The Rest Is Classified
Episodes
64. Terror Strikes London: The Al-Qaeda Mastermind (Ep 3)
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He left a video for his daughter before he vanished to Pakistan. A quiet farewell, wrapped in the language of faith and finality. What no one knew was...
63. Terror Strikes London: What did MI5 know? (Ep 2)
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Fifteen months before the London bombings, MI5 had seen them. They had names, photographs, and addresses. Two of the men who would carry out the 7/7 a...
62. Terror Strikes London: 7/7 (Ep 1)
06 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
London woke up to joy and celebration on 7 July 2005. The city had just won the 2012 Olympics. It was a glorious summer. There were parties in the str...
61. The Truth About UFOs: Whistleblowers, Warplanes, and Worlds Unknown (Ep 4)
01 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For years, the term UFO conjured images of tin foil hats and elaborate cover-ups. But with recent official reports from the Office of the Director of ...
60. The Truth About UFOs: The CIA's Alien Obsession (Ep 3)
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1955, a United States Senator claimed he saw a "greenish-yellow ball rising rapidly" over the Soviet Union. Was it a Soviet secret weapon, an extra...
59. The Truth About UFOs: Alien Sightings (Ep 2)
24 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the mid-1970s, new, more outlandish claims about the Roswell incident began to surface: not one, but multiple crash sites, military recovery of ali...
58. The Truth About UFOs: The Roswell Incident (Ep 1)
22 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The date was July 8th, 1947. The Roswell Daily Record boldly announced: "RAAF Recovers Flying Saucer." How did this headline ignite a global obsession...
57. Why Israel Attacked Iran
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel may have escalated last Friday when Israel launched predawn strikes on its regional enemy, but tensions...
56. Bin Laden vs the CIA: Death in Pakistan (Ep 6)
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
His poetry celebrated a cosmic struggle of violence and glory, but his end was far from a medieval power play. Why did Osama bin Laden spend his final...
55. Bin Laden vs the CIA: The Hunt for the World's Most Wanted (Ep 5)
15 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A decade after 9/11, Osama bin Laden remained at large, a constant "running sore" for the US government. But how did a fleeting glimpse of a tall guy ...
54. Bin Laden vs the CIA: 9/11 (Ep 4)
10 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a clear September morning, the American homeland was shattered, revealing a vulnerability unforeseen for nearly two centuries. But, how did Osama b...
53. Bin Laden vs the CIA: The Great Escape (Ep 3)
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
"The walls of oppression and humiliation cannot be demolished except in a rain of bullets." These chilling words from Osama bin Laden's 1996 fatwa dec...
52. Bin Laden vs the CIA: Declaring Jihad (Ep 2)
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did a Saudi millionaire, seemingly more interested in a simple life than luxury, become the architect of a global terrorist organization? What per...
51. Bin Laden vs the CIA: The Origins of Al-Qaeda (Ep 1)
01 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What kind of man was Osama bin Laden before he became the world's most wanted terrorist? How did his early life and radical beliefs shape the figure w...
50. The Man Who Tried To Kill The KGB: On the Run from Russia (Ep 2)
27 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
49. The Man Who Tried To Kill The KGB: A Traitor in the Kremlin (Ep 1)
25 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
48. The Leak That Changed The World: Death of Privacy (Ep 6)
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do we have any privacy in the modern era? Why did Snowden do the things he did? Was he successful? And what is the closest Gordon Corera ever came to ...
47. The Leak That Changed The World: Spying on the World (Ep 5)
18 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stories continue to flood out of the Snowden leaks and it's not just American doing the spying. How were the British 'Mastering the Internet'? Should ...
46. The Leak That Changed The World: Snowden On The Run (Ep 4)
13 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The world has met Edward Snowden and now he fears repercussions. How will he escape Hong Kong? Where will he go? And will any nation be willing to ris...
45. The Leak That Changed The World: America Exposed (Ep 3)
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With Snowden now in possession of 1,500,000 secret American files, how can he get them in the public eye? Which journalists will he choose to help him...
44. The Leak That Changed The World: Stealing State Secrets (Ep 2)
06 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Snowden has decided he is going to leak some of America's biggest secrets, but first he needs to steal them. How do you steal from some of Amer...
43. The Leak That Changed The World: Snowden Hacks the System (Ep 1)
04 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who was Edward Snowden? Was he an ideologue or a disgruntled employee? And what led him to orchestrating the biggest leak in modern American history? ...
42. Putin’s Minions: The Master in Moscow (Ep 2)
29 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The game is afoot, and the stakes are higher than ever. Who was the real villain in the Minions spy saga? How did a fintech tycoon become a key player...
41. Putin’s Minions: How Russia Spies (Ep 1)
27 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do a fading seaside hotel, a self-proclaimed Q, and an eyelash champion have in common? They're all part of a bizarre Russian spy ring operating ...
40. Iran vs Israel: Mossad Assassinates Iranian Mastermind (Ep 2)
22 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The future of warfare is already here, and it's more terrifying than we imagined. How did Israel deploy a remote-controlled robotic gun to assassinate...
39. Iran vs Israel: Inside the Shadow War (Ep 1)
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do Israeli and Iranian intelligence fight each other? Who's the man behind the Iranian nuclear programme? And what is the Mossad operation aimed a...
Introducing... Legacy
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Legacy, hosted by historian Peter Frankopan and broadcaster Afua Hirsch, delves into the lives of some of history’s most influential figures - from...
38. CIA Mind Control: America’s Secret Cartel (Ep 4)
15 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Cold War paranoia fuel the CIA's mind control experiments? What did popular films like The Manchurian Candidate have to do with the agency's s...
37. CIA Mind Control: Sex, Drugs, and Mysterious Deaths (Ep 3)
13 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From LSD-fuelled hallucinations to medically-induced comas, the CIA explored every avenue in their search for mind control. But how did they justify t...
36. CIA Mind Control: Fighting Communism with LSD (Ep 2)
08 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who was the eccentric chemist at the heart of the CIA's most controversial experiments? What happened when Langley was turned into a testing ground fo...
35. CIA Mind Control: The Origin of MK Ultra (Ep 1)
06 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the government knew how to control your mind? Could a secret program unlock the secrets of the human psyche? And how far would the CIA go to w...
34. Putin's War: The Battle for Kyiv (Ep 4)
01 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What did the West know about Russia’s invasion before it happened? How did Ukraine prepare for a war they weren’t sure would come? And why did Mos...
33. Putin’s War: How Russian Intelligence Failed (Ep 3)
30 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Russia’s invasion of Ukraine go so badly wrong? What crucial mistakes did the Kremlin make in the opening days? And why did Putin’s inner ...
32. Putin’s War: The CIA Warn Zelensky (Ep 2)
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Ukraine defy the odds against Russia? What role did Western intelligence play in preparing Kyiv for war? And what did Western intelligence kno...
31. Putin’s War: The Secret Plot to Invade Ukraine (Ep 1)
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did western intelligence services learn of Putin's plan to invade Ukraine? 2021 is drawing to a close and the CIA is becoming increasingly concer...
30. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: Showdown with MI5 (Ep 4)
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 h...
29. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: Deception at Los Alamos (Ep 3)
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did a Russian spy end up at the heart of the Manhattan Project? What happened when Soviet intelligence lost track of their own spy? And how did on...
28. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: The Manhattan Project (Ep 2)
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a man betray his closest friends? How did a German refugee help Stalin build the bomb? And why did British intelligence fail to spot the mo...
27. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: Fighting the Nazis (Ep 1)
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Who was the Russian spy working under Oppenheimer to build the atomic bomb? Why was it so dangerous to be a communist in Nazi Germany? And how did a y...
26. The Intelligence War: Trump and the End of American Support for Ukraine
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has paused all intelligence sharing with Ukraine. What does this mean? What intelligence was being shared? How dependent are Ukraine on t...
25. Trump vs the CIA: The Halloween Massacre (Ep 2)
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When the CIA is forced to downsize, who gets cut? What happens to the intelligence left behind? And how does political control change the way spies op...
24. Trump vs the CIA: Purging the Deep State (Ep 1)
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do politicians control the CIA? What happens when politics affects the way it is run? And how often does the White House clash with Langley? Trum...
23. Why Trump Wants Greenland: The Lost Nuclear Bomb (Ep 2)
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can nuclear missiles really just disappear? Why is Greenland so important to the security of the United States? And will Donald Trump go all the way w...
22. Why Trump Wants Greenland: Secret Bases, The Arctic Circle, and Project Iceworm (Ep 1)
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants Greenland, but why? What is it about this largely barren, ice-covered island that extends well into the A...
21. Death on the Thames: The Poisoned Umbrella (Ep 2)
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Was an umbrella too obvious a murder weapon for an assassination in the heart of London? Why were the KGB hesitant to do the Bulgarian government's di...
20. Death on the Thames: An Assassin in London (Ep 1)
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you get away with murder in the heart of London? And which weapon would you choose to avoid arousing suspicion? Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian ...
19. Attack on Greenpeace: Death in the Pacific (Ep 2)
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Did the French secret service commit an act of state terrorism by sinking a Greenpeace ship? Why did the tragedy of the Rainbow Warrior become known a...
18. Attack on Greenpeace: France’s Nuclear Bomb (Ep 1)
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why were the French exploding nuclear bombs in the Pacific in the 70s and 80s? How did a spy manage to infiltrate Greenpeace? And what on earth are li...
17. Crossing the Iron Curtain: Revenge in Russia (Ep 4)
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Will Tolkachev fall at the final hurdle and land in the hands of the KGB? How do the CIA go about protecting their assets in the field? And, does it r...
16. Crossing the Iron Curtain: Escape From the KGB (Ep 3)
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How would you disguise a cyanide pill for a CIA spy in Moscow during the Cold War? What risks could Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles pose to ...
The Seventh Floor (Extract)
01 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
To coincide with the release of David's latest novel, The Seventh Floor, we have the book’s first chapter in audiobook form for you to enjoy. Bou...
15. Crossing the Iron Curtain: The Cold War’s Most Valuable Spy (Ep 2)
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Was it possible to avoid KGB surveillance in Moscow as a CIA agent at the height of the Cold War? What motivates someone to spy on their country for a...
14. Crossing the Iron Curtain: The CIA’s Mole In Moscow (Ep 1)
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did the CIA recruit a Russian asset in Moscow during the height of the Cold War? Why would someone be so determined to defect from the Soviet Unio...
13. How China Spies: Trump, TikTok, and Taiwan
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is the Chinese state using TikTok to spy on you? Why did President Biden move to shut TikTok down in the US the day before Trump's inauguration? And w...
12. The Spy Who Loved Me: A Russian in New York (Ep 2)
21 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The net is closing in around Anna Chapman. She is being watched by the FBI as they suspect her of being a Russian spy. Her moves are being tracked, bu...
11. The Spy Who Loved Me: Undercover in Londongrad (Ep 1)
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did a Russian spy manage to infiltrate the upper echelons of London and New York society? Was Anna Chapman really an old fashioned Russian honeytr...
10. North Korea’s CIA: The Billion Dollar Heist (Ep 2)
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when an authoritarian state runs its security services like an organised crime syndicate? Why did a group of North Korean cyber criminals...
9. North Korea’s CIA: Inside Kim’s Crime Family (Ep 1)
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did a group of North Korean cyber criminals manage to pull off the biggest bank heist in history? Did Kim Jong Un really orchestrate the murder of...
8. The Man Who Made MI6
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The daring, gadget-loving, mischievous founder of MI6. Mansfield Cumming, the first C, was a former navy man brought out of retirement to keep tabs on...
7. The Real Godfather: The Assassination that Shook Syria (Ep 2)
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Did the assassination of Rafic Hariri lay the foundations for the ultimate downfall of the Assad regime? And was the Syrian dictator always destined f...
6. The Real Godfather: Assad’s Syrian Mafia (Ep 1)
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did Bashar al-Assad become one of the Middle East’s most feared dictators? What role did Hezbollah play in the assassination of the Lebanese Pri...
5. CIA vs the Taliban: Bin Laden's Trojan Horse (Ep 2)
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mazar i-Sharif has fallen without much of a fight. The Taliban's grip on Afghanistan is looking all the more shaky. It seems as if the American policy...
4. The Rise and Fall of Assad's Spy State
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What will western and Syrian spy services be focusing on following the fall of Bashar al-Assad? Is Russia and Iran’s withdrawal from Syria similar t...
3. CIA vs the Taliban: Behind Enemy Lines (Ep 1)
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
America knew Al-Qaeda were behind the 9/11 attacks before the day was out. They knew they were being sheltered by the Taliban in Afghanistan and so th...
2. The First CIA Coup: Turmoil in Tehran (Ep 2)
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The first coup attempt has failed. The Shah has fled to Baghdad. The CIA have told Kermit he can leave if he's in a jam, but he chooses not to. He wan...
1. The First CIA Coup: Oil, Iran, and MI6 (Ep 1)
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome... to the first episode of The Rest Is Classified! It's Iran 1951. Mohammad Mossadegh, fuelled by an ever-growing nationalism, has just been ...
The Rest is Classified Trailer
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Rest Is Classified takes you into the mysterious world of spies and espionage. Hosted by former CIA analyst now turned spy novelist, David McClosk...