Podcasts · Government · Society & Culture

Londongrad

Tortoise Media

16 episodes · in order

Season 2 of Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads.

More about the show

Award-winning investigative reporter Paul Caruana Galizia returns to report the story of the foiled assassination attempts on British soil of Iranian nationals. Since January 2022, there has been an attempted assassination or kidnap at least once a month – all ordered by the Iranian government.

In this four-part series, Paul will delve into how these attempts unfolded, why they have become so prevalent and who is behind them. It's a story about Iran, about freedom of the press, but most of all, it’s about Britain – who the country chooses to protect and why.

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Episodes

  1. Introducing: Londongrad

    · 2:50 · Trailer

    Season 1 of Londongrad: How the Lebedevs partied their way to power is a 6 part series investigating two men who are at the heart of the story of Britain opening its doors to Russian oligarchs. Alexander Lebedev is a…

  2. Londongrad episode 1: The advance party

    · 28 min · S1 E1

    Britain prides itself on being impregnable; a country which hasn’t been invaded for 1000 years and can’t be bought. The Lebedevs give the lie to all that. They spent a lot, but not a fortune, buying their way into…

  3. Londongrad episode 2: The Royal Borough of Kensington and Moscow

    · 33 min · S1 E2

    The oligarchs who made their way to London in the early 2000s and changed it presented themselves as embodiments of the new Russia; members of the global elite, and arms-length beneficiaries of Vladimir Putin’s new…

  4. Londongrad episode 3: Project Venus

    · 32 min · S1 E3

    There comes a moment in any successful invasion of a country when you can no longer hide, your plans have to become obvious. It’s a moment of jeopardy but if you can get through it - as Alexander and Evgeny Lebedev did…

  5. Londongrad episode 4: Doubling down

    · 33 min · S1 E4

    Years of warnings about Russia’s intentions had gone unheeded; discounted as scaremongering. But then came the invasion of Crimea, and the end of any doubts. In spite of it all, the Lebedevs' ascent in London…

  6. Londongrad episode 5: A blind eye

    · 34 min · S1 E5

    The Intelligence and Security Committee of the British Parliament produced a report into Russian interference in British democracy. Boris Johnson saw it before his general election landslide in 2019. But his government…

  7. Londongrad episode 6: Lord of the spies

    · 37 min · S1 E6

    It’s no secret that political patronage can get you a place in the House of Lords. But even people who understand the system well - even peers themselves - were appalled when Boris Johnson decided to extend his…

  8. Londongrad season 1 bonus episode: The Johnson affair

    · 34 min · S1 E7

    A former KGB officer, Britain’s foreign secretary – and a potential national security breach Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  9. Introducing Londongrad Season 2: Iran's Hit Squads

    · 2:15 · S2 E1 · Trailer

    Introducing Season 2 of Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads. Award-winning investigative reporter Paul Caruana Galizia returns to report the story of the foiled assassination attempts on British soil of Iranian nationals.…

  10. Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads – episode 1: Threat to Life

    · 35 min · S2 E1

    London is a dark city in the middle of the night- these are the words of Iranian journalist Aliasghar who received a threat to life warning from the Met police. The police told him he was in immediate danger in the…

  11. Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads – episode 2: Building 11

    · 27 min · S2 E2

    A lost photographer in a Chiswick business park, a nervous phone caller in LA and a speedboat bound for Caracas- who exactly are the hit men behind the threats? Episodes 1 + 2 are available for free. To get early…

  12. Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads - episode 3: Department 15

    · 29 min · S2 E3

    A Hell's Angels leader and an international heroin trafficker are just some of the unlikely hires for Iranian plots abroad. But who else is Iran commissioning for its assassinations and abductions? To get early access…

  13. Londongrad: Iran's Hit Squads - episode 4: The State

    · 35 min · S2 E4

    There are many competing visions for Iran and for what the country could become. In this episode, Paul asks whether enough is being done to protect Iranians overseas. To get early access to our reporting and ad-free…

  14. Introducing... Into The Dirt

    · 3:43 · Trailer

    From the team that brought you Sweet Bobby, and over three years in the making, Tortoise introduces Into The Dirt – a story about truth, spies and the stories we tell ourselves. Misunderstood whistleblower or traitor…

  15. Introducing...Eight years' hard Labour

    · 4:32 · Trailer

    Introducing…Eight years’ hard Labour, hosted by David Aaronovitch. A new six part series from Tortoise which tells the inside story of a double revolution in the Labour Party which defined Britain’s present and will…

  16. Introducing...The Gas Man

    · 34 min · Trailer

    Introducing...The Gas Man It starts with a tip-off. It’s the late 1980s and US Special Agent Dennis Bass is warned about a shipment of suspicious chemicals headed to a secret destination. So he follows the lead – and…

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