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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

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes401Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureTrue CrimeDocumentary

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Artwork for True Spies: Espionage

Latest Episodes

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

Content Warning: This episode contains sex references.

In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's espionage capitals.

In Berlin, we'll meet a 19th century innovator in pol... more

In the desert of Southern Afghanistan, CIA Case Officer Douglas Laux is on the hunt. He's traced a number of deadly IED attacks to a shadowy figure with ties to the Taliban. In this classic episode of True Spies, his mission is to bring him down befo... more

True Spies producer Joe Foley speaks to Ralf Little and David Eldridge - the star and writer of the stage version of John Le Carré's The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, currently touring the UK.

They talk about bringing Le Carre’s world to life, the ... 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.

Recent Guests

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
Sean Wiswesser
Former CIA officer, author of Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks
Naval Institute Press
Episode: True Spies Debrief: Sean Wiswesser on Russian Intelligence Strategy
Steve Chow
Investigative reporter focusing on China and the Uyghur issue
CTV (Canadian television)
Episode: Brief Histories: Spy Cities - Beijing

Host

Rhiannon Neads
Host of True Spies

Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars from 5.7k ratings
  • Fictional conversations

    Of imagined meetigs and rumored motivations conveyrd by voice actors.

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Bandboxxer
    United States4 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 States4 months ago
  • Great material

    Spoiled by the narrator's breathless delivery

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Bandboxxer
    United States5 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
  • Great!

    An excellent podcast! Not stories in and of themselves fascinating, but I have also learned so much about important points in history. Well worth the listen!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    SMO80
    Canada8 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
#243
United States/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#120
United Kingdom/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#195
Canada/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#186
Australia/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#211
France/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#212
Germany/True Crime

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
True Spies Debrief: Robert Hannigan on Work at Bletchley Park
Q: What sort of aptitude are you referring to?
I discovered that actually everyone loves puzzles, which suggests a general aptitude for puzzle-solving work common in intelligence.

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

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Which podcasts are similar to True Spies: Espionage?

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

1. SpyCast
2. SPYCRAFT 101
3. Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs
4. The Spy Who
5. Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

How many episodes of True Spies: Espionage are there?

True Spies: Espionage launched 6 years ago and published 401 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on True Spies: Espionage?

Recent guests on True Spies: Espionage include:

1. Stephen Long
2. Dave Butler
3. Douglas Laux
4. Ralf Little
5. David Eldridge
6. Jeffrey James Higgins
7. Rolf Mowatt-Larssen
8. Sean Wiswesser

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.

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