

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

Oct 9, 2023 • 43min
Beware the Men in Suits, Part 1: Stray Dogs | Investigation
A police officer's mission to bring justice for a fallen colleague leads to an epic journey. The aftermath of the shooting at the Libyan Embassy sparks espionage, betrayal, and a cover-up by politicians. A tense encounter in Libya adds to the danger and intrigue.

Oct 2, 2023 • 46min
The Unwanted Spy
A former CIA officer shares his experiences of discrimination within the agency and his wrongful conviction for violating the Espionage Act. He discusses challenges faced during trial, misuses of the Espionage Act, and his determination to prove his worth. The chapter also covers his involvement in covert operations, filing a discrimination lawsuit, and frustration over an unsolved murder investigation.

Sep 25, 2023 • 48min
Terror On The Line | CIA
It's 2007, and Iraq is in a state of chaos. Factions of armed insurgents clash with Coalition forces, and the USA is looking for an exit strategy. 32 year-old Egyptian-American CIA officer Joseph Assad is a new face in Baghdad's Green Zone. He's got an idea that could help to end the slaughter - one so crazy, it just might work.Daisy Ridley joins Joseph as he tells his story publicly for the very first time in a True Spies exclusive.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Ashley Clivery. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 18, 2023 • 40min
The Impeccable Spy | WW2
For a womanizing Soviet spy, wartime Tokyo is both playground and prison. Surrounded by the enemy, he's got to keep his wits about him - and with an increasingly paranoid leader in the Kremlin, the line between friend and foe is thin indeed.Daisy Ridley joins author Owen Matthews to tell the story of one the USSR's most formidable spies - Richard Sorge. A Communist true-believer, he provided crucial intelligence to Moscow before and during World War 2. But for Stalin's top spies, loyalty comes with no guarantee of reward...From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 11, 2023 • 40min
The Alphabet Boys | CIA
When an informant leaks the location of an arms deal between a Romanian-American fixer and a Colombian rebel group, the DEA come down hard on both parties. But in a world of double-dealing, secrets and lies, is anyone truly who they say they are?Daisy Ridley joins investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson to tell the story of Flaviu Georgescu - who claims that he was working undercover for the CIA when he was arrested by federal law enforcement. Could the US government be creating the criminals they're supposed to catch?From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Matthew Nelson. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 4, 2023 • 39min
The Gehlen Organization, Part 2: Peter and Paul | Historical
In this two-part special, True Spies tells the story of a clandestine German intelligence network that sprang from the ashes of the Third Reich. Led by former Nazi Reinhardt Gehlen, the group was sponsored by the USA to fight Communism in post-war Europe.In Part 2, the cracks start to appear in the Gehlen Organization as the Cold War freezes over. Daisy Ridley and Professor Norman Goda unpack a tale of incompetence, double dealing and subterfuge.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 28, 2023 • 40min
The Gehlen Organization, Part 1: Doctor Schneider | Historical
In this two-part special, True Spies tells the story of a clandestine German intelligence network that sprang from the ashes of the Third Reich. Led by former Nazi Reinhardt Gehlen, the group was sponsored by the USA to fight Communism in post-war Europe.In Part 1, Daisy Ridley joins historians Norman Goda and Gerald Steinacher to reveal the beginnings of the American government's shocking co-operation with those who it had defeated only months before.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Max Bower. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 21, 2023 • 43min
Beneath the Orange Rain | R&AW, India
The year is 1971, and deep in the marshy mangrove forests of East Pakistan, a crack team of Bangladeshi commandos move silently through the Ganges Delta.Backed by the recently-formed Indian secret service, they're on a mission that will strike a crippling blow against their enemies. A mission that could help to decide the future of a nation.Daisy Ridley joins authors and screenwriters Anusha Nandakumar and Sandeep Saket to reveal the details of a daring sabotage operation in the lead-up to the Third Indo-Pakistani War.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Frank Palmer. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 14, 2023 • 39min
The Compassionate Spy | Historical
For teenage genius Ted Hall, the opportunity to work alongside the great minds of his time was too great to turn down. But during his time on the Manhattan Project - the WW2 nuclear development program headed by J. Robert Oppenheimer - Ted grew uneasy about the world-shattering power he had helped to unleash.In this episode of True Spies, documentarian Steve James joins Daisy Ridley to tell Hall's story - the life of a man who spied, not for personal gain, but out of compassion for the world and its peoples.A Compassionate Spy, Steve Jones' documentary film about Ted Hall, is out now in US cinemas. A UK release is to be announced.From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Matthew Nelson. Music by Nick Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 7, 2023 • 41min
Dancing With Jackals, Part Two: The Vanishing of Bruno Breguet | CIA
It's the 1980s, and Bruno Breguet is one of international super-terrorist Carlos the Jackal's most trusted operatives. But in a paranoid world of violence and subterfuge, what is loyalty really worth?In this 2-part True Spies story, intelligence historian Adrian Hänni joins Daisy Ridley to uncover the life of a little-known, but fascinating figure.In Part 2, the strength of Breguet's revolutionary ideals come up against the mercenary reality of the Jackal's world - and is found wanting. Gunplay in Paris, a lavish semi-retirement in Syria and an unlikely new paymaster pave the road to a final, deadly riddle.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


