The Spy Who
These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own.Listen to The Spy Who ad-free on Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-spy-who now.
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Episodes
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The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine | How to Free the FBI's Most Wanted | 4
Tuesday, 24 February 2026
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...
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The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine | Prison Break | 3
Tuesday, 17 February 2026
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.
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The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine | The Party Line | 2
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
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.
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The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine | The Black Vault | 1
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
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.
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The Spy Who Jailed the Omagh Bomb Plotter | Inside Britain's Vast Espionage Network | 4
Tuesday, 27 January 2026
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...
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The Spy Who Jailed the Omagh Bomb Plotter | The Reaping | 3
Tuesday, 20 January 2026
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.
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The Spy Who Jailed the Omagh Bomb Plotter | Blowing up the peace | 2
Tuesday, 13 January 2026
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.
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The Spy Who Jailed the Omagh Bomb Plotter | Friend, Foe or Fortune Hunter? | 1
Tuesday, 6 January 2026
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.
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ENCORE - The Spy Who (UK) | The Spy Who Gave London its Christmas Tree | 1
Tuesday, 23 December 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Outran the KGB | Before Gordievsky, and the Secret War Inside Britain - with Author Tim Tate | 4
Tuesday, 16 December 2025
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...
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The Spy Who Outran the KGB | The Chase | 3
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Outran the KGB | War Games | 2
Tuesday, 2 December 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Outran the KGB | Secrets and Chocolate Bars | 1
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Lived Inside Al-Qaeda | Morten Storm on his extraordinary life, being 'one of the worst spies' and the true cost of espionage | 4
Tuesday, 18 November 2025
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...
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The Spy Who Lived Inside Al-Qaeda | Disposable Hero | 3
Tuesday, 11 November 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Lived Inside Al-Qaeda | The Struggle Within | 2
Tuesday, 4 November 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Lived Inside Al-Qaeda| Jump in the Fire | 1
Tuesday, 28 October 2025
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.
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The Spy Who Colluded with Castro | How Ana Montes Fooled Her FBI Siblings | 4
Tuesday, 21 October 2025
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 ...
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The Spy Who Colluded with Castro | Ready to Snap | 3
Tuesday, 14 October 2025
The Defense Intelligence Agency thinks it’s found the Cuban spy in its ranks but convincing the FBI won’t be easy. And as the agencies clash, Ana Montes starts to wonder: is there more to life than espionage?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Spy Who Colluded with Castro | In This Building | 2
Tuesday, 7 October 2025
When intelligence analyst Ana Montes is briefed on one of the USA’s greatest military secrets, she is torn. Should she pass the intel to Cuba to alter the global balance of power, or is this one secret too far?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Spy Who Colluded with Castro | The A Traitor in the Making | 1
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
In the heart of the Cold War, student Ana Montes is angered by US meddling in Central America. So when a mysterious Cuban offers her a chance to do more than protest, she’s pulled into a dangerous new world.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Spy Who is Back Soon | 6
Monday, 8 September 2025
Hosts Indira Varma and Raza Jaffrey return, unveiling three gripping stories of espionage that changed history: a Cuban mole inside US intelligence, an IRA infiltrator and a KGB colonel turned British asset. New episodes coming to your feed at the end of September.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | The Other James Bonds | 5
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
Charlotte Philby interviews Andrew Lycett, the biographer of Ian Fleming, about the other real life spies that inspired his most famous character: James Bond - including the flamboyant Biffy Dunderdale, the urbane Sir Peter Smithers and evenIan Fleming’s own escapades. But who is the most James Bond of all?Listen to The Spy Who on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/the-spy-who/ now.See Privacy Policy at https:/...
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Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | Retribution | 4
Tuesday, 12 August 2025
British intelligence is out to fool the Nazis into thinking the Allies invasion will start anywhere but Normandy. But to make Operation Fortitude’s lies stick, they need an agent who can sell the fiction to the Abwehr under interrogation and only one man has the chutzpah for that: Duško Popov.Listen to The Spy Who on the Wondery App or wherever you get podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/the-spy-who/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy ...
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Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | Back in the Game | 3
Tuesday, 5 August 2025
After a bust-up with the FBI over Pearl Harbor, Duško Popov finds himself at a crossroads. Does he seek a Hollywood ending with his movie star girlfriend or risk death by returning to Lisbon to win back the trust of his Nazi spymasters?Listen to The Spy Who on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/the-spy-who/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/pr...
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Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | Warning Signs | 2
Tuesday, 29 July 2025
MI6 double agent Duško Popov is heading to America, armed with evidence of Japan’s keen interest in the US Pearl Harbor naval base. But he's about to discover that the biggest threat to his mission are the very people he’s here to help: the FBI.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | A Friend Among Foes | 1
Tuesday, 22 July 2025
It’s 1940 and Serbian playboy Duško Popov hopes to sit out World War Two in Belgrade. But when his best friend, Johnny Jebsen shows up at his door to call in an old debt, Popov finds himself sucked into the wartime spy game – as an agent for both Nazi Germany and Britain’s MI6.Listen to The Spy Who on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting https://wondery.com/links/the-spy-who/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...
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The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | How the Cambridge Five Changed MI5 | 5
Tuesday, 15 July 2025
Why was the Cambridge Five scandal so embarrasing to MI5? And how significant was Oleg Lyalin's success in restoring faith in British Intelligence? Tristan Donovan discusses the notorious spy-ring and its lasting impact with Andrew Lownie, the author of Stalin's Englishman.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | The Dominoes Fall | 4
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Operation Foot is now happening. And British government knows that its attempt to neutralise the KGB in London will be met with hostility from Moscow. But it’s not just the UK that must prepare for the retaliation, for Oleg Lyalin is also about to discover what it will cost to escape the KGB’s wrath.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | No Return | 3
Tuesday, 1 July 2025
There’s panic at MI5 headquarters. Oleg Lyalin, their man inside the KGB, has just been arrested for drunk driving putting Operation Foot in jeopardy. But as MI5 races to reach him before the KGB can, Lyalin is working out a daring new plan that will force the British security service to place its trust in him.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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