Rephonic
Artwork for True Spies: Espionage

True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

SPYSCAPE
CIA
Espionage
World War II
Cold War
KGB
FBI
Al-Qaeda
MI6
Soviet Union
Nazi Germany
Russia
War On Terror
MI5
Counterintelligence
Ukraine
Kim Philby
Spanish Civil War
D-Day
Osama Bin Laden
British Intelligence

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 i... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes405Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
True CrimeDocumentarySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for True Spies: Espionage

Latest Episodes

In September of 1943, thousands of British servicemen were being held in Italian PoW camps. When Mussolini fell, many stayed put, hoping to be liberated by an Allied advance. But others took their fates in to their own hands - melting into the Ital... more

Betrayal. It's an important theme in spy fiction. But Steve Chao, investigative journalist, has seen it up close - and the price of betrayal is all too real. In this classic episode of True Spies from 2021, Vanessa Kirby joins Steve as he meets a rel... more

Beginning with the invasion by Mussolini's army in October 1940, Greece was pulled into the Second World War and with it came a band of archeologists, classicists, and intellectuals who risked their lives to protect the country's great antiquities. W... more

As the Iron Curtain descends across Eastern Europe, the West is determined to roll back the march of Communism - starting with Albania.

Historian Stephen Long is your guide to Operation BGFiend/Valuable - the joint MI6-CIA operation that laid the g... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Steve Chao
Investigative journalist and filmmaker
Self/Independent
Episode: True Spies Classic: The Destroyed Man | Investigation
Stephen Talty
Author of The American School of Spies
Author, The American School of Spies
Episode: True Spies Debrief: Stephan Talty on The American School of Spies
Stephen Long
Author and assistant professor discussing post-war espionage in Albania
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Episode: Bitter Fruit and Black Ops | CIA/MI6
Dave Butler
Former British Army officer, Bricksmas unit spokesperson
British Army
Episode: Brief Histories: Spy Cities - Berlin
Douglas Laux
Former CIA case officer
Central Intelligence Agency
Episode: True Spies Classic: Hunting The Wolverine | CIA
Ralf Little
Actor playing Alec Lemus in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (stage adaptation)
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (theatre production)
Episode: True Spies Debrief: Ralf Little and David Eldridge on Staging Le Carré
David Eldridge
Playwright and adaptor of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold for the stage
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (theatre adaptation)
Episode: True Spies Debrief: Ralf Little and David Eldridge on Staging Le Carré
Jeffrey James Higgins
Retired supervisory special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration; thriller writer
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Episode: An Extremely Violent Year | DEA
Rolf Mowatt-Larssen
Former CIA official; Deputy Chief of the CIA's Moscow Station during the 1993 crisis
Central Intelligence Agency
Episode: True Spies Classic: New Russia, New Rules | CIA

Host

Rhiannon Neads
Host of True Spies

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 5.7k ratings
  • Doug

    Excellent podcast, Doug is a very good storyteller and an honest character. His relaying of tales in Afghanistan was so interesting, im looking forward to reading his book. Cheers, Lulu

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rowan blackadder
    New Zealanda month ago
  • Fictional conversations

    Of imagined meetigs and rumored motivations conveyrd by voice actors.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Bandboxxer
    United States5 months ago
  • Great, but…

    This is a great podcast, but there’s WAY too much paywall if you want to have a good experience with it.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    personofsmartositt
    United States5 months ago
  • Great material

    Spoiled by the narrator's breathless delivery

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Bandboxxer
    United States6 months ago
  • Typical

    Is it any surprise that these British presenters gloss over the many failings of MI5? There are plenty of stories of shady dealings, yet they never seem to focus on any of those and instead they are always portrayed as the ethically superior superhero characters on the side in every story they make an appearance in (laughable).

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Original_Owl
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise production quality and host voices.
Mixed feedback on pacing and perceived bias in certain episodes.
Many find the content genuinely informative and engaging.
Some listeners dislike ads and paywalls.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#238
United States/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#176
United Kingdom/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#204
Canada/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#223
Australia/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#242
Germany/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#55
Argentina/True Crime

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

True Spies Debrief: Stephan Talty on The American School of Spies
Q: Stephen, how did you come across this story and what drew you to it?
I was drawn by the human drama—the way dedicated archaeologists and scholars became unlikely spies, risking everything to save Greece's ancient treasures and, in doing so, preserve a sense of national and cultural identity.
True Spies Classic: Hunting The Wolverine | CIA
Q: What motivated his move to Afghanistan and his decision to learn Pashto?
He desired to operate in the most challenging environments, saw language mastery as a force multiplier, and believed it would keep him alive while enabling deeper undercover work.
True Spies Classic: Hunting The Wolverine | CIA
Q: Why did Douglas choose to become this warzone case officer?
He describes the 9/11 attacks as a pivotal moment that reshaped his ambitions, pushing him toward a life of high-stakes national service and covert operations.
True Spies Debrief: Sean Wiswesser on Russian Intelligence Strategy
Q: Why take on this project now after retirement?
Sean Wiswesser explains the book aims to share knowledge about the Russian services in an accessible way, leveraging his decades of experience and careful CIA clearance to ensure content is non-classified while providing practical insights for students and policymakers.
True Spies Debrief: Robert Hannigan on Work at Bletchley Park
Q: So why would you say that so many neurodiverse candidates ended up working there?
It was about getting the best people for the job regardless of personal eccentricities; they set tests based on puzzle-solving abilities without focusing on conformity.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About True Spies: Espionage

What is True Spies: Espionage about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A tight focus on real-world espionage, intelligence operations, and crime investigation, with historians, former officers, journalists, and analysts sharing insider perspectives. Episodes blend archival lore, field reporting, and high-stakes case studies—from Cold War intrigue and covert operations to modern cyber-enabled surveillance and private security challenges—often anchored by host-led interviews that unpack ethics, risk, and tradecraft. The show tends to highlight governance, global power dynamics, and the human dimensions of secrecy, making complex topics approachable for listeners who enjoy thorough context and narrative storytelling. A notable strength is its wide geographic scope and the mix of public-history analysis with conte... more

Where can I find podcast stats for True Spies: Espionage?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for True Spies: Espionage. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to True Spies: Espionage and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does True Spies: Espionage get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for three million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for True Spies: Espionage, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for True Spies: Espionage?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for True Spies: Espionage, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does True Spies: Espionage have?

To see how many followers or subscribers True Spies: Espionage has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to True Spies: Espionage?

These podcasts share a similar audience with True Spies: Espionage:

1. SpyCast
2. The Spy Who
3. Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs
4. SPYCRAFT 101
5. I Spy

How many episodes of True Spies: Espionage are there?

True Spies: Espionage launched 6 years ago and published 405 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact True Spies: Espionage?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for True Spies: Espionage?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for True Spies: Espionage from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for True Spies: Espionage?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of True Spies: Espionage. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on True Spies: Espionage?

Recent guests on True Spies: Espionage include:

1. Steve Chao
2. Stephen Talty
3. Stephen Long
4. Dave Butler
5. Douglas Laux
6. Ralf Little
7. David Eldridge
8. Jeffrey James Higgins

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days