{"podcast":{"title":"HistoryExtra podcast","slug":"historyextra-podcast-746104","podcast_index_feed_id":746104,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/GLT5697813216","website_url":"http://www.historyextra.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/190b5144-ab83-11ed-82db-5fcd2fc76b79/image/b0b3b47eb14297ab7b0906abab7b8b52.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"HistoryExtra","episode_count":2624,"summary":"The HistoryExtra podcast brings you gripping stories from the past and fascinating historical conversations with the world's leading historical experts. HistoryExtra is a free history podcast, with episodes released six times a week. Subscribe now for the real stories behind your favourite films, TV shows and period dramas, as well as compelling insights into lesser-known aspects of the past. We delve into global history stories spanning the ancient world right up to the modern day. You’ll hear deep dives into the lives of famous historical figures like Cleopatra, Anne Boleyn and Winston Churchill, and explorations of intriguing events from the past, such as the Salem witch trials, the battle of Waterloo and D-Day. Expect fresh takes on history, helping you get to grips with the latest research, as we explore everything from ancient Roman archaeology and Viking mythology to Renaissance royals and Tudor kings and queens. Our episodes touch on a wide range of historical eras – from the Normans and Saxons to the Stuarts, Victorians and the Regency period. We cover the most popular historical subjects, from the medieval world to the Second World War, but you’ll also hear conversations…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-19T22:18:48.611786+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104"},"episode":{"title":"Masters of disinformation: how British spies played dirty in the Cold War","slug":"masters-of-disinformation-how-british-spies-played-dirty-in-the-cold-war","published_at":"2026-06-11T23:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/masters-of-disinformation-how-british-spies-played-dirty-in-the-cold-war","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8459493479.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/NSR8459493479.mp3","summary":"They 'haunted' an Indonesian general with a talking ghost and planted fake hippies in a Bulgarian youth festival. But did they change the course of the Cold War? Rory Cormac introduces Spencer Mizen to the comically absurd – and dangerously controversial – tactics deployed by a group of misfits and mavericks charged with raining down confusion on Britain's adversaries in the 1950s and 60s. ----- GO BEYOND THE PODCAST To hear more from Rory Cormac on the HistoryExtra podcast, listen to him discussing Queen Victoria's spy network here: https://bit.ly/4sHYQKJ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"They 'haunted' an Indonesian general with a talking ghost and planted fake hippies in a Bulgarian youth festival. But did they change the course of the Co…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2081,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/historyextra-podcast-746104/episodes/masters-of-disinformation-how-british-spies-played-dirty-in-the-cold-war/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/historyextra-podcast-746104/masters-of-disinformation-how-british-spies-played-dirty-in-the-cold-war.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}