The Rest Is Classified
Enter the secretive world of spies, espionage, and covert operations. Hosted by former CIA analyst turned spy novelist, David McCloskey, and veteran security correspondent, Gordon Corera, this podcast unravels real-life spy stories, intelligence secrets, and the hidden power struggles shaping global events. From Cold War espionage to modern-day intelligence agencies like the CIA, MI6, and Mossad, explore the world of double agents, classified missions, and the shadowy figures who operate in them. Whether you're a true crime addict, a thriller fan, or fascinated by spy stories, this is the show for you.
9/11: How to Recruit a Hijacker (Ep 2)
What kind of men do you recruit to fly planes into skyscrapers? And as the 9/11 plot developed, why didnât the CIA spot what was coming?
Listen as David and Gordon chart the mission to recruit the attackers for the 9/11 attacks.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter...
The Man Who Briefed the President on 9/11
*** TO LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW, SUBSCRIBE TO THE DECLASSIFIED CLUB ***
-------------------
What was the first thing the President said after the September 11th attacks? Was 9/11 really a strategic failure? And, would Osama Bin Laden be happy with the post-9/11 world?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by former acting CIA Director, Michael Morrell, the man who briefed the President on two of the most consequential moments in modern US history: 9/11 and the killing of Bin Laden.
-------------------<...
9/11: The Rise of Osama bin Laden (Ep 1)
9/11 was the most devastating terrorist attack in history, but where did the plot come from? And when a freelance terrorist walks in with a plan to fly planes into American buildings, why did Osama Bin Laden almost say no?
Listen as David and Gordon begin their six-part exploration of how the 9/11 terror attacks came to pass, 25 years on.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â h...
The Secret Spy Network: Can Five Eyes Survive Trump? (Ep 4)
The Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance that has endured for decades. But can it survive Donald Trump in the White House?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by Richard Kerbaj for the final instalment of their series exploring the tumultuous history of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance.
-------------------
â â â The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbajâ â â
â â â The Defector by Richard Kerbajâ â â
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026...
The Secret Spy Network: How Snowden Nearly Destroyed Everything (Ep 3)
The Five Eyes are watching the world. But what happens when one eye is bigger than the other? And what happens when new threats emerge?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined again by author, journalist and filmmaker Richard Kerbaj, to explore the history of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance.
-------------------
â â The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbajâ â
â â The Defector by Richard Kerbajâ â
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIE...
The Secret Spy Network: Kim Philby Threatens the Alliance (Ep 2)
An intelligence alliance established to spy on the Soviets during the Cold War. But will it be able to hold together under crisis?
David and Gordon are once again joined by journalist, author and filmmaker Richard Kerbaj, to explore the history of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance.
-------------------
â The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbajâ
â The Defector by Richard Kerbajâ
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 202...
The Secret Spy Network: How The US and UK Spy Together (Ep 1)
It is most powerful intelligence alliance the world has ever seen But what is the Five Eyes and how did it begin?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by journalist, author and filmmaker Richard Kerbaj, to explore one of the world's most significant and longstanding intelligence sharing alliances.
-------------------
The Secret History of the Five Eyes by Richard Kerbaj
The Defector by Richard Kerbaj
-------------------
THE REST IS...
The Imitation Game: The Codebreakers Who Defeated Hitler (Ep 2)
Alan Turing is working frantically to break the German codes at Bletchley Park. But can the Brits and Americans really trust each other?
Listen as David and Gordon conclude their two-part exploration of the incredible work undertaken at the predecessor to GCHQ.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsl...
The Imitation Game: How Alan Turing Broke Enigma (Ep 1)
A secret mission in the middle of a war to Bletchley Park. One that will lead to the closest intelligence alliance in history.
Listen as David and Gordon tell the secret history of how the codebreakers at Bletchley Park worked with their American allies to defeat Hitler.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sig...
Have the US and Israel Always Spied on Each Other? (Ep 2)
How did Israelâs spy in America Jonathan Pollard wind up getting caught? And what does the sordid episode tell us about the nature of the spy relationship between America and Israel?
David and Gordon explore how an US-Israeli spy stole hundreds of classified documents in the 1980s, and what this story tells us about the contemporary espionage relationships between the US and Israel.Â
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southban...
Did Israel Spy on Trumpâs Iran Negotiations? (Ep 1)
Do Israel and America spy on each other? And how do close allies navigate stealing each otherâs secrets?
Listen as David and Gordon step inside the tricky intelligence sharing relationship between the US and Israel.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki t...
The Plot to Destroy Russiaâs Gas Empire (Ep 2)
How did a group of civilian divers carry out whatâs been described as one of the greatest acts of sabotage of the 21st century? And have they finally been exposed?
Listen as David and Gordon unpack the investigation into who blew up the Nord Stream Pipeline in 2022 with Bojan Pancevski, Chief European Political Correspondent of the Wall Street Journal and author of the newly released book, The Nord Stream Conspiracy.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your ti...
Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline? (Ep 1)
Why did an undersea pipeline that sent Russian gas to Germany explode in 2022? And could a group of Ukrainian operatives really have been behind it?
David and Gordon are joined by Bojan Pancevski, Chief European Political Correspondent of the Wall Street Journal and author of the newly released book, The Nord Stream Conspiracy, to discuss who was really responsible for the explosion of the Nord Stream pipeline in 2022.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on s...
The True Story of the Spies Held Hostage by China (Ep 2)
A Chinese fighter jet and American spy plane collide over the South China Seas. And now a US aircrew are held hostage by their Chinese captors.
David and Gordon reach the dramatic crescendo of their story exploring the downing of a US spy plane over the South China Seas.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
...How China Downed a US Spy Plane (Ep 1)
What happens when a Chinese Fighter jet crashes into a US spy plane? The result is death, hostages and a major crisis with lessons for what could spark a war today.
Listen as David and Gordon tell the infamous story of the Hainan Island Incident.Â
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-u...
The Murder of Litvinenko: Did the British State Hide the Truth? (Ep 6)
Did the British state try to bury the truth of what happened to Alexander Litvinenko? And how did his wife, Marina, continue battling for justice?
Listen as David and Gordon conclude their series on the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter where...
The Murder of Litvinenko: The Killers Escape (Ep 5)
Radioactive poison has been used to kill Alexander Litvinenko on the streets of London. But where will the trail lead and can the police follow it to find his killers?
Listen as David and Gordon reach the penultimate episode in their exploration of the murder of Litvinenko.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
The Murder of Litvinenko: Russiaâs Nuclear Weapon (Ep 4)
Alexander Litvinenko has been poisoned in London⌠Now the race is on to work out what is slowly killing him.
In this episode David and Gordon tell the story of the race to discover what the Russian security services used to murder Litvinenko.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up...
The Murder of Litvinenko: Killed in Plain Sight (Ep 3)
Russian assassins are closing in on Alexander Litvinenko⌠But who will deal the fatal blow?
Listen as David and Gordon explore the dramatic moments leading up to the murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you...
The Murder of Litvinenko: Putinâs Plan To Kill (Ep 2)
Former Russian Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko is in exile in London. But his clash with Vladimir Putin will only increase in its intensity - placing the two men on a collision course towards certain doom.
David and Gordon explore the potential motivations for the murder of Litvinenko by the Russian security services in 2006.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/t...
The Murder of Litvinenko: Poisoned in London (Ep 1)
A Russian security service officer murdered in London, with radioactive poison. But who gave the orders and why?
Listen as David and Gordon begin their six-part investigation into the 2006 murder of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko on the streets of London.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newslette...
Trump's New Director of National Intelligence and the CIA's Missing Gold Bars
Who is Trump's new Director of National Intelligence? Is the US Intelligence Community becoming increasingly politicised? And what's the story behind the CIA officer who has allegedly stolen millions of dollars in gold bars?
Listen as David and Gordon head inside some of the latest news stories coming out of the world of intelligence in the US.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https...
The Covid Origin Story: What the CIA Really Found (Ep 2)
What do the CIA think caused the Covid pandemic? And did Trump and Biden sway the CIAâs intelligence assessments?
Listen as David and Gordon assess whether Trump and Biden played politics with the investigation into the origins of the Covid virus.Â
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newslett...
The Covid Origin Story: Lab Leak or Animal Outbreak? (Ep 1)
Where does the CIA think the Covid-19 virus came from? And could it have been intentionally leaked as an act of biological warfare?
Listen as David and Gordon step inside the investigation as to where Covid came from.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter where prod...
Why England Didn't Win the 1970 World Cup (Ep 2)
Could England have won the 1970 World Cup if their star goalkeeper, Gordon Banks, hadn't contracted food poisoning the day before the quarter-final? And could the CIA have had anything to do with England's 60 years of hurt?
David and Gordon are joined by journalist Gabriel Gatehouse to get to the bottom of whether the CIA poisoned England's World Cup ambitions.
-------------------
Listen to Gabriel's full investigation, Foul Play: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/foul-play/id1896803199
-------------------
<...
Did the CIA Poison England's World Cup Goalkeeper? (Ep 1)
Why did Gordon Banks pull out of the 1970 World Cup quarter-final against West Germany? And was the CIA to blame?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by journalist Gabriel Gatehouse who has spent the past three years investigating whether the CIA poisoned England's star goalkeeper.
-------------------
Listen to Gabriel's full investigation, Foul Play: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/foul-play/id1896803199
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy...
Argo: Smuggled Out of Khomeini's Iran (Ep 4)
Six American diplomats are about to walk through the Tehran airport with alias Canadian passports. But will they make it through? And how does the real Argo end?
As the story reaches its dramatic conclusion, David and Gordon look at what can be learnt from the 1979 plot to smuggle six American diplomats out of Iran.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/wh...
Argo: How the CIA Made a Movie That Never Existed (Ep 3)
Tony Mendez has just landed in revolutionary Tehran. Now he must teach six terrified diplomats to be a Hollywood film crew⌠in 72 hours.
Listen as David and Gordon reach the climax of their adventure into the true story behind Argo.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-live/â â â â
-------------------
Sign-up for our free newsletter whe...
Is Iran Recruiting Spies to Conduct Anti-Semitic Attacks?
Are groups linked to the Islamic Republic recruiting spies on Telegram to coordinate anti-semitic attacks in Europe? How are Jordanian people feeling about the war in Iran? And why is anti-western sentiment reaching new heights in the Middle East?
Listen as David McCloskey is joined by award-winning CNN International Correspondent Jomana Karadsheh, to discuss her latest reporting on how what appear to be Iran-linked groups are using social media to recruit individuals to carry out surveillance and attacks on Jewish communities.
-------------------
THE REST...
Argo: Six Fugitives in Revolutionary Tehran (Ep 2)
Six Americans are hiding out as Canadian houseguests in Tehran. To get them out, the CIA will invent a Hollywood film studio that does not exist.
In this episode, David and Gordon examine how the CIA worked with Hollywood to plan a daring escape from revolutionary Iran during the hostage crisis.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rest-is-classified-l...
Argo: The Secret Iranian Hostage Crisis (Ep 1)
One of the most audacious rescue operations the CIA has ever run. It begins with a mob at the gates of the US Embassy in Tehran, six diplomats slipping out a side door, and a man painting a wolf in a studio above his garage in rural Maryland.
Listen as David and Gordon tell the true story of Argo.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 Septem...
Is NATO Prepared for a Russian Attack?
How worried are Baltic countries about the threat from Russia? Would the US protect its NATO allies from Putin? And what is happening on the Estonian border?
Last weekend, Gordon headed to the annual Lennart Meri security conference in Estonia to speak with experts from across the world about the security challenges the region is currently facing. Listen as he speaks with journalists, former presidents, and former NATO intelligence analysts about what is happening across the Baltics.
-------------------
Join the Declassified Club to go...
The Road to Iraq:Â George Bush's Unstoppable War (Ep 6)
Was Iraq WMD one of historyâs biggest intelligence failures? Why couldnât Saddam Hussein prove he has destroyed his weapons of mass destruction? And what is the legacy of the Iraq War in the Middle East?
Listen as David and Gordon conclude their investigation into Iraq WMD and analyse what has been learnt from the decision to go to war with Iraq.
-------------------
Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insi...
Why the Former Head of MI6 Has No Regrets About Iraq
** Join the Declassified Club at â therestisclassified.comâ  to listen to the full episode **
-------------------
What is the biggest misunderstanding people have about Iraq? What was Tony Blairâs fatal mistake? And, was MI6 too close to Downing Street?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by former head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, for a frank conversation about what we can - and cannot - conclude about Iraq, two decades on.
-------------------
Email: â â â â â therestisclassified@goalhanger.comâ â â <...
The Road to Iraq: What the Spies Got Wrong (Ep 5)
Who was âCurveballâ? Why did Colin Powell rely so heavily on flawed intelligence in his presentation to the UN? And how did this set the tone for the opposition to war?
As David and Gordon reach the penultimate episode in their series on Iraq WMD, they discuss how things could have gone so badly wrong.
-------------------
Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to epis...
The Road to Iraq: Tony Blair's Campaign for War (Ep 4)
What was the difference between the so-called âdodgy dossierâ and the real dossier prepared by Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell? Why did the US rush their vital National Intelligence Estimate? And why was the intelligence so weak?
Listen as David and Gordon explore how the US and UK sold the case for war in Iraq to the public.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https...
The CIA's Biggest Intelligence Failure with Michael Morrell
** Join the Declassified Club at â therestisclassified.comâ to listen to the full episode **
-------------------
How did intelligence biases shaped the final WMD assessment? What really happened with Colin Powellâs infamous UN speech? And, was Iraq the biggest intelligence failure in CIA history?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by former acting CIA Director, Michael Morrell, to discuss one of the most controversial episode in the agencyâs history, with the man in the room where it happened.
-------------------
Email: â ...
The Road to Iraq: How 9/11 Changed Everything (Ep 3)
How significant a role did 9/11 play in the decision to go to war in Iraq? And why did Tony Blair commit to standing by George W. Bush âno matter whatâ?
Listen as David and Gordon continue their series on Iraq WMD, charting the moment the Westâs relationship with the Middle East changed, forever.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-res...
The Road to Iraq: Saddam Hussein's Fatal Error (Ep 2)
Why did Saddam Hussein secretly destroy his weapons of mass destruction? When did the CIA start plotting against the Iraqi dictator? And did Hussein and Osama bin Laden ever meet?
In the second part of their series on Iraq WMD, David and Gordon chart how the mystery of Saddam Husseinâs weapons deepens.
-------------------
THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026 at The Rest Is Fest: Buy your tickets â â â â â â â â â â â â â to see David and Gordon live on stage at Londonâs Southbank Centre on 4 September: â â â â https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-res...
Alastair Campbell on the Iraq War
** Join the Declassified Club at therestisclassified.com to listen to the full episode **
-------------------
What was the relationship between Downing Street and the intelligence services really like? Did the British get played by the Americans? And, what was the real reason for Iraq?
Listen as David and Gordon are joined by Alastair Campbell to set the record straight on what really happened in the lead up to the Iraq invasion.
-------------------
Email: â â â â â therestisclassified@goalhanger.comâ â â
...