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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Recent Episodes
The Spy Who Outran the KGB | The Chase | 3
Dec 09, 2025Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the final, desperate escape of KGB colonel turned MI6 spy Oleg Gordievsky from the Soviet Union in 1985. After being drugged and interrogated by the KGB, Gordievsky triggers a complex British exfiltration plan involving signal exchanges, a cross-country journey, and a harrowing highway pickup near the Finnish border. The operation required approval from Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher herself and involved MI6 officers using their families as cover to smuggle Gordievsky out in a car boot past KGB surveillance and border checkpoints.
- The Interrogation and Drug-Induced Confession
- Testing Loyalties and Family Separation
The Spy Who Outran the KGB | War Games | 2
Dec 02, 2025Summary Preview
This episode chronicles KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky's dangerous double life as an MI6 spy during a critical period of Cold War tension. After being recalled to Moscow and reassigned to menial work, Gordievsky eventually secures a posting to London where he provides crucial intelligence about Soviet paranoia regarding NATO's Able Archer war games in 1983—intelligence that reveals how close the world came to nuclear war. The episode culminates with Gordievsky's promotion to KGB station chief in London, even as the CIA begins investigating MI6's mysterious Soviet source, and Gordievsky receives an ominous summons back to Moscow.
- The Mole Hunt Begins
- Preparing for London
Summary Preview
This episode explores the 1993 West Memphis Three case, where three eight-year-old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. As local police struggled to solve the crime, rumors of satanic cult involvement spread through the small town. Three teenage boys became suspects despite lack of evidence, leading to wrongful convictions that would spark a nearly two-decade fight for justice. The episode details the initial investigation's chaos, community panic, and the pressure on local law enforcement to solve the case.
- The West Memphis Murders and Initial Investigation
- Limited Resources and Mounting Pressure
Summary Preview
This episode introduces Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB officer who became one of Britain's most valuable Cold War spies. The story follows his journey from a loyal Soviet diplomat in Copenhagen to a disillusioned agent who begins secretly working for MI6, driven by his horror at the USSR's crushing of the Prague Spring. As his personal life unravels through a failed marriage and a dangerous love affair, Gordievsky prepares to return to Moscow, where the risks of his double life will escalate dramatically. MI6 devises an elaborate escape plan involving chocolate bars and diplomatic cars, though Gordievsky doubts it will ever work.
- The Failed Escape Attempt
- Surveillance in Copenhagen's Red Light District
Summary Preview
In this revealing interview, former Danish double agent Morten Storm reflects on his extraordinary journey from violent gang member to Muslim fundamentalist to spy who infiltrated Al-Qaeda's highest ranks. He discusses his troubled childhood, conversion to Islam, decade-long immersion in radical circles, and his dangerous work with Danish, British, and American intelligence services. Storm candidly addresses his role in tracking Anwar al-Awlaki, the betrayal he felt from the CIA, the ongoing threats to his life, and his struggle to reconcile his past identities with his current self.
- From Violence to Islam: Storm's Early Transformation
- The Fundamentalist Years: Becoming Murad Storm