True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics
SPYSCAPE
True Spies takes you inside the world's greatest espionage and detective operations. Our hosts Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, Sophia Di Martino, Daisy Ridley and Rhiannon Neads talk to the real spies behind the missions. What do they know? What are their skills? And what would you do in their position? We explore and investigate real life thrillers, mysteries and crimes - stories that prove truth is stranger than fiction! These stories cover lies, murder, theft, sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll. You’ll meet experts from the top intelligence agencies including FBI, CIA, MI5, MI6 (SIS), KGB, GRU, Mossad and many others. You’ll discover characters who spied because of money, ideology, coercion or just plain old ego. And, if you’d like to dig deeper into the world of secrets, and test your own secret intelligence skills, head over to spyscape.com for articles, games, experiences, puzzles and videos.For episodes first and ad-free, subscribe to Spyscape+ at: plus.Spyscape.comA Cup & Nuzzle production. Series producers: Gemma Newby, Joe Foley. Music: Nick Ryan.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 24, 2026 • 1h 3min
The Family Affair | WW2
Christine Kuehn grew up believing that she was part of an ordinary, patriotic American family. But in 1994, a surprising letter revealed a darker side to her ancestry; a story that began in Nazi Germany.
Christine and her husband, Mark Schiponi, spent 30 years unraveling the truth - an emotional journey that brought her face to face with one of the most famous and tragic disasters in American history.
From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 17, 2026 • 49min
True Spies Classic: The Mouse at Pearl Harbor | WW2
A single spy can change the course of history - for better, or for worse.
In this Classic episode of True Spies, you'll meet one of them - Takeo Yoshikawa.
Stationed in Honolulu, Yoshikawa's intelligence was used by the Japanese to launch a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
The massacre brought the USA in to WW2, and ultimately led to Japan's crushing defeat. He shares his unsettling story with Vanessa Kirby.
From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Takeo Yoshikawa is voiced by Eiji Mihara. Series producer: Gemma Newby. Produced by Morgan Childs. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 10, 2026 • 37min
True Spies Debrief: Terry Stiastny on Britain's WW2 Propaganda Machine
Terry Stiastny, award winning author and journalist, takes on a deep dive into the world of the British wartime propaganda machine.
The ragtag group convened with one shared purpose: to create and distribute "believable lies" that would undermine the enemy morale at a vital time in history. The British propaganda vehicle known as the Political Warfare Executive used a network of radio stations to broadcast fake news across Europe.
From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
8 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 27min
Brief Histories: Spy Cities - London
A brisk tour of London as an espionage hub, from a foiled early-modern terror plot and controversial interrogations to literary influence campaigns in the 1700s. Private clubs are revealed as intelligence networks where Cold War moles mixed with elites. Modern chapters explore oligarchs buying influence, unusual property plays, and present-day security risks to the city.
Mar 3, 2026 • 47min
Cold SNAP | CIA
High in the Himalayan mountains, a team of climbers are attempting to plant a device that will give them eyes on a growing threat. But they'll leave behind more than they bargained for.
In this shocking episode, Investigative reporter Jeffrey Gettleman is your guide to a tale of high altitude and higher stakes in the 1960s - and one that still resounds in the present.
From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Joe Foley.
Presented with thanks to the Jeffrey Gettleman and the New York Times for their original reporting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 24, 2026 • 44min
True Spies Classic: Sister Spies | WW2
In this classic episode of True 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. 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.
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 17, 2026 • 33min
True Spies Debrief: Robert Hannigan on Work at Bletchley Park
Robert Hannigan, former GCHQ director and founder of the National Cyber Security Centre, reflects on Bletchley Park’s culture and creative problem solving. He explores how playful social life and diverse, often neurodiverse talent powered breakthroughs. He contrasts leadership styles, recruitment serendipity, and the need for agencies to anticipate tech misuse.
Feb 10, 2026 • 1h 6min
The Importance of Being Ernest | Historical
Thomas Maier, investigative journalist and author of The Invisible Spy, digs into Ernest Cuneo, a shadowy White House fixer tied to British intelligence. He recounts Times Square intrigue, Bermuda mail interceptions, covert operations from Rockefeller Center, media manipulation with fake polls and broadcasts, and Cuneo’s quiet influence on wartime intelligence and policy.
Feb 3, 2026 • 39min
True Spies Classic: The Boiling Frog | CIA
Jack Devine, a former senior CIA operations officer who ran major Cold War covert programs, recounts his first overseas post in 1971 Chile. He describes working to bolster opposition media and politics. Short scenes show how small interventions fueled mass protests, the buildup to Sept 11, 1973, and a rushed family evacuation amid tanks and air strikes.
Jan 27, 2026 • 44min
True Spies Debrief: Gordon Corera on Vasili Mitrokhin
Gordon Corera, veteran security journalist and co-host of The Rest is Classified, joins Morgan Childs to discuss the central figure in his latest book - Vasili Mitrokhin.
Mitrokhin was a KGB archivist who defected to the West in 1992, bringing with him a trove of Russian secrets.
From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs.
Gordon Corera is the author of The Spy in the Archive: How One Man Tried to Kill the KGB. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
