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The Spy Who
The Spy Who

Listen Now: Foul Play

June 16, 2026 • 7m

Summary

⏱️ 5 min read

Overview

This episode is a teaser for 'Foul Play,' a new podcast series investigating an alleged CIA conspiracy to poison English football legend Gordon Banks during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Journalist Gabriel Gatehouse teams up with Ed Jervis, Gordon Banks' grandson, to explore whether the legendary goalkeeper's mysterious illness that cost England their World Cup defense was actually an act of Cold War sabotage rather than simple food poisoning.

Introduction to the Investigation

Gabriel Gatehouse and Ed Jervis introduce their podcast series examining an extraordinary claim: that the CIA may have poisoned Gordon Banks and potentially cursed English football. The premise sounds absurd on its face, but the hosts promise to investigate this unbelievable tale of sport, espionage, and family secrets that has haunted Ed's family for decades.

  • New podcast series investigating whether the CIA poisoned Gordon Banks
  • The story involves sport, spies, and family secrets
" A new podcast series in which we investigate whether the CIA poisoned my grandad. And possibly laid a curse on English football. "

Discovery in Mexican Secret Police Archives

Ed Jervis, an ordinary dad from Stoke-on-Trent, finds himself in a surreal situation in Mexico, searching through old prison archives with investigative journalist Gabriel Gatehouse. They're looking through the secret files of the Mexican secret police for evidence that spies were surveilling his grandfather during the 1970 World Cup. The discovery that Gordon Banks' name and photos appear in these classified files transforms what seemed like family folklore into something potentially real and deeply troubling.

  • Ed describes feeling like he's having an out-of-body experience searching Mexican secret police archives
  • They discover Gordon Banks' name in a secret database maintained by Mexican authorities
  • The archives contain actual photos of Gordon Banks
  • Gordon Banks was a football player with no apparent connection to Mexico or espionage
" I'm an ordinary dad of two small kids from Stoke-on-Trent in the English Midlands. I don't travel much. "
" Yes, they have photos of your grandfather. "

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