Episodes
Not many people can say they helped dismantle the most dangerous nuclear weapons network in history. Then again, not everyone is former CIA operative, Jim Lawler. Jim speaks to Raza Jaffrey about his CIA career (that almost wasn’t), bringing A.Q. Khan’s nuclear network to its knees, and whether he thinks a similar Khan-level threat is lurking in the shadows...See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
With A.Q. Khan now fully rogue and his network working to fast-track Libya’s nuclear weapons program, the CIA and MI6 need to find a way to shut his network down permanently.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dr. A.Q. Khan is making millions selling nuclear secrets but when he decides to sell the nuclear bomb to Libya’s renegade ruler Colonel Gaddafi, the CIA and MI6 realise they need to act against Pakistan’s real-life Dr. Strangelove.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
At a secure lab in Amsterdam, scientists are working on tech that can enrich uranium for nuclear bombs. But when India tests a nuke, employee Dr. A.Q. Khan, turns spy to help Pakistan get the bomb too. And soon he’ll spread atomic weapons worldwide.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How did someone so essential in war become so expendable in peace? In conversation with Charlie Higson, historian Clare Mulley explores the extraordinary life of Krystyna Skarbek - a woman more Bond than Bond girl. Together, they unpack her daring wartime exploits, the misogyny that shaped her postwar fate, and the unsettling truth of how a hero of such calibre was denied both the ending and the legacy she deserved.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Frozen out by the Special Operations Executive, Polish countess turned British spy Krystyna Skarbek is now stuck in the Middle East. But she’s determined to get back into the fight against the Nazis, no matter the personal cost.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As the Nazis exert control over Continental Europe, British spy Krystyna Skarbek needs to stay one step ahead of the enemy. But she’s about to discover that the Axis powers aren’t her only problem.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When Hitler invades her beloved homeland, Poland, Countess Krystyna Skarbek signs up to go behind enemy lines as Britain’s first female undercover agent. She outwits the Nazis again and again. Also known by the name Christine Granville, her beauty and daring heroism inspired the character of Vesper Lynd in the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale. But tragedy would see her fade into obscurity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How did one CIA mole tip the scales of power between two superpowers? Investigative journalist Bethany Allen exposes the hidden world of Chinese espionage operations in America - from Larry Chin's decades-long infiltration of the CIA to the sophisticated intelligence network that emerged in its wake. In conversation with Bond author Charlie Higson, Bethany reveals how a single Cold War security breach evolved into a vast system of global influence, and examines the modern landscape of China's espionage capabilities today.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy...
In Washington, D.C., Larry Chin grapples with retirement, but back in Beijing, a new CIA agent is about to set the FBI’s spy hunters on China’s super-spook.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After years of cautious spying, Larry Wu-Tai Chin is about to hit the jackpot. He’s getting a promotion that will give him the inside track on President Richard Nixon’s plan to reset relations with China. But in Beijing, trouble’s brewing for Mao’s undercover agent.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
With Mao Zedong’s communist army about to take China, desperate U.S. officials in Shanghai hire interpreter Larry Wu-Tai Chin. But little do they realise that he’s a spy for Mao and ready to play a long game to give China an edge.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Christopher Boyce was sentenced to 68 years. He was supposed to die behind bars. Instead, in 2002, he walked free after just 23 years - and it was all because of one woman. Lawyer and author Cait Mills Boyce did the impossible. Speaking with Charlie Higson, she exposes how she dismantled a seemingly unbeatable case, the psychological battles she fought, and the shocking truth: she fell for her client. The FBI's most wanted became the man she loved - and later, the man she had to leave. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy...
With drug deals to pay for, Daulton Lee’s desperate to get back into the KGB’s good books. So when Christopher Boyce finds a big new secret to sell, the pair spy an opportunity for one last payday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Christopher Boyce and Daulton Lee’s plan to sell spy satellite secrets to the Soviets is working. But Lee’s also using his role as the courier between Boyce and the KGB to keep the majority of their espionage earnings for himself. But for how long can he get away with it?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
It’s the 1970s. The Vietnam War, Watergate and the oil crisis are stoking turmoil in America. And in southern California two middle-class rebels are about to strike back at ‘The Man’ by selling CIA spy satellite secrets to the USSR.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Long before FBI informant David Rupert set foot in Ireland, a hidden web of espionage was already embedded in the North. In this episode, investigative journalist and author Cara McGoogan looks beyond the headlines to examine the depth of British involvement inside IRA operations. Speaking with Bond novelist Charlie Higson, she unpacks why the agent known as Stakeknife looms so large in a recently released official report - and what the case reveals about a wider culture of collusion, protection, and unchecked power.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Noti...
With the Real IRA accelerating its bombing campaign, FBI-MI5 spy David Rupert is under pressure and about to make a possibly fatal mistake.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As the Real IRA moves to derail Northern Ireland’s fragile peace with bombs, MI5 asks spy trucker David Rupert to get close to its ringleader Michael McKevitt.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
After years of violence, peace is within reach in Northern Ireland. But then a mystery American is seen with IRA hardliners. But is he a friend, foe, or fortune hunter?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This Christmas, we're revisiting one of our favorite spy stories. Each December, a giant tree lights up London’s Trafalgar Square. Behind the custom: 007 author Ian Fleming and a secret mission to Norway. This is the story of how wartime espionage gave Britain its most spectacular festive tradition.The Spy Who will take a short break, and will be back with a brand new season on the 6th of January 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How did the Soviet Union infiltrate so many of Britain’s institutions? Investigative journalist Tim Tate dives into the dark underbelly of British-Soviet relations—uncovering a world where the Kremlin’s influence had already seeped into the heart of Britain’s highest echelons of power long before Oleg Gordievsky ever arrived. In conversation with spy writer Charlie Higson, Tim also reveals a shocking paradox: Gordievsky’s intelligence eased Cold War tensions, but after his exposure paranoia was sent spiraling out of control on both sides of the Iron Curtain.Have you got a spy story you woul...
Oleg Gordievsky's back in Moscow and the KGB are tracking his every move, waiting for him to slip up. He’s got just one option left: MI6’s harebrained plan to smuggle him out of the USSR. And if it goes wrong he’s a dead man.Have you got a spy story you would like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When a new job turns Oleg Gordievsky into MI6’s top spy in the KGB, the West is shocked to learn that Soviet nuclear paranoia isn’t just for show.Have you got a spy story you would like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When KGB man Oleg Gordievsky is spotted shopping in Copenhagen’s red-light district, Western intelligence sees a chance to recruit him. But they’re going to get more than that. They’re going to get a Soviet insider who will help the world step back from the edge of nuclear war and end the Cold War.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The ex spy at the heart of our story joins host Charlie Higson to unpack his days in a biker gang, his immersion in radical Islam, his rise within al-Qaeda’s ranks, and the dramatic fallout that followed. This high-stakes espionage led to the death of his friend - one of al-Qaeda’s top commanders. In a cruel twist of fate, Morten was subsequently betrayed by the spy agencies he risked everything for, and was left to grapple with PTSD and death threats. Here, he reflects on the cost of his choices and the life he’s rebuilt in the aftermath. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...
Danish spy Morten Storm is closing in on terrorist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki to secure a huge CIA bounty. But he’s about to be double crossed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As the threat from jihadi preacher Anwar al-Awlaki increases, Morten Storm goes to Yemen to spy on him for the CIA. But al-Awlaki’s got a surprise mission for Storm.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
When an outlaw biker swaps crime for Islamic extremism, he finds himself on MI5’s radar. But as he gets closer to al-Qaeda’s inner circle, one decision will turn him from terrorist ally into their worst nightmare.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
How did Ana Montes spy for Cuba for 17 years while surrounded by FBI agents, which included her own relatives? Investigative journalist Jim Popkin joins spy novelist Charlie Higson to reveal how the Pentagon's top Cuba analyst maintained her double life, and shared Thanksgiving dinner surrounded FBI family members while feeding America's military secrets to Havana. Having spent extensive time with Montes’ own siblings, Popkin knows this remarkable story of deception inside out - from Montes’ risky romance with an intelligence officer, to the psychological discipline that kept her hidden in ...