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A History of the World in Spy Objects

by SPYSCAPE
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Latest episodes

  • Jung Chang: Chairman Mao Badge

    April 10, 2024 · 13 min

    Can you ever truly suppress a curious mind? If there was one aim of Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, it was that. The lauded writer Jung Chang joins Alice Loxton to revisit a childhood characterized by surveillance and prohibition. But…

  • Tim Marlow: The Welbike

    March 27, 2024 · 11 min

    What would you need to go it alone behind enemy lines? For the agents of the notoriously brave Special Operations Executive in World War II, a select toolkit of spy gadgets represented the difference between life and death. Design Museum…

  • Alexander Cary: Kim Philby Papers

    March 20, 2024 · 14 min

    How does the old spy regard himself, when he’s left alone with his thoughts? The answer to this question can be found in the aborted memoir of one of the most notorious traitors in history: Kim Philby. Screenwriter Alexander Cary and host…

  • Kengo Kuma: Nijo Jinya Hotel

    March 13, 2024 · 11 min

    If Nijo Jinya’s walls could talk, what story would they tell? World-renowned architect Kengo Kuma joins host Alice Loxton to discuss a still-standing Kyoto guest house where, in Japan’s Edo era, power was bought and sold, and silent ninjas…

  • Gary Powers Jr: U2 Spy Plane

    March 5, 2024 · 17 min

    What’s it like to be the child of a world-famous spy? Gary Powers Jr. takes his name and his inspiration from his father, Francis Gary Powers – the pilot of the U2 spy plane that was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, sparking a…

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  • Tom Ayling: Secret Service Payments Book

    February 27, 2024 · 18 min

    Who pays for all the King’s secrets? In between the lines of a tired old accounts ledger, a hidden history of espionage and scandal lies in wait. Antiquarian bookseller Tom Ayling and host Alice Loxton guide us through the secret affairs…

  • Trevor Paglen: Skynet

    February 20, 2024 · 13 min

    How dangerous is metadata? According to the artist and author Trevor Paglen, it can be deadly. Paglen joins host Alice Loxton to shine a light on Skynet – a network of all-seeing satellites – and the ominous AI algorithm that farms…

  • Simon Menner: The Coffee Pot

    February 13, 2024 · 13 min

    Who keeps on moving the coffee pot? That innocent question plunges one East German woman into a dangerous world of deception and betrayal. Photographer and archivist Simon Menner joins Alice Loxton to unravel a Cold War domestic mystery…

  • The Cultural Tutor: Napoleon’s Briefcase

    February 6, 2024 · 13 min

    How did Napoleon keep a sprawling empire under his thumb? Ask Sheehan Quirke – who runs the popular history feed, The Cultural Tutor – and he’ll tell you that the great historical leader depended on a vast network of spies to keep him…

  • Joana Vasconcelos: War Games

    January 30, 2024 · 15 min

    What secrets are hiding under the bed? For the Portuguese artist and sculptor, Joana Vasconcelos, a troubling inheritance of deceit lay lurking in wait in her late grandparents’ apartment. Here, she and host Alice Loxton discuss the dark…

  • Marc Newson - SR-71 Blackbird

    January 23, 2024 · 14 min

    How do you solve a problem like a Russian radar? That question lies at the heart of one of the most innovative and intricate planes ever to be made: the SR-71 Blackbird. Acclaimed industrial designer and artist Marc Newson and host Alice…

  • Dan Snow: PM's Despatch Box

    January 16, 2024 · 13 min

    What official secrets hide inside that battered red leather box? Popular historian Dan Snow and host Alice Loxton peer inside a Victorian Prime Minister’s despatch box, and speculate on the world-changing intelligence that such a storied…

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About the show

The Enigma Machine. The B2 stealth bomber. The poisoned-tipped umbrella. Napoleon’s Briefcase of Secrets. As long as there has been conflict, there have been spies, and as long as there have been spies, there have been incredible gadgets and iconic objects. These are the stories of the tools that power the world of espionage, hosted by Alice Loxton. Hit FOLLOW to get episodes every week. Get episodes early and ad-free with Spyscape+.