True Spies Debriefs: Stephen Davis on Flight 149

True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

SPYSCAPE

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.6 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2025

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Journalist Stephen Davis has spent 30 years working to uncover the truth behind one of the most secretive chapters of the Gulf War. When British Airways Flight 149 landed in Kuwait on the 2nd of August, 1990, Saddam Hussein's invading army took the passengers hostage. Today, some of those passengers allege that they were subjected to horrific treatment - and that the British government could have averted their ordeal. In this Debrief, True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins Stephen to discuss his research in to the case. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Ready to launch your business? Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs. Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run and grow your business with easy customizable themes that let you build your brand, marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually save you time. From startups to scaleups, in-person, and on the go. Shopify is made for
0:22.8	entrepreneurs like you. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at Shopify.com slash setup.
0:30.3	It's the cinematic event of the year. Critics are saying a stunning, breathtaking triumph of savings.
0:38.1	It's two-for-one cinema tickets from Compa's Market in cinemas all year.
0:42.8	That sounds like a great movie.
0:44.2	Sergei is no movie. It's two-for-one offer on cinema tickets.
0:47.7	Oh yeah. I knew that.
0:49.4	Get two-for-one cinema tickets every Tuesday or Wednesday with Compares the Market.
0:53.2	Simples.
0:54.1	When you take out a qualifying product to compare the market, one membership per year,
0:57.1	participating cinemas, two standard tickets only cheap as free.
0:59.3	T's and C's apply.
1:00.5	Content warning.
1:01.4	This episode contains references to sexual violence.
1:09.9	Well, if you can hear me take encryption button off the train.
1:16.0	Hello, true spies, listeners.
1:18.7	Welcome back to our new assignment, True spies debrief.
1:22.6	In August of 1990, a British Airways 747 departed from London's Heathrow Airport and landed in
1:31.2	Kuwait. There, its passengers were swiftly captured by Iraqi soldiers and held hostage,
1:38.4	used as so-called human shields. Iraq had invaded the country hours before the flight was due to arrive. So why had the
1:46.2	plane landed? What did the British government know about the invasion? And what truths might it have
1:52.0	deliberately withheld? True Spies producer Morgan Childs put these questions to Stephen Davis,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 9 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from SPYSCAPE, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of SPYSCAPE and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.