10 episodes
Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets The Binge
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- True Crime
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3.7 • 551 Ratings
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Cover Up is a series of investigative stories that take us on a journey into a world of subterfuge and secrecy - a world where the truth is concealed under a blanket of lies. From corrupt individuals to clandestine institutions, Cover Up exposes deceit, deception, and the abuse of power.
Season one uncovers the story of The Ministry of Secrets, one of the great unsolved mysteries of the Cold War. At its heart is a missing person — a wartime hero and international celebrity. But that’s just the starting point. It involves the royal family, MI6, the CIA, and the KGB. There are conspiracies. And lies. This story is so sensitive, so secret - that the truth is being withheld for 100 years, until 2057. Presenter Giles Milton and producer Sarah Peters are on a quest to find out why…
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A Sony Music Entertainment production.
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Episode 1: A Man Named Malec
Giles and Sarah set off on their quest to discover what happened to Lionel Crabb. A chance encounter leads them to ex-diver, Commander Julian Malec, the last living link to the Crabb mystery. He tells them of a story cloaked in secrecy.
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Archive:
Commander Crabb clip, 1956 - British Pathé
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Episode 2: A Letter from Mrs Crabb
Lionel Crabb was a celebrated wartime hero, feted in blockbuster films, and was even believed to be the model for James Bond. But when Giles and Sarah look through the Crabb files at the National Archives, a far more complex person starts to emerge. Those files also suggest that a sinister cover-up is at play.
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Show notes:
Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills
Various letters & memorandums - National Archives
The Silent Enemy, 1958 - Romulus Films
Frogman article, 29 April 1957, The Herald Newspaper
Anthony Eden’s speech at Bradford, 1956 - AP Archive
Duck and Cover, 1952 - Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division
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Episode 3: A Toast to Uncle Joe
Giles and Sarah find a 2007 video interview made by Crabb’s oldest friend, Sydney Knowles. This explosive interview is full of sensational revelations that will take the Lionel Crabb mystery in a whole new direction.
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Show notes:
Various materials - National Archives
Gordon Gutteridge quote - John Bevan, Crabbgate
Bulganin And Khrushchev visit, 1956 - British Pathé
San Francisco Prison Break Attempt, 1962 - British Pathé
Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills
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Episode 4: Detective Lamport and the Missing Page
Giles and Sarah investigate the first few days that followed Crabb’s disappearance with the help of Peter Marshall, the 90-year-old journalist who first broke the story. As they piece together what might have happened, they discover a sinister 1950s cover-up – one that extends to the very centre of power.
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Show notes:
Newspaper headlines:
The Times, 30 April 1956
The Times, 3 May 1956
Portsmouth Evening News, 1 May 1956
Le Monde, 7 May 1956
Le Monde, 14 May 1956
Bild Zeitung, circa June 1956
The Daily Mirror, 8 May 1956
The Daily Mirror, 9 May 1956
The Daily Mirror, 15 May 1956
Die Zeit, 10 May 1956
The New York Times, 13 June 1957
The New York Times, 29 May 1960
The Irish Times, 19 May 1956
The Irish Times, 10 May 1956
Der Spiegel, 22 May 1956
El Universal, 2006
HC Deb, Commander Crabb (Presumed Death), 09 May 1956 vol 552.
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
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Episode 5: The Confession of Eduard Koltsov
Giles and Sarah’s Russian fixer, Masha, finds a remarkable video interview with a former KGB diver, Eduard Koltsov – the last person to see Lionel Crabb on the day of his secret dive. His deathbed confession is graphic, shocking and believable. But can he be trusted?
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Show notes:
Eduard Koltsov interview, 2007 - Ren TV
Lord Mountbatten interview, 1969 - Fremantle
Death of Princess Diana announcement, 1997 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images
Operation Paget Press Conference, 2006 - BBC News
John Randall interview, 1957 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images
HC Deb, The Case of Commander Crabb, 14 May 1956, Vol 552.
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
Newspaper headlines:
The Independent, 21 December 2003
The Guardian, 20 October 2003
The Herald Sun, May 27 2019
The Independent, 31 May 2017
The Daily Record, 31 August 2022
The Daily Express, 18 June 2007
The Daily Mirror, 15 May 1956
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Episode 6: Fisherman John's Catch of the Day
Fourteen months after Lionel Crabb’s disappearance, in 1957, a corpse is found in Chichester Harbour, eight miles from Portsmouth. Is it Crabb? When Giles and Sarah discover a long-lost autopsy file in West Sussex archives, they seek help from Britain’s leading forensic pathologist, Dr Richard Shepherd.
Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets ad-free right now. Click "Subscribe" at the top of the Cover Up: Ministry of Secrets show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.
A Somethin’ Else & Sony Music Entertainment production.
Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
Show notes:
Mark Elliott interview, 2014 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images
John Randall interview, 1957 - BBC Motion Gallery/Getty Images
Sidney Knowles interview - David Jackson-Wills
Various materials - West Sussex County Archives
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Customer Reviews
Excellent, but…
Giles,
I am a committed reader of your writing and found this to be an engaging podcast. However, I wonder why you didn’t reference Nigel West’s book “The Friends” from 1990 which covers much of your discussion on the origins of Crab’s last mission.
Great name but….
The show goes downhill from there.
Fabulous Reporting!
If I ever go missing - presumed murdered, I want this team on the case! Holy Cow - what patience they have and the story telling is excellent! Highly recommended.
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