logo
episode-header-image
May 2025
1h 2m

563. Peter the Great: Bloodbath in the K...

Goalhanger
About this episode
What abominable mischief and hedonism did the seventeen year old Peter the Great revel in during his strange and remarkable travels through Europe, before truly stepping into the role of Tsar of all the Russias? Did it serve a secret political purpose? What was the outcome of the first war he chose to wage against the Ottoman Empire? Why did he go on a cruci ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
643. Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Carthage Destroyed (Part 4)
Three decades after the defeat of Hannibal, how had the Roman Empire managed to conquer vast swathes of the known world? Why did the predatory eyes of this terrifying behemoth turn once more to Carthage? And, could this mighty city defy the odds and repel Rome one last time…? Joi ... Show More
1 h
Feb 11
Greatest Paintings: The Ghost of Spain – Velázquez’s Las Meninas
Why does Diego Velázquez’ Las Meninas represent the fading Spanish Golden Age? How did he challenge the boundaries between viewer and artwork? And, in what ways does his defining style foreshadow Impressionism and serve as an indirect image of his own genius? In this new The Rest ... Show More
6m 23s
Feb 9
642. Rome’s Greatest Enemy: Bloodbath in Africa (Part 3)
Would the Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio successfully march on Africa? What happened when Hannibal and Scipio - the greatest commanders of their age - came head to head at the Battle of Zama, in the ultimate showdown? And, what would be the fate of these two titans of the ... Show More
1h 9m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 14
The Rise Of Putin: Joining The KGB
*Declassified Club exclusive: ⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to listen to the full series* How did Vladimir Putin rise from a nobody in St Petersburg to the most powerful man in Russia? Did he always crave the power of public office? Or was this relentless determination beaten into him by the ... Show More
9m 48s
May 2025
50. The Man Who Tried To Kill The KGB: On the Run from Russia (Ep 2)
He risked everything to expose the KGB's darkest secrets, but Vasily Mitrokhin had two non-negotiable demands: his family's safety and his archive's publication. How did MI6 navigate these unprecedented requests? What secret deal was struck with the Americans to fund his resettle ... Show More
44m 46s
May 2025
49. The Man Who Tried To Kill The KGB: A Traitor in the Kremlin (Ep 1)
The Cold War may have ended, but the hunt for dangerous secrets never truly stops. What happens when a disillusioned KGB archivist decides to betray his masters? How did he manage to steal masses of top-secret files from the heart of the Soviet Union? And what did the CIA miss th ... Show More
45m 48s
Sep 2025
81. The Man Who Saved The World: Abandoning Communism (Ep 2)
How did Oleg Gordievsky get recruited to work for MI6? What effect did living in Copenhagen have on his political views? And how did Britain nearly blow the recruitment of one of the most consequential spies in history? Listen as David and Gordon continue their series on Oleg Gor ... Show More
47m 37s
Sep 2025
80. The Man Who Saved The World: Making of a Traitor (Ep 1)
What makes a spy betray the very system that raised him? How does a loyal KGB officer, born into the service, become Britain’s most valuable Cold War agent? And how did one man’s intelligence reports help stop the world from sliding into nuclear confrontation? This is the story o ... Show More
45m 34s
Sep 2025
EXCLUSIVE: The Spy Who Smuggled Gordievsky Out of Russia
*Declassified Club exclusive: SUBSCRIBE to listen to the full interview* What does it take to smuggle the West’s most valuable Russian agent out of the Soviet Union, under the noses of the KGB? How do you lose a KGB surveillance team on the road from Moscow, while hiding a defect ... Show More
5m 30s
May 2025
256. Stalin & 8 Days That Changed The World (Ep 1)
How did one peace conference in Yalta in 1945 completely transform the world in just eight days? What was Joseph Stalin's backstory before becoming the Soviet leader? What is the relevance of the Yalta conference to global politics today? In a brand new series, Anita and William ... Show More
38m 25s
Sep 2025
85. The Man Who Saved The World: The Great Escape (Ep 6)
Oleg Gordievsky wants to leave Moscow, but how? How can a man under suspicion of being a traitor escape the watchful eye of the KGB? Do MI6 have a plan to rescue him? Or will the man who has leaked countless state secrets become the next victim of the USSR? Listen as David and Go ... Show More
55m 48s
Nov 12
99. Putin's Secret Army: Trump, Wagner And Russia (Ep 2)
How did Donald Trump win the 2016 US election? Was Russian interference really behind his unlikely success? And how does one man rock the electoral system of the world’s most powerful nation? In the second instalment of their series on Yevgeny Prigozhin, David and Gordon delve in ... Show More
44m 15s
Oct 2025
295. Crusader Gaza: Saladin & Richard The Lionheart (Part 5)
Why did Crusaders travel from Western Europe to Gaza and The Levant in the 11th century? Who was Saladin and how did he conquer the Franks? How did the Mamluks defeat the Mongols in the 1200s and usher in an era of prosperity for Gaza? Anita and William are joined by Jonathan Phi ... Show More
49m 7s