Podcast
With Rory Bremner
Major Hollywood storytellers and top international spies break down what we see on screen, to separate the fact from the fiction and shine a light on extraordinary characters and skills. Hosted by Rory Bremner.
Listen Now
Subscribe
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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’.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
LISTEN NOW
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.)
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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?
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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’.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
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
Spying Game: Teaser
Major Hollywood storytellers and top international spies join host Rory Bremner to break down what we see on screen, to separate the fact from the fiction and shine a light on extraordinary characters and skills.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
Episode 9
The Real Americans
Joe Weisberg, the Emmy Award-winning creator of The Americans and a former CIA operative, meets Jack Barsky, who was a genuine Soviet "Illegal" operating undercover inside the United States. Host Rory Bremner hears about the amazing real-life inspiration for The Americans, why Joe’s life as an agent was cut short and what happened to Jack when the FBI moved in next door.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 8
Hiding In Plain Sight
Philippe Sands, leading international law and human rights barrister, Professor of Law at UCL and presenter of The Ratline, is joined by Dave Butler BEM, a former British spy active in Berlin during the Cold War. In an episode that covers Nazi plots, the redrawing of boundaries and incursions over enemy lines, we also hear from the Spymaster himself, David John Moore Cornwell, AKA John le Carré, thanks to archive audio recorded by his neighbour Philippe.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 7
The Enemy Within
The American Spy author Lauren Wilkinson, hailed by none other than President Obama, talks to former Jihad supporter turned undercover Canadian counterterrorism operative Mubin Shaikh. Host Rory Bremner hears about everything from how to foil a terrorist plot and AK-47 envy to the moment you realize you’ve made a terrible error of judgment.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 6
The Bodyguard: How to Protect the Lives That Matter
Former presidential close protection officer and medal of valor recipient Evy Poumpouras is joined by Jed Mercurio the man behind Line of Duty, Bodyguard, Trigger Point and Bloodlands. Rory Bremner hosts a deep dive into the reality behind protecting high-profile targets, from mind games and meticulous planning through to the importance of how to get off the ‘X’.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 5
Double Agents in the Middle East
Nadav Schirman is the multi-award-winning filmmaker behind The Green Prince, The Champagne Spy and April 7, 1980. She is joined by the former Mossad agent Gad Shimron who was part of Operation Moses, otherwise known as The Red Sea Diving Resort plot, which led to the rescue of thousands of Ethiopian Jews via Sudan. Presenter Rory Bremner hears about the psychology behind human intelligence and gets a crash course in the powers of persuasion. 
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 4
Sex and Special Agents
Former clandestine CIA operative Amaryllis Fox and screenwriter, producer, and director Simon Kinberg, the man behind The 355, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and the Sherlock and the X-Men franchise, talk about gender representation in spy fiction. They also discuss the real-life pitfalls of sex and special agents. Host Rory Bremner hears about what motivates spies to do their work, where to smuggle audio recordings, and what it is really like working with Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Jessica Chastain.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 3
From Russia with... Love?
The Spy and the Traitor author Ben Macintyre meets former Russian FSB officer turned whistle-blower Janosh Neumann to discuss the truth behind the Cold War spies and life inside Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In an episode recorded before the crisis in Ukraine, host Rory Bremner hears about everything from nuclear secrets hidden in a suburban shed and the Salisbury poisonings, to life-or-death escapes over international borders.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 2
Hooray for Hollywood
How closely do the silver screen and the spying game overlap? Alistair Petrie, star of Deep State, Star Wars Rogue One, The Mark of Cain, and The Night Manager, meets former field agent and CIA chief of disguise Jonna Mendez. Presenter Rory Bremner hears it all, from Jonna’s recollections of the real Argo operation, to the spy tactics used to protect props on Star Wars and how The Planet of the Apes helped the CIA go full Ethan Hunt. 
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Episode 1
A Question of Deception
Ben Macintyre - author of Operation Mincemeat - meets former British Intelligence Operative Julian Fisher as they unpack the real story behind the Netflix movie Operation Mincemeat, starring Colin Firth. Presenter Rory Bremner uncovers a world of daring do, bluff, and bluster which featured some of the biggest names in spy history including an early outing for James Bond author Ian Fleming. 
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Preview Episode
Anthony Horowitz & Shawnee Delaney
Alex Rider, James Bond and Sherlock Holmes author Anthony Horowitz meets former DIA Intelligence Officer Shawnee Delaney. Rory Bremner presents.
Share with WhatsappShare with FacebookShare with Twitter
EPISODE HOMEPAGE
Preview Episode
Anthony Horowitz & Shawnee Delaney
Episode 1
A Question of Deception
Released May 11, 2022
Episode 2
Hooray for Hollywood
Released May 18th
Episode 3
From Russia with... Love?
Released May 25th
Episode 4
Sex and Special Agents
Released June 1
Episode 5
Double Agents in the Middle East
Episode 6
The Bodyguard: How to Protect the Lives That Matter
Episode 7
The Enemy Within
Episode 8
Hiding In Plain Sight
Episode 9
The Real Americans
www.spyscape.com/podcast/the-real-americans
Spying Game: Teaser

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.

Shop Now

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!

dISCOVER Your Spy SKILLS

* Find more information about the scientific methods behind the evaluation here.