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. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Spy Who ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
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Recent Episodes
The Spy Who Outplayed Nixon | Forked Tongue | 1
Mar 03, 2026Summary Preview
This episode introduces Larry Wu Tai Chin, one of history's longest-serving Chinese spies who infiltrated American intelligence services. Beginning with a dramatic 1954 execution scene in northeastern China, the narrative traces Chin's recruitment as a Communist spy in 1948 Beijing, his work as a translator for the US during the Korean War, and his eventual positioning within the CIA. The episode culminates in 1970 as President Nixon secretly reaches out to China while Chin undergoes security clearance for a position at CIA headquarters, setting up a collision between geopolitical forces.
- The Execution and Discovery
- Chin's Recruitment into Communist Espionage
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In this final episode of The Spy Who Sold Codes and Cocaine, lawyer and author Kate Mills Boyce shares her extraordinary 20-year legal battle to free Christopher Boyce and Andrew Dalton Lee from prison. What began as a simple letter to Dalton Lee in 1980 evolved into a decades-long fight against the US justice system, complicated by cancer, romance, and the blurred lines between professional duty and personal connection. Kate's story reveals how two young men convicted of espionage were treated far more harshly than the actual damage they caused warranted, and how one determined lawyer proved the system wrong.
- Kate's Introduction to the Case and Meeting Dalton Lee
- The Complexity of the Crime and Their Motivations
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This episode chronicles Christopher Boyce's daring prison escape from Lompoc Prison and his subsequent recapture while planning to rescue his former spy partner Dalton Lee. The story spans from Lee's arrest in Mexico City in 1976 through to both men's eventual releases on parole decades later, exploring themes of loyalty, regret, and the consequences of their espionage activities.
- Dalton Lee's Desperate Return to Mexico
- The Final Delivery: Pyramida Documents
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This episode chronicles the increasingly dangerous and chaotic partnership between Christopher Boyce and Dalton Lee as they sell American spy satellite secrets to the KGB. As Lee's drug addiction spirals and the Soviets demand more valuable intelligence, the two friends' relationship deteriorates into threats and betrayal, culminating in a tense meeting at the Soviet embassy in Mexico City where both realize they're trapped in the KGB's grip.
- The Cocaine-Fueled Courier's Dangerous Games
- Boyce's Close Call and Growing Paranoia
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This episode introduces the true story of Christopher Boyce and Dalton Lee, two young men from privileged Los Angeles families who became unlikely Cold War spies in the 1970s. Boyce, working in a CIA communications vault, grows disillusioned with government corruption and convinces his drug-dealing friend Lee to sell American spy satellite secrets to the Soviets. What begins as an act of rebellion quickly spirals into a dangerous game of espionage, drugs, and deception.
- A Dangerous Meeting in Mexico City
- The Falcon and the Vault
The Spy Who Jailed the Omagh Bomb Plotter | Inside Britain's Vast Espionage Network | 2
Jan 27, 2026Summary Preview
This final episode of The Spy Who explores the controversial case of Stakeknife, a high-ranking IRA member who secretly worked as a British intelligence agent while allegedly involved in interrogating and killing suspected informants. Host Charlie Higson speaks with journalist Cara McGugan about the recently released Kenova Report, which reveals how MI5 allowed their agents to participate in murders to maintain cover, raising troubling questions about British intelligence operations during the Troubles and whether more lives were lost than saved through these spy networks.
- The Kenova Report and Stakeknife's Identity
- More Lives Lost Than Saved
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This episode chronicles the final phases of FBI and MI5 spy David Rupert's infiltration of the Real IRA and its leader Michael McKevitt. After a critical error nearly exposes him, Rupert participates in elaborate sting operations including a fake Iraqi weapons deal. Despite his reluctance, he ultimately agrees to testify in court, leading to McKevitt's historic conviction as the first person prosecuted under Ireland's anti-terrorism laws—though the personal cost includes permanent hiding for Rupert and his wife.
- The Disc Mix-Up: A Near-Fatal Error
- The Real IRA's Escalating Campaign
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This episode follows FBI and MI5 informant David Rupert as he infiltrates the Real IRA after the devastating 1998 Omagh bombing. Rupert successfully transitions from the Continuity IRA to gain a seat on the Real IRA's Army Council, providing intelligence on their London bombing campaign, assassination plots against Tony Blair, and weapons operations. The episode culminates with Rupert's cover being blown by a newspaper article, threatening to end his spy operation just as he's gathered critical intelligence on the terrorist organization's plans.
- The Omagh Bombing and Its Aftermath
- Infiltrating the Real IRA Through Mickey Donnelly
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This episode introduces David Rupert, a debt-ridden American trucker who becomes an unlikely spy for both the FBI and MI5, infiltrating hardline Irish Republican groups opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process. As the Good Friday Agreement is signed in 1998, Rupert navigates the dangerous world of the Continuity IRA and Real IRA, groups determined to continue their armed struggle despite the ceasefire. His journey from casual tourist to double agent places him at the center of efforts to prevent further bloodshed in the final years of the Troubles.
- The FBI Recruitment
- Becoming a Courier for the IRA
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This special Christmas episode reveals how Norwegian sailors on a covert WWII mission to Nazi-occupied Norway started the tradition of London's Trafalgar Square Christmas tree. In November 1942, a joint British-Norwegian reconnaissance team infiltrated Norway to gather intelligence on a German pyrite mine while Norway's exiled King Håkon VII waited anxiously in England. During their dangerous mission, the crew decided to cut down Christmas trees—one for their mess hall and another for their homesick king—inadvertently planting the seeds of an 80-year tradition of Norway gifting Britain an annual Christmas tree.
- Operation Behind Enemy Lines: The Mission Begins
- Navigating Danger: Establishing the Base
The Spy Who Outran the KGB | Before Gordievsky, and the Secret War Inside Britain - with Author Tim Tate | 4
Dec 16, 2025Summary Preview
In this final episode of The Spy Who Outran the KGB, host Charlie Higson interviews investigative journalist Tim Tate about the complex web of Soviet espionage that infiltrated British institutions during the Cold War. Tate reveals how MI5 officer Peter Wright discovered that 35 eminent persons were Soviet spies, none of whom were ever prosecuted. The conversation explores the systemic vulnerabilities that made Britain a target, the shocking extent of Soviet penetration into intelligence services, and how inter-agency rivalries and cover-ups allowed espionage to flourish for decades. The discussion contextualizes Oleg Gordievsky's defection within this broader landscape of Cold War espionage.
- Britain's Post-War Vulnerability to Soviet Espionage
- Peter Wright Discovers Systemic Penetration
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
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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
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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
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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