History
The Spy Who
Audible
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.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Spy Who ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
Episodes to Learn English 122
-
The Spy Who Duped Hitler | Washed Up | 2
Apr 1, 2025 41 minGermany 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.
-
The Spy Who Duped Hitler | From Zero to Hero | 1
Mar 25, 2025 41 minThe 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.
-
The Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Former illegal spy Jack Barsky on years undercover | 4
Mar 18, 2025 41 minJack 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/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Ghostbusting | 3
Mar 11, 2025 45 minTime’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.
-
The Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | The New Illegals | 2
Mar 4, 2025 49 minWith 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.
-
The Spies Who Invaded Suburbia | Coming To America | 1
Feb 25, 2025 54 minIt'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.
-
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | Pilecki’s Great-Grandson on the Man Behind the Mission | 4
Feb 18, 2025 33 minKrzysztof 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 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.
-
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | No Answers | 3
Feb 11, 2025 54 minWitold 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.
-
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | The Message | 2
Feb 4, 2025 42 minWitold 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.
-
The Spy Who Infiltrated Auschwitz | The Volunteer | 1
Jan 27, 2025 54 minPolish soldier Witold Pilecki is heading to Auschwitz. By choice. His mission is to play prisoner so he can expose what’s happening inside the Nazis’ secretive concentration camp. But first, he must survive.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.
-
The Spy Who Betrayed Bin Laden (Encore) | Aimen Dean talks about his time as MI6's Top Spy Inside Al-Qaeda | 5
Jan 21, 2025 46 minAimen Dean talks Raza Jaffrey through the highs and lows of his eight years as an undercover agent and why he chose to spy for the British rather than the Americans. He also describes how he felt after his cover was blown when an American writer disclosed his identity with details that could only be sourced to Dean; and what his life has been like since. And Raza gets his chance to find whether the spy movies and TV series he's been involved in have anything to do with real life. 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.
-
The Spy Who Betrayed Bin Laden (Encore) | Death Sentence | 4
Jan 21, 2025 40 minA deadly plot threatens the New York Subway and Dean is on a mission to thwart it. But when his British spymasters decide to alert the U.S. to the threat, Dean’s deception begins to unravel.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.
-
The Spy Who Betrayed Bin Laden (Encore) | Twin Towers | 3
Jan 14, 2025 39 minDean is working undercover, posing as a loyal jihadi in Afghanistan, while actually spying for British intelligence. He knows that one mistake is all it will take to wind up dead. But that’s not his only worry because the sense is growing that al-Qaeda has a major plot in the works.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.
-
The Spy Who Betrayed Bin Laden (Encore) | Londonistan | 2
Jan 7, 2025 38 minAimen Dean is trapped. He wants out of al-Qaeda and Afghanistan, but no one gets to leave the jihadi training camps without permission. So when a missile strike hands him the perfect excuse to leave he seizes the chance to break free.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.
-
The Spy Who Betrayed Bin Laden (Encore) | Holy War | 1
Dec 31, 2024 41 minIt’s 1994 and 16-year-old Aimen Dean wants to die. He’s heading to war-torn Bosnia to join the Mujahideen and save fellow Muslims. He hopes to become a martyr so that he can be reunited with his dead parents in paradise. Instead, he’s about to be confronted by a bloody reality.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.
-
The Spy Who Killed a Prime Minister | Lumumba's Grandson on Legacy, Loss and the Weight of a Name | 5
Dec 24, 2024 24 minAmory Lumumba was born long after the 1961 assassination of his grandfather. Yet the impact continues to ripple through his family today. Actor and spy novelist Charlie Higson speaks with Amory about the heavy responsibility of carrying the Lumumba name, and the enduring, inspirational legacy that Patrice Lumumba left behind. Plus, Amory tells Charlie why he's convinced the United States were involved in the killing.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.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.
-
The Spy Who Gave London its Christmas Tree | 1
Dec 19, 2024 35 minEach Christmas, 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.Have you got a spy story you’d like us to tell? Email your ideas to thespywho@wondery.com.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/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Killed a Prime Minister | One Gold Tooth | 4
Dec 17, 2024 42 minNew Prime Minister Joseph Mobutu’s grip on power is shaky. It’s Patrice Lumumba who has the people’s support. So the CIA and MI6 start plotting to oust him using any means necessary.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.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.
-
The Spy Who Killed a Prime Minister | Cold Jungle | 3
Dec 10, 2024 48 minWhile Patrice Lumumba battles to control his country, MI6 officer Daphne Park and CIA officer Larry Devlin are secretly battling to stop him turning to the Soviets for help.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.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.
-
The Spy Who Killed a Prime Minister | Heart of Darkness | 2
Dec 3, 2024 40 minNewly independent Congo is spiralling into disorder. Disorder the Communists could be quick to exploit. MI6 officer Daphne Park needs to act, and fast.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.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.
-
The Spy Who Killed a Prime Minister | Independence Day | 1
Nov 26, 2024 45 minWhen MI6 sends officer Daphne Park to help stop a communist takeover in Congo, it kickstarts one of the darkest operations in MI6 and CIA history. Because security services either need to win the trust of Congo’s first prime minister, or remove him.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.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.
-
The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | Uncovering The Truth With Bellingcat | 5
Nov 19, 2024 33 minIn a groundbreaking investigation into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, journalism group Bellingcat exposed previously unknown details of the Salisbury Poisonings that blew the case wide open. Journalist and Bellingcat founder Elliot Higgins and host Charlie Higson explore where the responsibility to protect covert operations ends and the public's right to be informed begins.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | Bear Traps | 4
Nov 12, 2024 39 minAs hospital medics battle to save the first victims of the Salisbury poisonings, police hunt the perpetrators. And while they're searching, the spy war between Russia and the West heats up, with an eventful call between Prime Minister Theresa May and President Donald Trump.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | Always a Spy | 3
Nov 5, 2024 30 minIn a top-secret Russian laboratory, a terrifying chemical weapon called Novichok is about to be hauled out of storage, and will soon reach the streets of British city Salisbury.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | The Exchange | 2
Oct 29, 2024 34 minSergei Skripal is easing into retirement with a side hustle as a MI6 agent, and enjoying the Spanish seaside. Meanwhile, the KGB’s successor, the FSB, is on the hunt for traitors after a tip-off from a mole inside Spain’s intelligence service.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Putin Poisoned | End of an Era | 1
Oct 22, 2024 39 minWhen the USSR falls apart, GRU officer Sergei Skripal finds himself adrift in the new Russia, having never asked for the country's new democracy. So when he meets a shadowy wine dealer, he leaps at the chance to make some money, without a clue how the deal would lead him to Salisbury.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Started the Cold War | The Most Dangerous In History? | 5
Oct 15, 2024 32 minWhy did Fuchs take such a huge gamble by sharing US nuclear secrets with the Soviets? Was Oppenheimer's fellow physicist seeking peace - or war? Charlie Higson talks to Frank Close, an author and physicist, about Fuchs' decision and its impact on the course of history.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Started the Cold War | Lost Control | 4
Oct 8, 2024 43 minMI5 is closing in on Klaus Fuchs. But they can't seem to catch him in the act of spying. There’s only one option. They need a confession.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Started the Cold War | Fallout | 3
Oct 1, 2024 38 minKlaus Fuchs is sure his espionage has gone undetected. So when authorities unearth a similar spy ring in Canada’s nuclear project, Fuchs doesn’t consider that he could be next.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
-
The Spy Who Started the Cold War | Los Alamos | 2
Sep 24, 2024 41 minFuchs’ plan to feed secrets to the Soviets is in jeopardy. The atomic bomb project is closely guarded. That means little contact with the outside world, especially his handlers.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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.