Looking for funny spy podcasts that don't take themselves too seriously? From James Bond takedowns to hopeless secret agents and international conspiracies, these ten comedy podcasts are licensed to make you laugh.
Being a spy sounds glamorous. Exotic locations, expensive suits, extraordinary gadgets and occasionally saving the world before lunch.
Of course, the reality probably involves a lot more paperwork, middle management and trying to remember which fake name you're currently using.
Fortunately, comedy and espionage make excellent partners. Whether it's sending up the ridiculous conventions of spy movies, following catastrophically incompetent secret agents or discovering the funny side of international intrigue, there's plenty to enjoy.
Here are ten funny spy podcasts covering everything from scripted audio adventures to film criticism, satire and family-friendly missions.
1. SpyHards – A Spy Movie Podcast
Best for: Spy film fans who enjoy sharp observations and entertaining conversation
Format: Weekly film discussions, reviews and interviews
James Bond. Ethan Hunt. Jason Bourne. Johnny English. Some save the world with style. Others can barely operate a gadget without injuring themselves. Fortunately, Agent Scott Hardy and Cam the Provocateur are here to investigate.
SpyHards takes listeners through the wonderfully varied world of espionage cinema, from stone-cold classics to films that probably should have remained classified.
Along the way, the hosts uncover production secrets, interview the people behind the films and decide which titles deserve a place on their prestigious N.O.C. List.
It's affectionate, funny and occasionally merciless, with enough genuine film knowledge to satisfy serious enthusiasts and enough ridiculous moments to entertain everyone else.
Why listen? Widely noted as the world's number one spy podcast based on Apple chart positions globally.
2. Mission Rejected
Best for: Fans of classic spy spoofs and ensemble sitcoms
Format: Full-cast scripted comedy adventure
The world's greatest secret agent has decided not to accept his latest mission. Apparently that's allowed.
Unfortunately, somebody still needs to save the world.
Enter the backup team: a nervous office worker, a convicted hacker, a fading sitcom star and a reassigned White House intern.
Mission Rejected follows these spectacularly underqualified replacements as they attempt dangerous international operations with wildly unpredictable results.
With elaborate sound design, an expanding cast and plenty of running jokes, this is espionage comedy that celebrates the art of getting things spectacularly wrong.
Why listen? Imagine Mission: Impossible if the recruitment department had accidentally deleted all the good applicants.
3. Operation Cordelia
Best for: Dark political humour and Cold War conspiracies
Format: Found-audio scripted espionage comedy
It's the 1970s, tensions between East and West are running high, and one deeply neurotic CIA officer is attempting to prevent a catastrophic terrorist attack.
What could possibly go wrong?
Operation Cordelia follows Vance Calhoun through an increasingly tangled web of political ambition, personal crises and international intrigue.
Told through intercepted telephone calls, news broadcasts, surveillance recordings and other supposedly recovered audio, the series creates the feeling of listening to a very strange collection of classified intelligence files.
The result is an inventive mix of Cold War thriller and absurdist political comedy.
Why listen? Because saving the world is considerably harder when your own psychological stability is part of the problem.
4. Kill James Bond!
Best for: Satirical film criticism and irreverent cultural commentary
Format: Comedy discussion and movie analysis
What if James Bond isn't actually someone we should aspire to be?
That's one of the questions behind Kill James Bond!, the comedy podcast from November Kelly, Abigail Thorn and Devon.
Beginning with the Bond franchise, the show has expanded into action movies, war films, heist movies and the strange cinematic ideas about masculinity that connect them.
The hosts interrogate familiar heroes, absurd plot developments and questionable creative choices with a mixture of sharp criticism and increasingly chaotic humour.
It's more than a film review show. It's an affectionate and frequently savage examination of an entire genre.
Why listen? Because sometimes the most dangerous weapon in a spy movie is the main character's ego.
5. The Bootsy Boys' Blackbird
Best for: Absurdist comedy and extravagant action-movie parody
Format: Scripted sketch-comedy thriller
When Michael Flatley's much-discussed spy movie Blackbird was taking its time reaching audiences, Irish sketch group The Bootsy Boys decided to make their own version.
The resulting audio adventure is exactly the sort of gloriously unnecessary undertaking that makes independent comedy so entertaining.
Created by members of Dublin's MOB Theatre, this fictional reimagining embraces the excesses of action thrillers and the absurd possibilities of spy storytelling.
It's a particularly appealing choice for listeners who enjoy comedy that knows how ridiculous its own premise is.
Why listen? Because the world clearly needed another extravagant spy thriller. Preferably one made by comedians.
Find The Bootsy Boys' Blackbird
6. Max & Ivan: Fugitives
Best for: British comedy and conspiracy thrillers
Format: Scripted international comedy thriller
Two ordinary software developers find themselves in possession of a laptop containing extremely sensitive information.
Naturally, the next thing they know, someone's trying to kill them.
Max & Ivan: Fugitives follows comedians Max Olesker and Ivan Gonzalez as their characters become unwilling participants in a sprawling international conspiracy.
Featuring an impressive cast including Adam Buxton, Gemma Whelan, Alice Lowe and Stephen Mangan, the series combines an increasingly dangerous espionage plot with the gloriously mundane reactions of two people who really weren't expecting their lives to get this complicated.
Why listen? It's a reminder that stumbling into a global intelligence conspiracy is probably quite inconvenient when you've got an ordinary job to get back to.
Listen to Max & Ivan: Fugitives
7. Spyology Squad
Best for: Kids and families
Format: Scripted spy adventures with educational storytelling
Who says international espionage is just for grown-ups?
Spyology Squad follows young agents Jayden and Ava, alongside Mr Jim, as they battle the villainous Dr Stinkybreath and his army of Purple Ninjas.
Fortunately, their greatest weapon isn't a laser-equipped watch or exploding briefcase. It's science.
The adventures combine imaginative spy storytelling with real scientific ideas, encouraging younger listeners to solve problems, ask questions and think creatively.
Designed for children aged approximately six to twelve, it's a playful alternative to the considerably more murderous world of adult espionage fiction.
Why listen? Because every great secret agent should understand gravity before attempting to escape from a helicopter.
8. The Amelia Project
Best for: Dark comedy, secret identities and eccentric characters
Format: Full-cast mystery-comedy audio drama
Sometimes disappearing is more important than being discovered.
The Amelia Project follows a highly secretive organisation specialising in an unusual service: helping clients fake their deaths and begin entirely new lives. Its customers range from criminals and politicians to cult leaders and other wonderfully eccentric individuals.
Through elaborate interviews, ingenious plans and an alarming amount of cocoa, the agency helps people disappear while attempting to keep its own existence hidden.
Strictly speaking, this is more clandestine conspiracy than traditional espionage, but its obsession with covert identities and elaborate deception makes it an excellent companion to spy comedy.
Why listen? Because changing your identity sounds considerably more enjoyable when somebody else handles all the paperwork.
9. Justin Thyme
Best for: Old-fashioned spy farce and gloriously silly wordplay
Format: Short-form scripted espionage comedy
A secret agent named Justin Thyme. A supporting cast featuring suspiciously pun-filled names. International conspiracies threatening global catastrophe.
Subtlety has clearly left the building.
Written and directed by Joe Swenson, Justin Thyme follows its titular agent through increasingly ludicrous missions involving Russian operatives, mistaken identities, dangerous criminals and organisational incompetence.
The episodes are relatively short, making this an easy show to dip into when you fancy an uncomplicated comedy adventure.
There's plenty of affectionate mockery of traditional spy thrillers, particularly the habit of giving secret agents impossibly convenient names.
Why listen? Because when the world needs saving, there's only one man who can arrive at precisely the right moment.
10. Smersh Pod
Best for: British humour, Bond nostalgia and ridiculous films
Format: Comedy film reviews with guests
Originally built around the wonderfully excessive world of James Bond, Smersh Pod has since expanded into a much broader exploration of cinema.
Hosted by comedian and writer John Rain, the show brings together guests to dissect films with a combination of genuine enthusiasm, forensic attention to ridiculous details and gloriously irreverent humour.
Bond's more questionable adventures remain an important part of its history, but the podcast's wider film coverage means there's plenty to enjoy beyond the world of 007.
It's particularly well suited to anyone who loves cinema but doesn't believe that being a film enthusiast requires taking everything seriously.
Why listen? Because a villain's secret underwater headquarters deserves the same scrutiny as their suspiciously impractical business plan.
Which funny spy podcasts should you listen to first?
If you're a fan of James Bond, SpyHards, Kill James Bond! and Smersh Pod offer three distinctly different approaches to the world of spy movies.
For fictional espionage adventures, Mission Rejected and Justin Thyme take the genre into wonderfully ridiculous territory, while Operation Cordelia mixes genuine Cold War intrigue with dark political humour.
If you prefer a British comedy thriller, try Max & Ivan: Fugitives, or embrace the absurd with The Bootsy Boys' Blackbird.
Families can get involved with Spyology Squad, while The Amelia Project is perfect for anyone who enjoys elaborate secrets, eccentric characters and the occasional suspicious disappearance.
Whatever your preferred mission, these podcasts prove that the secret world doesn't always need to be taken seriously.
Discover more brilliant independent comedy podcasts at Podomedy.