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The Secret World of Roald Dahl podcast launch on 19th January 2026

By: Anders Frejdh
Published:
2026-01-20
The Secret World of Roald Dahl, podcast, Ian Fleming
A new podcast series about Roald Dahl (1916-1990) - produced by filmmaker Ron Howard for iHeart - was launched on 19th January 2026. The 11-episode series go deep on Dahl’s friendship with Ian Fleming and their time in The Irregulars (a British spy ring in Washington DC during World War II), as well as Dahl’s experience writing the screenplay for the fifth James Bond film, You Only Live Twice (1967).

You know Roald Dahl as the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the BFG. But did you know he was also a spy? The Secret World of Roald Dahl is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life. How did this secret agent and struggling screenwriter wind up as the most successful children’s author ever? And what darkness from his covert past seeped into the stories we read as kids? A dark, twisty, fascinating true story.

The trailer for The Secret World of Roald Dahl podcast:




Episode 3, which will be released on 2nd February 2026, focuses on Dahl’s time writing the screenplay to You Only Live Twice for producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Best known for his children’s stories, Dahl brought his own wartime experience and mischievous flair to the Bond universe. This influence is perhaps most clear in the infamous aerial battle involving the gadget-laden gyrocopter ‘Little Nellie’. As an RAF pilot during the war, Dahl had been involved in similar combat, an experience he described in vivid detail in his autobiography Going Solo:

“Six different shafts of bright orange-red came arcing towards me from six different turrets. They were like very thin streams of coloured water from six different hosepipes. I found them fascinating to watch.”

Albert R. Broccoli, Roald Dahl, Harry Saltzman, You Only Live Twice
Albert R. Broccoli, Roald Dahl and Harry Saltzman discuss the screenplay for You Only Live Twice. All rights reserved.

Visit the official site for The Secret World of Roald Dahl for all episodes.

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#you_only_live_twice
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