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

• The Spy Who is Back Soon | 6

  Monday, 8 September 2025

  2 minutes

  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

  21 minutes

  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

  40 minutes

  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

  36 minutes

  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

  36 minutes

  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

  36 minutes

  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

  38 minutes

  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

  39 minutes

  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

  34 minutes

  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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• The Spy Who Saved MI5 (Encore) | The Pressure Cooker | 2

  Tuesday, 24 June 2025

  37 minutes

  Oleg Lyalin is now compromised. To survive, he must now find a way to maintain the fictions of his multiple lives. But when his messy love life spirals out of control, Moscow sends in a KGB investigator to uncover what’s really going on in London.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 Spider and the Fly | 1

  Tuesday, 17 June 2025

  37 minutes

  MI5 is on its knees at the dawn of the 1970s: Soviet spies are running free around the country and the government won’t boot them out for fear of upsetting Moscow. But the danger from inaction is growing because a spy from the KGB’s most-secret department has just been posted to London. His name is Oleg Lyalin and he’s on a mission to take down Britain’s nuclear defences.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 Ran Mossad’s Fake Hotel | Gad Shimron on his Double Life as a Windsurfing Coach | 4

  Tuesday, 10 June 2025

  30 minutes

  Ex-Mossad agent Gad Shimron spent three years at the Arous Diving Resort, in war-torn Sudan. He was hotel staff by day, taking guests out for sailing trips and windsurfing lessons. But by night, he was helping fellow Mossad agent Dani Limor smuggle thousands of persecuted Ethiopian Jews through Sudan and to Jerusalem. He speaks to actor and spy novelist Charlie Higson about this dual life, living under the threat of being discovered, and surviving gunfire by the Sudanese military.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-no...

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• The Spy Who Ran Mossad’s Fake Hotel | The Return | 3

  Tuesday, 3 June 2025

  42 minutes

  Dani Limor is being held at gunpoint. His next words will either save Operation Brothers and thousands of lives – or get him killed.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 Ran Mossad’s Fake Hotel | Sun, Sand and Spies | 2

  Tuesday, 27 May 2025

  39 minutes

  With thousands of Ethiopian Jews stuck in Sudan’s refugee camps, Israeli spy Dani Limor hits on a plan to take Mossad into the tourist trade.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 Ran Mossad’s Fake Hotel | The Escape | 1

  Tuesday, 20 May 2025

  44 minutes

  When a surprise S.O.S. reaches Israeli spy agency Mossad, it sparks a wild plan to help Jews in Ethiopia. But to work, Mossad must go undercover in hostile territory.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 Dressed the Queen | The Royal Family's spy links | 4

  Tuesday, 13 May 2025

  35 minutes

  The British Royal Family has long been entwined with the secret services. Richard Aldrich and Rory Cormac reveal in their book 'The Secret Royals', how Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II (Codename 2519) were the ultimate handlers; privy to daily intelligence reports, globally well connected, capable of outmanoeuvring their own governments. Host Charlie Higson speaks to Richard and Rory about uncovering this hidden history, why top spies sip tea at Buckingham Palace, and how the next generation of Royals are continuing this intelligence-loving legacy.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/priv...

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• The Spy Who Dressed the Queen | Reckoning Day | 3

  Tuesday, 6 May 2025

  41 minutes

  Following initial success messing with the Germans, Amies is facing his most-crucial mission yet: laying the groundwork for the liberation of Belgium. But is the threat from Prosper De Zitter really over? Some gun sound effects courtesy of Mike Burns & Fabien Compos of youtube.com/@BlokeontheRangeSee 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 Dressed the Queen | Rat Week | 2

  Tuesday, 29 April 2025

  42 minutes

  Armed with a new secret weapon, Amies compiles a kill list to deal with Nazi collaborators, including the traitor taking down his agents one by one. Will the Belgians back his scheme? Some gun sound effects courtesy of Mike Burns & Fabien Compos of youtube.com/@BlokeontheRangeSee 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 Dressed the Queen | The Man with the Missing Finger | 1

  Tuesday, 22 April 2025

  44 minutes

  British fashion designer Hardy Amies applies for a second job as a spymaster as World War 2 begins. Before long, he's sending his men directly into the dangers of Nazi-occupied Belgium, and his guilt threatens to overtake him. Who is the man with the missing finger entrapping British agents?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 Duped Hitler | Making a Musical out of Mincemeat | 4

  Tuesday, 15 April 2025

  36 minutes

  David Cumming, writer, actor, composer and originator of Operation Mincemeat: The Musical, transformed one of WWII’s most surreal tales—a corpse planted with fake intelligence to mislead the Nazis—into an all-singing, all-dancing West End sensation. Our host, Charlie Higson speaks to David about finding musical comedy in this unlikely wartime story, and balancing humour with the operation's darker truths.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 Duped Hitler | Hook, Line and Sinker | 3

  Tuesday, 8 April 2025

  43 minutes

  With 160,000 Allied troops about to invade Sicily, the Operation Mincemeat team hunt for signs that the Nazis fell for their con. But are the Germans fooled, or about to turn Britain’s double cross against the Allies?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 Duped Hitler | Washed Up | 2

  Tuesday, 1 April 2025

  41 minutes

  Germany and Britain both want the same thing: to get Major Bill Martin’s briefcase into the hands of the Nazis. But will Operation Mincemeat’s ploy survive a reckless chauffeur, an inquisitive coroner and the rule-abiding Spanish Navy?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 Duped Hitler | From Zero to Hero | 1

  Tuesday, 25 March 2025

  42 minutes

  The story of Operation Mincemeat. It’s 1943 and World War 2 hangs on a knife-edge. Everybody knows the obvious next move for the Allies is to invade Sicily. So Winston Churchill gives his spy chiefs a daunting task: create a lie so good it will fool Adolf Hitler and get Nazi Germany to move its troops elsewhere.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 Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Former illegal spy Jack Barsky on years undercover | 4

  Tuesday, 18 March 2025

  41 minutes

  Jack Barsky was arguably one of the most successful and enduring of the "Illegals”. These were the Soviet and Russian operatives who seamlessly integrated into American society while covertly serving their handlers in Moscow. But as Jack started a family in his new country, the weight of his double life began to take its toll. Talking to actor and spy novelist Charlie Higson, Jack delves into his remarkable journey from Soviet KGB agent to devoted American family man, taking us inside his daring decision to fake his own death to escape his handlers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/pr...

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• The Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Ghostbusting | 3

  Tuesday, 11 March 2025

  45 minutes

  Time’s running out to arrest the illegals, but before the FBI can bust them it needs the okay from President Barack Obama. However, it means trashing the president’s plan to make nice with Russia.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 Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | The New Illegals | 2

  Tuesday, 4 March 2025

  50 minutes

  With the undercover Russian spies making moves to get closer to Hilary Clinton, Moscow sends a new illegal to America: Anna Chapman. And she’s on a mission to wow Manhattan.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.com. 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 Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Coming To America | 1

  Tuesday, 25 February 2025

  55 minutes

  It's 1999 and a mole reveals that deep-cover Russian spies are lurking in American suburbia. The FBI finds itself walking a tightrope to keep these spooks in check without exposing its man in Moscow. But the longer the Bureau watches, the more dangerous and numerous the fake Americans become, with one Anna Chapman making moves to get to the West.EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/spywhoTry it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!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 Infiltrated Auschwitz | Pilecki’s Great-Grandson on the Man Behind the Mission | 4

  Tuesday, 18 February 2025

  34 minutes

  Krzysztof Kosior was thirty when he first felt ready to visit Auschwitz. But since childhood, he had heard stories of his great-grandfather’s time there, and of his journey from unknown soldier to one of Poland’s greatest heroes. Talking to actor and spy novelist Charlie Higson, Krzysztof reflects on his family’s memories of Witold, and on the surprising struggles of those with the Pilecki name. Plus he takes listeners inside what happened when Witold met Tomasz Serafinski, whose identity he used during his time in the camp.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to...

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• The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | No Answers | 3

  Tuesday, 11 February 2025

  54 minutes

  Witold Pilecki gets dire news from the Polish resistance in Warsaw. After two years desperately trying to expose the horrors of Auschwitz, he’s forced to rethink his mission.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.comEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/spywhoTry it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!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 Infiltrated Auschwitz | The Message | 2

  Tuesday, 4 February 2025

  42 minutes

  Witold Pilecki scolds a new arrival for calling him by his real name. But then he realises: this new arrival might know if his messages are reaching the Allies. And if the Allies are going to act.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.comEXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/spywhoTry it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee!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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