logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
39m 40s

Into The Dirt

The Observer
About this episode

Rob Moore had a successful career in television until one day he ran out of ideas. After a stint as a gardener, a more enticing door was opened for him. He was offered a job in the shadowy world of corporate intelligence - he became a spy.


Tasked with working undercover to extract information from an environmental campaign group, Rob Moore says he eventually became sympathetic to the campaigners’ aims. He decided to turn on his employers and support the group he was meant to be infiltrating. Only it wasn’t that straightforward. He never told the campaigners who he really was and he never told his spymasters what he was really doing. Neither side knew the whole truth. 


That was until 2016, when after years of being in control of these two disparate worlds he was unexpectedly outed. Now, the campaigners see him as a traitor who betrayed their trust. He sees himself as a misunderstood whistleblower.


From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Into The Dirt is a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves. Today we're publishing this new series so that listeners of the Slow Newscast can listen early but if you like what you hear and you want to listen to episode two straight away just search for Into The Dirt and head to the feed.




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 8
The mystery of Francis Bacon's minder
This is the story of how a boxing match helped solve a 50-year art world mystery. And how, when a man named Ted wades in to stop a mugging in Soho, it leads to a most unlikely life-altering friendship with an artist who makes him, or his picture, immortal. Reporter: Stephen Smith ... Show More
40m 7s
Jul 7
Introducing...Drilled
We are partnering with the podcast Drilled, to share something extra with you this week so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations on The Slow Newscast and across The Observer audio network. You can discover more at https://observer.co.uk/listen.This ... Show More
43m 45s
Jul 1
Liz UnTrussed
Liz Truss was the UK’s shortest serving prime minister, but since leaving office she’s continued to buck the trend. Post premiership, she’s become one of the most vocal among her peers. What has driven her into the arms of the populist right? And what does it tell us about the st ... Show More
34m 34s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Introducing...Radioactive
We are partnering with ABC, so that we can continue to bring our listeners brilliant investigations like Sweet Bobby. You can join Tortoise as a member to get early and ad-free access to new series and support our investigations at www.tortoisemedia.com/invite. Introducing...Radi ... Show More
41m 7s
Sep 2023
White rebel | Pig Iron Ep 1
Five years after his death on a distant frontline in South Sudan, the truth about what happened to Christopher Allen is still a mystery. Was he a reckless freelancer? A mercenary? Or a young and ambitious reporter, caught in the crossfire? Approached by a family member looking fo ... Show More
34m 39s
Apr 22
£200 MILLION to MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON - THE INSANE STORY OF RIORDAN MAYNARD
This episode is a little bit different: it’s with someone whose name I doubt you’ll know, but it’s a story which, as soon as I heard, I knew I wanted to share with you all on Great Company.Riordan Maynard was a high flying business man until one day it all came crashing down - he ... Show More
1h 16m
Mar 2025
30. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: Showdown with MI5 (Ep 4)
What happens when the world’s most valuable spy is finally caught? How did British and American intelligence hunt him down? And, was Klaus Fuchs a hero, a villain, or something in between? Klaus Fuchs' final days as a free man were marked by growing suspicions, clandestine exchan ... Show More
46m 52s
Dec 2024
CLASSIC: Contras, Cocaine and the CIA: The True Story of Barry Seal
Join Ben, Matt and Noel for a Classic conspiracy episode, which only grows more relevant as the years wend on: Across the course of his strange and checkered career, pilot and smuggler Barry Seal was called many things: An informant, a criminal, an asset for America's alphabet so ... Show More
58m 15s
Feb 2025
Introducing...Lucky Boy
Gareth’s whole life has been defined by a relationship he had 35 years ago when, as a 14-year-old schoolboy, he fell in love with an attractive young teacher at his school. He spent most afternoons in her bedroom and thought he was the luckiest boy in the world. But when she walk ... Show More
3m 3s
May 2024
Ransom! Available Now!
Ransom: Season 1 - Position of Trust is a story of greed and betrayal and how one’s outward appearance can be dangerously deceiving. Go to ransompodcast.com or follow Ransom on your favorite podcast app. Twelve-year-old McKay Everett disappeared from his Texas home in September 1 ... Show More
16m 16s
Oct 2024
Interview: Kemi Badenoch
Today, Newscast hears from Kemi Badenoch who has made it into the final two of the Conservative leadership race.Kemi speaks to Adam and Chris about her early life in Nigeria and her political journey, she reflects on her reputation for being direct in interactions with colleagues ... Show More
32m 54s
Jun 2024
Hear Me
The Undisclosed Team presents a preview of the Season 15 Premiere episode of Truth & Justice with Bob Ruff. Bob is investigating a case that was sent to him by Rabia when life circumstances wouldn’t allow her to fully investigate the case herself. In this preview you’ll hear a co ... Show More
27m 47s
Nov 2024
A star is born | Elon's Spies Ep4
When Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election, he told an adoring crowd that "a star is born". He was referring to Elon Musk.After months of reporting on the billionaire's use of private investigators, Alexi asks whether the insights he gained from that inves ... Show More
29m 38s