part 2, the world begins to pay attention to bin Laden - and the CIA makes its first moves against the al-Qaeda kingpin.
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THE BIN LADEN FILES PART 1: THE MAKING OF BIN LADEN
As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives Gina Bennett and Tracy Walder join CNN’s Peter Bergen, the man who first interviewed Osama, to share the unvarnished truth about bin Laden’s rise to power. In Part 1 of this three-part epic, we follow Bergen to the mountainous Afghan-Pakistan border region for the recording of the first televised interview with the al-Qaeda leader.
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THE LEGAL ATTACHE PART 2: LOBSTERS IN A BOX
The men and women of the FBI are entrusted with defending Americans from their enemies at home and abroad. As an FBI Legat, Kathy Stearman performed that service in a variety of foreign locales. But even as she faced off against terrorists, she was fighting another insidious threat - one that affects women in every field. Vanessa Kirby joins Kathy for a no-holds-barred look at the realities of misogyny and sexism at the heart of the Bureau and how those realities affected her in some of the world's most dangerous environments. In Part 2, Kathy becomes a key witness at the trial of a deadly terrorist - and reaches the limits of her patience.
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THE LEGAL ATTACHÉ PART 1: KENTUCKY WINDAGE
The men and women of the FBI are entrusted with defending Americans from their enemies at home and abroad. As an FBI Legat, Kathy Stearman performed that service in a variety of foreign locales. But even as she faced off against terrorists, she was fighting another insidious threat - one that affects women in every field. Vanessa Kirby joins Kathy for a no-holds-barred look at the realities of misogyny and sexism at the heart of the Bureau and how those realities affected her in some of the world's most dangerous environments. In Part 1, Kathy finds herself in the white heat of the Sri Lankan civil war.
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THE FOURTH MAN PART II: THE ROCK STAR
In the late '80s and early '90s, the Agency was rocked by a series of high-profile turncoats. Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and Edward Lee Howard all leaked secrets to the Russians, with often-deadly consequences for agents on the ground. Twenty years later, former CIA officer Bob Baer caught wind of a disturbing possibility - that a fourth and even more insidious mole might have been active at the heart of America's intelligence community. In Part 2, Vanessa Kirby joins Bob Baer in the present day, where renewed interest in the Fourth Man case throws up more questions than answers.
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THE FOURTH MAN PART 1
In the late '80s and early '90s, the CIA was rocked by a series of high-profile turncoats. Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and Jim Nicholson all leaked secrets to the Russians, with often-deadly consequences for agents on the ground. Twenty years later, former CIA officer Bob Baer caught wind of a disturbing possibility - that a fourth and even more insidious mole might have been active at the heart of America's intelligence community. In Part 1, Vanessa Kirby joins Bob at the outset of an ongoing investigation with the potential to rock the CIA all over again. Disclaimer: The investigations detailed in these episodes of True Spies are still ongoing, and no formal accusations have been levied. SPYSCAPE does not endorse any one conclusion to the so-called Fourth Man Case.
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VEIL OF BEADS PART 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BEAUTIFUL
Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption, and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that champion is Anas Aremeyaw Anas - investigative reporter extraordinaire. Hiding his face behind a veil of beads, Anas goes deep undercover to expose the rot at society's heart. In Part 2, Vanessa Kirby follows Anas and a rookie journalist, Henry Mhango, into a dangerous confrontation with a gang of unscrupulous ritual killers.
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VEIL OF BEADS PART 2: THE RITUAL
Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption, and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that champion is Anas Aremeyaw Anas - investigative reporter extraordinaire. Hiding his face behind a veil of beads during public appearances, Anas goes deep undercover to expose the rot at society's heart. In Part 2, Vanessa Kirby follows Anas and a rookie journalist, Henry Mhango, into a dangerous confrontation with a gang of unscrupulous ritual killers.
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VEIL OF BEADS PART 1: THE METHOD AND THE MADNESS
Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption, and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Sub-Saharan Africa, that champion is Anas Aremeyaw Anas - investigative reporter extraordinaire. Hiding his face behind a veil of beads, Anas goes deep undercover to expose the rot at society's heart. In Part 1, Vanessa Kirby follows Anas on a dangerous mission to bust a drugs ring operating out of a Ghanaian mental hospital.
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MEXICAN MANEUVERS PART 2: BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT
In Mexico, life can come cheap - but some are worth millions. When ruthless gangs kidnap the loved ones of the wealthy, the ransoms can soar in to seven-figure sums. And when that happens, Nick Brokhausen and Jeff Miller are the men you want on your side of the negotiating table. They are former Special Forces operatives who've spent a lifetime solving problems and making money in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. In Part 2, Vanessa Kirby joins the duo on a second adventure south of the border. This time, a Mexican dairy tycoon is in danger of going on ice unless Nick and Jeff track down his kidnappers.
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MEXICAN MANEUVERS PART 1: PONCHO AND CISCO
In Mexico, life can come cheap - but some are worth millions. When ruthless gangs kidnap the loved ones of the wealthy, the ransoms can soar in to seven-figure sums. And when that happens, Nick Brokhausen and Jeff Miller are the men you want on your side of the negotiating table. They are former Special Forces operatives who've spent a lifetime solving problems and making money in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. In Part 1, Vanessa Kirby joins Jeff and Nick on the trail of a kidnapping victim in Texcoco - and they'll use any means necessary to see his safe return.
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CASSIA SPY RING PART 2: THE BEST LAID PLANS
In the face of historical evil, would you have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the Cassia spy ring - a civilian resistance operation based out of a church in occupied Vienna. Vanessa Kirby joins ex-CIA officer Christopher Turner and Austrian intelligence expert Siegfried Bier to uncover a story of extreme courage in the face of insurmountable odds. In Part 2, the Austrian spies are folded in to the OSS - America's new foreign intelligence agency. But the acquisition comes with unforeseen - and deadly - complications.
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CASSIA SPY RING PART 1: THE PRIEST AND THE CEO
In the face of historical evil, would you have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the CASSIA Spy Ring - a civilian resistance operation based out of a church in occupied Vienna. Vanessa Kirby joins ex-CIA officer Christopher Turner and Austrian intelligence expert Siegfried Bier to uncover a story of extreme courage in the face of insurmountable odds. In Part 1, we meet clergyman Heinrich Maier and rubber tycoon Franz Messner - unlikely friends who became the core of a new movement. Together, they recruited like-minded individuals to strike back at the Nazi regime.
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RUSSIA'S LAUNDROMAT, PART 3: PUTIN'S BUTLER?
All around the world, dirty money pollutes public and private life. Those who wield it are a diverse cast of businessmen, politicians, and criminals - and sometimes, they're all three. In this anthology, Vanessa Kirby meets the investigators using open source intelligence to expose the murky relationship between international institutions and Russian financial crime. In Part 3, author and journalist Oliver Bullough exposes the UK's role as a facilitator of questionable foreign wealth - a butler to the world. When a shady Ukrainian businessman with ties to the Kremlin embeds himself at the heart of the British establishment, Oliver is determined to investigate his true allegiances. Could you follow the breadcrumbs?
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Ten Episodes Not To Miss
Ready to unlock the secrets of the spying game? Here's a quick intro to our True Spies series.
Howard Hunt Unleashed, Part 1: The CIA & Animal Farm
In this special two-part True Spies miniseries, Daisy Ridley presents a dramatized encounter with Everette Howard Hunt Jr, based on our own historical research and Hunt's own writings. In Part 1, Hunt explains his role in one of the CIA's most unusual PsyOps - the backing of 1954's animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm.
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HAVANA SYNDROME SPECIAL
Debilitating neurological symptoms have affected US officials worldwide. Former CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos has been suffering since 2017 - he joins Russia expert and former CIA Station Chief John Sipher, and Dr. James Giordano to analyze Havana Syndrome.
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GRAY SUIT & THE GHOST
Eric O’Neill describes the hunt for the infamous FBI mole Robert Hanssen, who he was tasked with catching. Eric needs to get Hanssen into a hire car so his own car can be searched for evidence of his betrayal... but the hire car isn’t there and Hanssen is getting suspicious. What would you do in O'Neill's position?
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THE ILLEGAL
'Jack Barsky' was a New York computer programmer for a well-known insurance firm. In real life, he was Albrecht Dittrich, a highly-trained Soviet sleeper agent dropped behind enemy lines in 1970s America. When the KGB recalled him to Europe, Barsky had a difficult choice to make: Should he leave his wife and 18-month-old baby behind or betray his country?
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INSIDE NAMBLA
Bob Hamer had a colorful career as an undercover FBI agent but nothing prepared him for infiltrating Nambla, the North American Man/Boy Love Association. If he was going to put the pedophiles behind bars, Bob would have to hide his hatred and disdain - even if it ripped at the very fabric of his being. (Warning: This episode contains graphic details.)
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WHITE TRAITOR
Sue Dobson was a white woman who wanted to spy for the African National Congress - making her a minority within a minority in apartheid-era South Africa. Dobson spent seven months training in the USSR to learn her tradecraft. Now she wasn’t just a traitor, she was a turncoat with the training to kill.
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PSYCHIC SPIES
Dr. Edwin May is an unusual scientist, a physicist who researches psychic phenomena. For decades he worked with psychics who believed they could ‘foresee’ events like potential terrorist attacks, which raised an interesting question: If you can see the future, are you condemned to experience it?
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THE SOCIOPATHIC SPY
Working as a lawyer is one path to success, but Jim Lawler wanted adventure. He ditched his job in Texas and joined the CIA. On his first tour abroad, Jim had to recruit a spy working for a hostile government knowing she’d be killed if her cover was blown. That’s when Jim realized he was born with the type of sociopathic personality that would ensure success.
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ME AND THE MULLAH
Shawnee Delaney was a key part of the US team hunting Osama bin Laden in the wake of 9/11. One of her contacts was a Mullah with close ties to al-Qaeda but how could she win his trust? There was a language barrier and the Mullah refused to accept money for intelligence. This was shaping up to be Shawnee’s most challenging assignment yet.
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THE IRISHMAN
Sean Hartnett grew up in Ireland during the 'Troubles'. His family was Republican so they were shocked when Hartnett talked about joining the British Armed Forces. In fact, Hartnett went a step further. He joined the British Army’s most secretive covert counterterrorist unit in Northern Ireland, Joint Communications Unit Northern Ireland aka ‘The Det’.
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And, if you're into covert operations and intelligence gathering, check out these episodes:
EPISODE 71
RISE AND KILL FIRST
Ronen Bergman is an investigative journalist specializing in the dark arts of espionage and Mossad. In the early ‘80s, he stumbled on the scoop of a lifetime involving PLO chairman Yasser Arafat.
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TEAM ALPHA PART 1: THE TIP OF THE SPEAR
October 17, 2001. The dust of 9/11 has barely settled. America and the world are reeling. In Afghanistan, eight CIA officers - a crack team of linguists, tribal experts, and paramilitaries - are the first Americans to infiltrate Taliban territory after the attacks. Their mission is to ensure that al-Qaeda does not strike again.
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EPISODE 87
STALIN'S ROMEO SPY
As a young Soviet journalist, Emil Draitser stumbled on a story that changed his life. He was summoned by Dmitri Bystrolyotov to hear the deep secret that he was a ‘Stasi Romeo’ spying on Germany for Moscow, taking advantage of vulnerable women to steal state secrets. It was a fascinating tale, but it could also land Draitser in prison.
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ALDRICH AMES PART 1: THE ULTIMATE DOUBLE AGENT - SELLING SECRETS
The CIA is only as strong as the weakest link. And in the waning years of the Cold War, weak links were in ready supply. A number of trusted Agency officers were caught selling secrets to the Russian regime. And the most notorious traitor? Aldrich Hazen Ames.
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EPISODE 43
PUTIN'S PALACE?
Former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny released a film in 2021 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. The Kremlin and Putin deny everything.
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LISTEN TO ALL TRUE SPIES EPISODES Find us on Apple Podcasts
See all episodes here
Spy Sisters
See all episodes here
CIA Secrets
See all episodes here
FBI Secrets
See all episodes here
Russian Secrets
Manya Kullmann - Castro’s Keepsakes
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Tim Marlow - The Welbike
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Kengo Kuma - Nijo Jinya Hotel
Japan's Nijo Jinya Hotel is shrouded in mystery. Some say it was built in the 19th century. But most date it much earlier, to Japan’s Edo era, which started around 1600. Renown architect Kengo Kuma describes it as a paradise for Ninja spies.
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Tom Ayling - Secret Service Payments Book
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.
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Trevor Paglen - Skynet
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.
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Simon Menner - The Coffee Pot
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.
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The Cultural Tutor - Napoleon’s Briefcase
How did Napoleon keep a sprawling empire under his thumb? Ask Sheehan Quirke. He 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 explore the secrets hidden within.
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Marc Newson - SR-71 Blackbird
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.
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Jung Chang - Chairman Mao Badge
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Dan Snow - PM’s Despatch Box
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.
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Daniel Arsham - Animal Farm Film Cels
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 artists Daniel Arsham and host Alice Loxton bring us inside the CIA-sponsored production of Animal Farm.
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Justin Jampol - Wende Museum Artifacts
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 tradecraft.
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Elizabeth Bruton: Portland Spy Ring Ephemera
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.
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Jason Isaacs: B-2 Spirit
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.
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James Grime: Enigma Machine
How many secrets weigh 1500 pounds, cost $100m, 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.
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Anthony Horowitz: Joan Bright Astley’s Inner Circle
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.
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Lynette Nusbacher: Button Compass
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 II.
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Thomas Heatherwick: Poison-Tipped Umbrella
What was the sharp pain that George Markov felt in his ankle as he crossed London’s Waterloo Bridge one day? Spoiler: it doesn’t end well for George. 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.
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Daniel Arsham: Jackson Pollock, Number 8
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.
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A History of the World in Spy Objects: Trailer
The Enigma Machine. The B-2 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. Alice Loxton presents the stories of the tools that power the world of espionage in a brand new show for the SPYSCAPE Podcast Network. Get episodes early and ad-free with SPYSCAPE+ on Apple Podcasts.
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TRAILER
Daniel Arsham: Jackson Pollock, Number 8
A History of the World in Spy Objects: Trailer
Thomas Heatherwick: Poison-Tipped Umbrella
Lynette Nusbacher: Button Compass
Anthony Horowitz: Joan Bright Astley’s Inner Circle
James Grime: Enigma Machine
Jason Isaacs: B-2 Spirit
Elizabeth Bruton: Portland Spy Ring Ephemera
Justin Jampol - Wende Museum Artifacts
Daniel Arsham - Animal Farm Film Cels
Dan Snow - PM’s Despatch Box
Marc Newson - SR-71 Blackbird
Jung Chang - Chairman Mao Badge
The Cultural Tutor - Napoleon’s Briefcase
Simon Menner - The Coffee Pot
Trevor Paglen - Skynet
Tom Ayling - Secret Service Payments Book
Tim Marlow - The Welbike
Kengo Kuma - Nijo Jinya Hotel
Manya Kullmann - Castro’s Keepsakes

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