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Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out – and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes. This is Deborah's second podcast series for Sky News. In her first series, Into The Grey Zone, Deborah explores the murky evolution of warfare. What do assassinations, cyber hacks and disinformation have in common? They're all weapons used by states against each other in a grey zone of harm under the threshold of war, but could be just as dangerous if ignored.
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Contact path
Public web form
Booking probability
28%
Guest openness
Selective
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Signup to Generate a PitchRussia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major five-part series from Sky News and Tortoise which imagines how a Russian attack on the UK could play out, and invites real-life former ministers, military chiefs and other experts to figure out how to defend the country. Written and presented by Sky News' security and defence editor, Deborah Haynes.
The Wargame is hosted by Sky News. The show has published 19 episodes to date.
Recent episodes include "A quick message from Deborah..." (11 September 2026, 1 minute), "A medieval cannon and the supply chains of modern war - Introducing Stuff Matters" (20 July 2026, 15 minutes), and "The Big Bluff | The Wargame Ep 7" (2 December 2025, 60 minutes).
The Wargame publishes roughly weekly, with episodes averaging 41 minutes across 19 episodes.
Booking probability for The Wargame is 28%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Wargame requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Wargame's contact route on record: public web form.
The strongest fits for The Wargame are Defense & International Affairs. The Wargame has a news audience.
Sky News hosts The Wargame, a news podcast with 19 episodes published.
Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.
The Wargame
As the world becomes more uncertain and the UK rethinks its approach to defence, we've launched the Sky News Defence Insider app to give subscribers exclusive access to insights and analysis, put your questions directly...
Follow Stuff Matters to never miss an episode. This is the surprising backstory of the howitzer cannon – an artillery weapon that has dominated battlefields for hundreds of years, from Napoleon to Ukraine, and forever...
Episode #7
In this final episode, discover what happens as the threat from Russia returns and the UK attempts to rearm. Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th in London . - Russia knows our...
So, how has the UK been left so poorly defended? Candid interviews with almost every real-life defence secretary since the end of the Cold War reveal all. Join us for The Wargame: Decoded on January 29th...
Episode #5
Hostilities worsen despite attempts to broker a ceasefire. What happens next requires difficult decisions and hard choices. - Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major five-part series from Sky...
Episode #4
A city is on fire. The UK fights back. Russia and Britain both have nuclear weapons. Will either country use them? - Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major five-part series from Sky News and...
Episode #3
The Prime Minister must address the nation. Meanwhile his ministers and officials do their best to deal with a crisis the UK hasn’t seriously prepared for in a generation. - Russia knows our weaknesses. But do...
Episode #2
Hostilities with Russia erupt into an unprecedented attack. The Prime Minister and his team scramble to respond. Will the UK’s allies choose to help them? - Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major...
Episode #1
Tensions with Russia escalate, and an imaginary week in the near future takes a turn for the unexpected. The Prime Minister calls an emergency Cobra meeting. - Russia knows our weaknesses. But do you? A major...
The Wargame
A bunker. A scenario. A group of former senior ministers, military chiefs and other experts. Russia knows our weaknesses – but do you? Sky News' security and defence editor Deborah Haynes presents The Wargame – a major...
In this final episode, we have the first ever interview with serving MI5 officers who work in counter intelligence. Tom and Kate talk about the challenge of grey zone threats from Russia and reveal their shock at the...
What happens when the grey zone becomes a war zone and what might future wars look like, with hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence and cyber changing calculations? These are questions Sky News journalist Deborah...
This episode explores a global battle of values between China and leading democracies over issues like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Xinjiang. It’s being fought with an array of covert weapons, from cyber attacks and...
Episode #6
On 3 January 2020, the United States killed Iran’s top spy master, Major General Qasem Soleimani, in a drone strike in Iraq. There was nothing grey or ambiguous about the assassination, but this episode explores the...
In their first joint interview, the director of the UK spy agency GCHQ and the top general in charge of cyber operations for the military talk about how the UK is using the power of cyber to push back against...
States, criminals and terrorists all use cyber to attack each other in the grey zone. It puts anyone with a computer in the firing line, but also means that anyone who understands computers has the ability to fight...
Episode #3
This episode looks at the grey zone weapon of hacking information – like private emails or documents – and then leaking it online to try to influence people or damage reputations. It is a tactic Russia’s military...
Episode #2
This episode explores a battle between truth and lies that’s threatening democracies around the world. It looks at how information is used as a weapon, not just by hostile foreign states, seeking to divide and weaken...
Episode #1
This episode seeks to explain what the grey zone is. It includes a warning from General Sir Nick Carter, the head of the UK’s armed forces, and Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, about the danger of ignoring attacks in...
The Wargame
What do assassinations, cyber hacks and disinformation have in common? They’re all weapons used by states against each other in a grey zone of harm that sits - deliberately - under the threshold of war, but could be...
Recent guests on The Wargame. Study who booked and why before you pitch.
journalist, author and economics expert, Sky News
former Secretary of State for Defense (UK), Britain’s ministry of defence
former Commander Joint Forces Command, senior consulting fellow, UK Joint Forces Command
Researcher in Russian Power Projection, Chatham House
PitchCentric classifies The Wargame under these industries. Guests from them are the closest fit, and each links to the best podcasts in that industry.
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