History is littered with stories of espionage and its capacity to change the course of events. But does spying truly matter and has the human operative finally been replaced by the computer?
Ben MacIntyre, author of books including Agent Zigzag and The Spy and the Traitor, joins Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook to discuss the history of spying.
Learn more a ... Show More
Jul 12
687. The Odyssey: Hero of the Trojan Horse (Part 1)
How does The Odyssey, one of the greatest stories of all time, unfold? What historical events may it be based on? And, where might Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic, have faced his various trials in real life? Join Tom and Dominic as they unravel the legendary story of Homer’s O ... Show More
1h 11m
Sep 2024
Philby, Fleming and Putin: A History of Spies
<p>Ed Vaizey interrogates the past, present and future of espionage, from moments that could have come from fiction to the reality of spying in the modern world. He speaks to former GCHQ director Sir David Omand and Lord Robin Renwick, former UK ambassador to the United States an ... Show More
43m 29s
Aug 2024
The Spy Who Defused the Missile Crisis | Unpacking the mind of a spy legend | 5
Few spies have motives as hard to decipher as those of Oleg Penkovsky. Was he a hero, an egotist or a madman? The Spy Who's Tristan Donovan sits down with Jack Basu-Mellish, host of the LSE Cold War Podcast, to discuss Penkovsky’s actions, plus the lessons to learn from the event ... Show More
38m 37s
Jun 2024
Invisible ink & toad poison: tools of Elizabethan spycraft
How did spies plot and plant information in Elizabethan England? How easy was it to break open a confidential sealed letter and, if necessary, forge its contents? And how high were the stakes? Speaking to Elinor Evans, Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman discuss the tricks and tools ... Show More
34m 32s