The Real James Bond

About this episode

This episode explores the life of Sidney Reilly, often considered the real James Bond, and examines the truth behind his legendary status as a super-spy.

In the early years of the twentieth century, long before James Bond stepped onto the page, one man was at work as a new kind of spy. He crossed borders as easily as he changed names, slipped between governments and criminal networks, and dealt in secrets that could mobilise armies and shake empires. To some, he was a genius. To others, a liability waiting to be exposed. That man’s name, or so we’re told, was Sidney Reilly. He is often described as the real James Bond – the man whose nerve, charm, and audacity helped shape the modern image of the spy. But was Sidney Reilly truly the world’s first modern super-spy? How much of his legend was built on real intelligence work, and how much on stories he told about himself? And in the end, did Reilly master the world of espionage… or did it finally turn his own methods against him? This is a Short History Of the Real James Bond. A Noiser podcast production. Hosted by John Hopkins. With thanks to Andrew Cook, author of Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly. Written by Sean Coleman | Produced by Kate Simants | Production Assistant: Chris McDonald | Exec produced by Katrina Hughes | Sound supervisor: Tom Pink | Sound design by…

People in this episode

Host: John Hopkins

Topics covered

• espionage
• spy history
• James Bond
• Sidney Reilly
• intelligence work

Keywords

• Sidney Reilly
• James Bond
• espionage
• spy
• intelligence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Noiser

Books & works: Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly

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