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.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
THE DESTROYED MAN
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.
TRADE SECRETS
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 C.K. Chen, cybersecurity experts who defend the industry from catastrophic damage at the hands of malicious hackers.
MAKING JACK FALCONE
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 bravery and brutality in the shadow of the Big Apple.
THE BOILING FROG
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.
HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
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 spymaster will go to protect Queen and country.
SEARCHING FOR THE SOLDIER
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 behind enemy lines. 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.
RUSSIA'S MOST WANTED
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 major 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.
OPERATION GAME OVER
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.
INDIAN ACTORS
Meet the EU DisinfoLab, 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.
OPERATION ZULU CRICKET
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.
NEW RUSSIA, NEW RULES
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.
THE SPY IN THE CORNFIELD
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.
BRING DOWN THE BIG MAN
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 served.
SURVIVING NXIVM
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 thought she knew.
THE PROFILER
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.
THE NOT-SO-BEAUTIFUL GAME
It's 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.
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.
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.)
SEVEN FEMALE SPIES
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.
MANDELA'S SPY
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.
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.
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.
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?
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?
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.)
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.
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?
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.
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.
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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
LISTEN TO ALL TRUE SPIES EPISODES Find us on Apple Podcasts
See all episodes here
Spy SistersSee all episodes here
CIA SecretsSee all episodes here
FBI SecretsSee all episodes here
Russian Secrets 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Spyscape Podcasts
be first to hear about NEW EPISODES
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Gadgets & Gifts
Put your spy skills to work with these fabulous choices from secret notepads & invisible inks to Hacker hoodies & high-tech handbags. We also have an exceptional range of rare spy books, including many signed first editions.
Your Spy SKILLS
We all have valuable spy skills - your mission is to discover yours. See if you have what it takes to be a secret agent, with our authentic spy skills evaluation* developed by a former Head of Training at British Intelligence. It's FREE so share & compare with friends now!
* Find more information about the scientific methods behind the evaluation here.
