The Spy Who
Podcast

The Spy Who

Audible

142 episodes

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, Raza Jaffrey and Emilia Fox, 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.

What this show covers

espionageAfghanistanCIAal-QaedaTaliban9/11true crimecounterterrorismAli SoufanUrsula Kuczynskihistorical biographyinvestigationinterrogationUSS Colecelebrity and myth

What listeners will find here

How Margaretha Zelle became Mata Hari—and the legend that outlived her
This episode follows Margaretha Zelle’s transformation from a woman left destitute by tragedy and violence into Mata Hari, an exotic dancer who became famous across Europe. It then turns to wartime, when she reinvents herself once more as the spy whose name became synonymous with infamy.
A CIA linguist’s firsthand account of Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11
This episode follows David Tyson, a CIA linguist who joined Team Alpha in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11. He describes working with Mike Spann to help topple the Taliban, the deadly uprising by captured fighters, and his current mission to aid Afghan allies through Badger Six.
Trapped at Qala-i-Jangi as America’s first Afghan victory risks collapse
The Battle of Qala-i-Jangi reaches a crisis point as David Tyson is trapped with al-Qaeda forces closing in. The episode centers on whether help can arrive in time to prevent America’s first victory in Afghanistan from turning into its first defeat.
A daughter learns her mother was murdered—and starts digging for the truth
Lauren Malloy discovers that her mother Lori did not die of natural causes, as she was told for 30 years, but was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. This episode introduces a 10-part investigation as Lauren follows conflicting interviews, family secrets, and mounting suspicion.
Closing in on Mazar-i-Sharif, with surrender hanging in the balance
CIA Team Alpha and Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum push toward the crucial city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The episode centers on what it might take to persuade the Taliban and al-Qaeda allies to surrender as the pressure mounts.

Episodes

More like The Spy Who