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The Spy Who

Encore: The Spy Who Inspired 007 | The Other James Bonds | 5

The Spy Who

Audible

History

4.6891 Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2025

⏱️ 22 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Charlotte Philby interviews Andrew Lycett, the biographer of Ian Fleming, about the other real life spies that inspired his most famous character: James Bond - including the flamboyant Biffy Dunderdale, the urbane Sir Peter Smithers and evenIan Fleming’s own escapades. But who is the most James Bond of all?

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Wonderry Plus subscribers can binge full seasons of the Spy Who early and add free on Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app.

0:15.2

From Wondery, I'm Charlotte Filby and this is The Spy Who.

0:19.8

In this series, The Spy Who inspired 007, we've been telling the story of the Serbian

0:24.8

Playboy triple agent Dusko Popov, whose antics at the casino Estereal were in origin for

0:31.9

the first James Bond novel.

0:34.4

And I'm sure many of you have already picked up on the various elements of Dushko Popov's personality

0:38.6

and story that have inspired the James Bond character.

0:42.3

The globe-trotting adventures, the womanising, the casino royale.

0:46.8

But it turns out Dushko Popov wasn't the only inspiration for 007,

0:51.1

and I look forward to talking with our guest today about the other spies whose

0:54.7

colorful lives and missions, and the best names ever, inspired the novelist Ian Fleming when he

1:00.3

created the character of James Bond. And we will try and establish which real-life spy is the most

1:06.1

James Bond of all.

1:13.2

Searching for a romantic summer getaway.

1:15.7

Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new audible original from Lily Chew.

1:20.0

The exquisitely talented Philippa Sue, returning to narrate her fifth Lily Chew title.

1:24.7

This time, Philippa is joined by her real-life husband, Stephen Pasquale,

1:28.8

set in Toronto's wealthy cottage country, aka the Hamptons of Canada. Rich Girl Summer follows the story

1:34.4

of Valerie, a down-on-her-luck event planner, posing as a socialite's long-lost daughter,

1:39.2

while piecing together the secrets surrounding a mysterious family and falling deeper and deeper

1:43.8

in love with the

1:44.9

impossibly hard to read and infuriatingly handsome family assistant, Nico. Caught between pretending

...

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