PODCAST
Join us as we hear from some bad-ass female spies who share their favourite real world missions with Vanessa Kirby and Hayley Atwell.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Sisters & Spies
THE MONEY SPY
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.
FREEING MEEK MILL
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 - with Vanessa Kirby.
HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND STAGE COUPS
Damascus, 1949. Jazz musician and raconteur Miles Copeland Jr. is plotting to bring down the Syrian government. His son, musician Stewart Copeland (Sting’s drummer in The Police), shares the story - a tale of double agents, dangerous friendships and gunplay that shaped the unstable future of the Middle East - with Vanessa Kirby. Tune in to True Spies to hear this unlikely tale.
TRADECRAFT PART 2
A good spy needs a very particular set of skills. But there's only so much that training can prepare you for. Tradecraft - the real business of spying - has to be learnt on the job. In this two-part special, Vanessa Kirby brings you the most cunning and courageous examples of tradecraft from the series so far. Could you make it in the field?
TRADECRAFT PART 1
A good spy needs a very particular set of skills. But there's only so much that training can prepare you for. Tradecraft - the real business of spying - has to be learnt on the job. In this two-part special, Vanessa Kirby brings you the most cunning and courageous examples of tradecraft from the series so far. Could YOU make it in the field?
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’.
OLYMPIC GAMES
Meet the men who uncovered a new era in global warfare. Eric Chien and Liam O'Murchu identified Stuxnet, the digital weapon designed to attack the physical world. To figure out its target, and its creators, they'd have to enter a dangerous world of international intrigue - involving two nuclear superpowers. How far would YOU go for answers?
THE 'DREAMS COME TRUE' BUSINESS
Vanessa Kirby meets Barry Broman, a CIA case officer who recruited foreign spies for the USA. Working alongside a suave MI6 officer, Barry was tasked with bringing a high-ranking Communist over to the West. To succeed, they had to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. Could you get inside his head?
BLOOD ON THE WATERSIDE
Vanessa Kirby meets a spy who infiltrated the political wing of the IRA. Willie Carlin risked his life in Derry, Northern Ireland, on a daily basis to provide the UK with intelligence that could help to end decades of violence and killing. How far would you go for peace?
DRUG WARS
Vanessa Kirby goes undercover with a man who spent 14 years fighting the War on Drugs. Disguised as an addict, Neil Woods risked his life to infiltrate brutal narcotics gangs. The experience led him to question our whole approach to fighting drug use, and led him to a remarkable new strategy and life. How would YOU fight this war?
HACKED
Vanessa Kirby meets Nick Davies, the reporter who used covert skills to break one of the most explosive stories of the Noughties. News of the World, a British tabloid, had been deliberately hacking the mobile phones of celebrities and public figures. Through a carefully-chosen network of sources, Nick launched an investigation that shook the foundations of the government, the police and the media establishment. Could YOU speak truth to power?
BURGERS AND SPIES
Vanessa Kirby meets Naveed Jamali, an FBI Operative who worked his way into the world of espionage. Hoping to impress US Intelligence, Naveed used family connections to set himself up as a double agent, fooling the Russians into revealing their operations on American soil. Armed only with a secret recording device, an encyclopedic knowledge of spy movies and a high tolerance for fast food, he spent three years luring in one of Russia's most senior operatives. Could YOU make it up as you went along?
CODENAME: MADELEINE
Vanessa Kirby lands in Nazi-occupied France with Noor Inayat Khan, the Allied spy who risked her life to aid the Resistance. Armed with a wireless radio, Noor relayed vital intelligence to the British Special Operations Executive, right under the nose of Hitler's secret police. The average life expectancy of a radio operator was just 6 weeks. Could YOU beat the odds?
SISTER 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 knew that the other was a spy until decades later. Now in their 90s, they reveal their hidden hands in planning D-Day, aiding the Resistance, and cracking the Enigma code. Tune in to True Spies to hear their story. Would YOU have the skills to make a difference?
THE ARGONAUTS
Vanessa Kirby meets Mark and Cora Lijek, two ordinary American diplomats who took part in one of the most daring espionage operations in CIA history, dramatized in the Hollywood film, Argo. In 1979, the US embassy in Tehran was overrun by Iranian revolutionaries. To escape, Mark and Cora would need to master the art of spycraft - and fast. Tune in to True Spies to hear their story. Could YOU become a master of disguise?
THE LIMPING LADY
Vanessa Kirby goes behind enemy lines with Virginia Hall, one of the bravest Allied heroines of WWII. As part of ‘Churchills' Secret Army’, Virginia was sent into German occupied France to organize resistance efforts and disrupt Nazi plans ‘by any means necessary’. As the Germans closed in, betrayal was a constant threat. Would you know who to trust?
JUSTICE FOR LEON KLINGHOFFER
Vanessa Kirby follows CIA veteran Bob Dougherty as he seeks justice for the kidnap and killing of an American war veteran aboard a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. Bob had to wait nearly 20 years for his chance to capture Palestinian Liberation Front leader Abu Abbas. Could YOU play the waiting game?
BLINKING RED
CIA analyst Gina Bennett shows Vanessa Kirby the origins of America's most infamous enemy. Throughout the 1990s, Osama bin Laden launched a series of attacks on American interests at home and abroad. Operating in the man's world of counterterrorism, Gina had to fight to have the threat he posed taken seriously. Would YOU trust your gut?
The NUCLEAR SUPERHIGHWAY
Undercover CIA agent James Olson takes Vanessa Kirby on a nail-biting mission behind the Iron Curtain. In the late 1970s, James was tasked with tapping an underground communications line between Moscow and a top-secret nuclear weapons facility. Under constant surveillance from the KGB, he would need to use a combination of traditional spycraft and hi-tech gadgetry to intercept this priceless intel without risking a diplomatic catastrophe. Could YOU evade detection?
EXIT STRATEGY
CIA analyst Sarah Carlson drops Vanessa Kirby into the pressure-cooker of post-revolutionary Libya. In 2011, the Arab Spring swept Colonel Gaddafi from office, leaving a deadly power vacuum in its wake. 3 years later, civil war engulfed the nation. Under a hail of rocket fire, Sarah had to figure out a way to extract 150 American personnel from the carnage. Could YOU get them to safety?
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 SecretsSpy Sisters: Teaser
Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby narrate true stories from the incredible women behind the world’s greatest espionage operations. What do they know? What are their skills? And what would YOU do in their position? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy.
The Philadelphia Wire
Northern Philadelphia, 1989. FBI agent Judy Tyler is on the hunt. Her target? A local entrepreneur with a lucrative side-line as a cocaine kingpin. From wiretaps to polygraphs to secret cameras, Judy has the Bureau's full arsenal of tradecraft tricks at her disposal - but can she get her man before someone gets hurt? Vanessa Kirby joins Judy on the mean streets of Philly. Could YOU clean them up? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
Mission in the Dog Meat Valley
CW: Animal cruelty. In South Korea, dog meat is a controversial delicacy. The farming of dogs for meat is largely unregulated, and animals are kept in horrendous conditions. Activists Nami Kim and Nina Jackel are on a personal mission to stop the slaughter. But to expose their enemies, they'll need to gather the right intelligence - and put their own safety on the line. Vanessa Kirby tells a story of courage in the face of cruelty. Could YOU defend the defenceless? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Produced by Mariana Des Forges. Music by Nick Ryan.
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. Could YOU take back control? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
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. How far would YOU go for the truth? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Vera Atkins was voiced by Clare Wille. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
Codename: Madeleine
Vanessa Kirby lands in Nazi-occupied France with Noor Inayat Khan, the Allied spy who risked her life to aid the Resistance. Armed with a wireless radio, Noor relayed vital intelligence to the British Special Operations Executive, right under the nose of Hitler's secret police. The average life expectancy of a radio operator was just 6 weeks. Could YOU beat the odds? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. Featuring Radhika Apte as Noor Inayat Khan. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
Sister 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. Now in their 90s, they reveal their hidden hands in planning D-Day, aiding the Resistance, and cracking the Enigma code. Tune in to True Spies to hear their story. Would YOU have the skills to make a difference? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Mariana Des Forges. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Limping Lady
Vanessa Kirby goes behind enemy lines with Virginia Hall, one of the bravest Allied heroines of WWII. As part of ‘Churchill's Secret Army’, Virginia was sent into occupied France to organize resistance efforts and disrupt Nazi plans ‘by any means necessary’. As the Germans closed in, betrayal was a constant threat. Would YOU know who to trust? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. Featuring Sarah Megan Thomas as Virginia Hall. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
Blinking Red
CIA analyst Gina Bennett shows Vanessa Kirby the origins of America's most infamous enemy. Throughout the 1990s, Osama bin Laden launched a series of attacks on American interests at home and abroad. Operating in the man's world of counter-terrorism, Gina had to fight to have the threat he posed taken seriously. Would YOU trust your gut? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Tim Mansel. Music by Nick Ryan.
Exit Strategy
CIA analyst Sarah Carlson drops Vanessa Kirby into the pressure-cooker of post-revolutionary Libya. In 2011, the Arab Spring swept Colonel Gaddafi from office, leaving a deadly power vacuum. Three years later, civil war engulfed the nation. Under a hail of rocket fire, Sarah had to figure out a way to extract 150 American personnel from the carnage. Could YOU get them to safety? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Claire Crofton. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Targeter
Former CIA targeting officer Nada Bakos takes Vanessa Kirby on the controversial hunt for one of the Iraq War's deadliest terrorists. Abu Musab Al-Zaqarwi was a two-bit criminal until the US government named him as one the world's most dangerous insurgents. His presence in Iraq was part of the justification for the invasion - but did the facts stack up? It was Nada's job to find out. Could YOU find out the truth? From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Joe Foley. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Spy Who Said No
Hayley Atwell meets ex-spy Katherine Gun and journalist Martin Bright, who tried to derail the course of history. On the brink of the Iraq War, Katherine leaked a top-secret memo which exposed a US plot to secure support for the invasion through blackmail. Would YOU have done the same? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Louise Clarke-Rowbotham. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Survivor
Hayley Atwell meets Marthe Cohn, the brave 100-year-old French spy who stole Nazi secrets during WWII. Disguised as a German nurse, Marthe fed top-secret information to the Resistance from behind enemy lines, right under the nose of the deadly SS. What would YOU do? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Mariana Des Forges. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Art Of Disguise
Hayley Atwell explains how an effective disguise can save your life, with former CIA Head Of Disguise Jonna Mendez. On a mission to bring in a notorious terrorist on foreign soil, Jonna found herself face to face with him, and he seemed to be onto her. What would YOU do? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by David Waters. Music by Nick Ryan.
The Rookie And Bin Laden
Hayley Atwell shares what went on during 9/11 inside The Vault, the CIA's top secret bunker, with Tracy Walder, a rookie operative who was there. 9/11 was only the second day of Tracy's first real CIA assignment, and she was tasked with hunting the world's most wanted terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, with President George W Bush looking on. What would YOU do? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Producer: David Waters. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Music by Nick Ryan.
Fair Game?
Hayley Atwell details a deadly conflict between espionage and politics with former CIA agent Valerie Plame. Valerie was outed in the press as an undercover agent when someone close to her challenged the government's line on Weapons Of Mass Destruction, placing her family and contacts in grave danger. What would YOU do? From SPYSCAPE, the headquarters of all things spy. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Music by Nick Ryan.
Fair Game?
The Rookie And Bin Laden
The Art Of Disguise
The Survivor
The Spy Who Said No
The Targeter
Exit Strategy
Blinking Red
The Limping Lady
Sister Spies
Codename: Madeleine
Seven Female Spies
Surviving NXIVM
Mission in the Dog Meat Valley
The Philadelphia Wire
Spy Sisters: Teaser
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.
