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Real agents from the FBI share the incredible stories of their greatest missions with Vanessa Kirby and Hayley Atwell.
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Real Spies, Real Stories
THE TARGETER
Nada Bakos takes Vanessa Kirby on the controversial hunt for one of the Iraq War's deadliest terrorists. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 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? As one of the CIA's senior targeting officers, it was Nada's job to find out. Could YOU find out the truth?
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THE REAL BLACK KLANSMAN
Vanessa Kirby meets Ron Stallworth, the black Colorado cop who fooled the USA's most notorious racists. In 1979, Ron and a white colleague infiltrated a local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. Posing as two sides of the same alter-ego, they led a double-pronged attack on the group, even gaining the trust of the Klan's leader, David Duke. Could YOU take that risk?
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BLACKBIRD
Colonel Buz Carpenter puts Vanessa Kirby in the cockpit of his legendary SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. In 1979, two Gulf nations were on the brink of war. To negotiate peace, the US needed detailed military intelligence on both sides. Buz shares the amazing (and awkward!) details of his dangerous secret mission to the border between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Could YOU match his nerve?
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N IS FOR NOVICHOK
Vanessa Kirby gets Christo Grozev, a modern Sherlock Holmes, to share the secrets of how he solved one of the most notorious assassination attempts of the 21st century - the poisoning of retired Russian double-agent Sergei Skripal, hospitalized by a mysterious nerve agent on British soil. Would YOU have the skills to do the same?
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THE MAN FROM THE GETTY
Vanessa Kirby and Charles Hill share the inside story of an iconic art theft. Hill went undercover to retrieve ‘The Scream' by Edvard Munch after it was stolen from Norway’s National Gallery. Posing as an agent for the Getty Museum, Charles drew the dangerous thieves out of the shadows. What would YOU do in Charles's position?
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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?
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THE SURVIVOR
Hayley Atwell meets Marthe Cohn, the brave 100-year-old French spy who, posing as a German nurse, fed German secrets to the Allies during WWII. Operating behind enemy lines, under the nose of the Nazis, her courage and cunning saved countless lives. Could you be so brave?
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THE BILLION-DOLLAR SPY
Hayley Atwell tells the story of how Soviet engineer Adolph Tolkachev became one of the Cold War's most prolific turncoats. For nearly a decade, CIA Operations Officer David Rolph was tasked with keeping the information flowing, right under the nose of the KGB. What would YOU do in David's position?
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Joana Vasconcelos: War Games
For the Portuguese artist and sculptor, Joana Vasconcelos, a troubling inheritance of deceit lay lurking in wait in her late grandparents’ apartment. Here, she and host Alice Loxton discuss the dark journey that her discovery sent her on – and the powerful work of art it inspired.
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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
THE PURPLE BATHROBE
Hayley Atwell tells the story of the capture of Mexican drug lord El Chapo, with former FBI undercover agent Michael McGowan. To trap this murderous gangster, Michael had to convince him that he was in the same business. What would you do in Michael's position?
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UNDERCOVER JIHADI
Hayley Atwell relates the story of Mubin Shaikh, a Muslim extremist who became a spy for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Undercover as a member of the terrorist group that would be known as the Toronto 18, Mubin was told that his cover was blown.
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SHADOW GAMES
Hayley Atwell shares the secrets of an elite clandestine unit, Special Forces Berlin, with the help of former operative James Stejskal. Stationed in West Berlin but deployed wherever their skills were needed, they found themselves at the centre of the Tehran Hostage Crisis, but no-one could know they were there. What would you do in their position?
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TRUE NARCOS
DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy helped locate and capture Pablo Escobar, the most infamous ‘narco’ in history. Escobar's cartel terrorized Colombia and shipped cocaine worth tens of billions of dollars to the USA. As easily identifiable 'gringos', Peña and Murphy were in constant danger in Colombia. What would you do in their position?
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THE ART OF DISGUISE
Jonna Mendez was chief of disguise at the CIA’s Office of Technical Service. During decades of undercover service, Mendez fabricated highly deceptive disguises for agents and colleagues in some of the world’s most hostile locations. What would you do in Jonna’s position?
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THE ROOKIE AND BIN LADEN
Tracy Walder was a CIA officer in the Counterterrorism Center, assuming aliases and pursuing terrorists in the aftermath of 9/11. After her role at the CIA, Tracy became a Special Agent at the FBI, specializing in Chinese counterintelligence operations. What would you do in Tracy’s position?
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THE SPYCATCHER
As former Deputy Director of the Office of Counterintelligence, Robert Booth was tasked with investigating individuals within the department who were recruited as spies for foreign governments. What would YOU do in Robert’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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FAIR GAME?
The identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame was leaked during President George W. Bush’s administration. Overnight, the operations she had worked on, searching out intelligence on weapons of mass destruction, were put at risk. What would YOU do in Valerie’s position?
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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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OPERATION BROTHERS
Former Mossad operative Gad Shimron ran a fake diving resort on the Red Sea to rescue Ethiopian refugees. The operation involved arrest and interrogation, running roadblocks, and a gunfight at sea, all to save the lives of others. What would YOU do in Gad’s position?
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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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPIDSODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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 HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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 HOMEPAGE
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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EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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
True FBI Spy Missions: Teaser
Hayley Atwell and Vanessa Kirby narrate true stories from the incredible operatives behind the Central Intelligence Agency'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.
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EPISODE 14
MAKING JACK FALCONE
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 bravery and brutality in the shadow of the Big Apple.
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EPISODE 13
THE REAL SOPRANOS
FBI agent Giovanni Rocco grew up playing in the back yards of New Jersey's criminal class. As an adult, he went undercover to take them down. Vanessa Kirby follows Giovanni's descent into the violent world that inspired HBO's hit series, The Sopranos. Could YOU meet the Family - and live?
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EPISODE 12
THE CODE CLERK
In Atlanta, a woman is found murdered. The suspect? An employee of a hostile embassy, responsible for monitoring secret communications. He's also a spy, recruited by the FBI. Now he's on the run, and the pressure is on for the Bureau to bring him in before his own side take him out. Vanessa Kirby joins former assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi on a manhunt with international implications. Could you beat the clock?
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EPISODE 11
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.
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EPISODE 10
A SPY AMONGST SKINHEADS
It's the early '90s, and the USA is still reeling from the L.A. race riots. A paranoid far right are preparing for all-out war. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Mike German is the picture-perfect neo-Nazi. But in reality, he's working undercover, infiltrating a cell of violent white supremacists for the FBI. Vanessa Kirby joins Mike in the belly of the beast.
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EPISODE 9
THE ARMAGEDDON PAPERS
What secrets do you give away with the twitch of an eyelid - the tap of a finger? Joe Navarro knows. As an FBI agent, he developed an innate gift for reading body language. But when Joe came up against hyper-intelligent US traitor Rod Ramsay, those skills were put to the test. The consequences of failure? Nuclear. Vanessa Kirby enters a world of lies and misdirection.
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EPISODE 8
OPERATION: BULLWINKLE
Robert Wittman was a special kind of Special Agent. During his long career with the FBI, he went undercover to retrieve millions of dollars worth of stolen art. When a priceless Rembrandt was stolen from Sweden's National Gallery, Robert descended into Europe's criminal underworld to get it back. Vanessa Kirby narrates a high-stakes hunt for a truly unique prize.
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EPISODE 7
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.
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EPISODE 6
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.
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EPISODE 5
INSIDE NAMBLA
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 explores the chilling story of Bob's descent into the twisted world of NAMBLA - an organization dedicated to enabling child sex abuse.
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Episode 4
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?
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Episode 3
THE PURPLE BATHROBE
Hayley Atwell tells the story of the capture of Mexican druglord El Chapo, with former FBI undercover agent Michael McGowan. To trap this murderous gangster, Michael had to convince him that he was in the same business. What would YOU do in Michael's position?
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Episode 2
The SPYCATCHER
As former Deputy Director of the Office of Counterintelligence, Robert Booth was tasked with investigating individuals within the department who were recruited as spies for foreign governments. What would YOU do in Robert’s position?
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Episode 1
GRAY SUIT & THE GHOST
Young FBI agent Eric O'Neill was plucked from his surveillance unit and assigned to spy on a dangerous suspected spy. He worked directly for senior FBI counterintelligence officer Robert Hanssen, who was believed to be the worst spy in American history - spying for Russia for 22 years. What would YOU do in Eric’s position?
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Episode 1
GRAY SUIT & THE GHOST
Episode 2
The SPYCATCHER
Episode 3
THE PURPLE BATHROBE
Episode 4
BURGERS AND SPIES
EPISODE 5
INSIDE NAMBLA
EPISODE 6
THE PROFILER
EPISODE 7
THE SPY IN THE CORNFIELD
EPISODE 8
OPERATION: BULLWINKLE
EPISODE 9
THE ARMAGEDDON PAPERS
EPISODE 10
A SPY AMONGST SKINHEADS
EPISODE 11
The Philadelphia Wire
EPISODE 12
THE CODE CLERK
EPISODE 13
THE REAL SOPRANOS
EPISODE 14
MAKING JACK FALCONE
True FBI Spy Missions: Teaser

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