Introducing: Bear Hunt

350 British civilians are dead and Russia is responsible. Number 10 hits back as a hapless Prime Minister plays his hand in the age of regime decapitation. Bear Hunt is a technically rigorous action drama exploring the political manoeuvres, operational challenges and conflict expertise required to assassinate a head of state. Billed as a British Bourne, this geopolitical thriller pulls listeners into the white-hot corridors of power in Westminster and Washington. To the battlefields where the nation’s best learnt their killing trade. And to the mission itself, deep behind enemy lines. Goalhanger’s award-winning drama team worked with current and former military and defence professionals to shape the most accurate and daring mission conceivable: a forensic exploration of what it takes, in the modern age, to kill the President of the Russian Federation. Search and follow Bear Hunt now for weekly episodes straight into you feed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

• 0:02Speaker 00

  Thank you for listening to We Have Ways of Making You Talk. Sign up to our Patreon to receive bonus content, live streams and our weekly newsletter with money off books and museum visits as well, plus early access to all live show tickets. That's patreon.com/WeHaveWays.

• 0:25Speaker 01

  This series contains strong language and violence. It is fiction. Resemblance to reality is coincidental. This is Bear Hunt.

• 1:28Speaker 02

  The Great Game. It was cool.

• 1:33Speaker 02

  East India Company coined it, but Kipling, many others, all used it.

• 1:40Speaker 02

  Great Game. Strategic struggle between Britain and Russia.

• 1:47Speaker 02

  Two centuries long. Still going, clearly.

• 1:53Speaker 02

  Only it isn't much of a fucking game if one player is turning away from the board, eh Alex? Give your old pal Pilgrim a call.

• 2:07Speaker 03

  Over the North Sea, and this year 2025 is no different, Prime Minister. At 2111 hours, the captain and first officer believe the plane to be on course, 225 degree true. ATC confirm and get the same data, but their altitude readings are differing with the cockpit readings. At 2111, if both parties understood that reality, that's not a problem.

• 2:29Speaker 04

  Because this can happen and does.

• 2:31Speaker 03

  Does happen, that's right, Prime Minister. Not typically on the North Sea though. Now, we have from this point at 2111, the...

• 2:43Speaker 05

  Prime Minister, can we grab you for a second?

• 2:46Speaker 04

  Yeah, of course, Azra. Has Henry got a speech? Can I have this written up, please? Chris, yeah, thank you, yeah. Fran wants to get on top of it because there's reports saying it was a near-empty flight and that's just...

• 2:58Speaker 04

  Not, um... What is it?

• 3:02Speaker 05

  Cobra.

• 3:04Speaker 04

  Right. It's from Royal Navy ISR vessel correlated with RAF Rivet Joint Tasking. This vessel was in the North Sea and these are the abnormally strong L1, L2 signals it picked up at 2100 hours. Right, Phil, can you hear... Did you get that?

• 3:25Speaker 06

  Yeah.

• 3:26Speaker 04

  What's Anthony saying? We're talking a signal consistent with...

• 3:30Speaker 06

  GPS disturbance.

• 3:32Speaker 04

  This...

• 3:33Speaker 06

  Disturbance.

• 3:34Speaker 04

  Deliberate, do we think? Phil?

• 3:38Speaker 06

  Yes, yeah.

• 3:40Speaker 04

  Yes, it's deliberate, likely deliberate?

• 3:43Speaker 06

  Um, deliberate GNSS interference, um, consistent with spoofing, yeah, from a vessel in the area.

• 3:51Speaker 04

  NATO?

• 3:53Speaker 06

  We assess, Prime Minister, with high confidence it was Russian.

• 4:04Speaker 04

  There was, the, um... Someone said it earlier, the oil rig.

• 4:10Speaker 06

  Yes, Prime Minister, it was, it had incorrect coordinates, same patch of the central North Sea we're talking about here.

• 4:17Speaker 04

  Just sort of zooming out for a moment. It's a general activity that they were doing.

• 4:26Speaker 06

  Spoofed all GPS readings, yes, a part of their grey zone warfare strategy.

• 4:33Speaker 04

  Grey zone warfare. Right.

• 4:38Speaker 04

  So this GPS spoofing...

• 4:40Speaker 06

  It got the... No, no, sorry.

• 4:42Speaker 04

  No, no, go on.

• 4:44Speaker 06

  Yeah, that activity, yes, that got VA236.

• 4:52Speaker 04

  Keep me updated on the search. Prime Minister, Prime-

• 5:01Speaker 01

  Afghanistan. Fifteen years earlier.

• 5:07Speaker 04

  Situation right now in the year of our Lord 2010. Turns out turning poppy fields to coffee plantations here in Helmand is pretty fucking hostile work. Someone decided that since we can't buy Terry out, we're gonna dig him out, so some fucking peace. Lots of fucking democracy. Have some of that, Terry. And do things the American way. QOP Mostarak, which commenced a few months back, February 2010, I think. It's part of the new war model. Five months on, part of the new war model.

• 5:47Speaker 04

  Americans want a cleanup job before we deliver police, engineers and government in a box. And today's cleanup-

• 5:55Speaker 03

  Is to run a link up with a sniper element, is that right?

• 5:58Speaker 04

  Ooh, do you wanna take this brief, necky cunt? I'll finish fucking talking, shall I?

• 6:05Speaker 03

  Of course.

• 6:07Speaker 04

  Course?

• 6:08Speaker 03

  Yes, of course, Lance Corporal Wade, sir.

• 6:16Speaker 04

  Robertson, is it, yeah?

• 6:17Speaker 03

  Is, yeah.

• 6:19Speaker 04

  Go one click north, yeah? Fuck off, as fast as you can, to Sierra Papa Romeo 03984070. And link up with Duffy.

• 6:31Speaker 03

  Duffy?

• 6:33Speaker 04

  Corporal Tom Macduff.

• 6:35Speaker 03

  Thank you, Lance Corporal.

• 6:37Speaker 04

  Oh.

• 6:38Speaker 03

  What's needed for him?

• 6:40Speaker 04

  He's been there a pretty decent amount of time. Piss will need throwing. Maybe he's got a dump in there for you and all.

• 6:50Speaker 03

  Understood.

• 6:52Speaker 04

  That's the thrill of this job, Robertson mate, you never know. Could be piss, could be dump, could be spunk, eh? Hey, and if you drink all that, you're gonna mention in debrief. Fucking hero, you.

• 7:10Speaker 04

  Step in that vehicle and I'll blast it, I'm serious. Or just fucking blame Terry Taliban. Walk.

• 7:19Speaker 03

  Roger that.

• 7:31Speaker 03

  Corporal?

• 7:34Speaker 03

  Corporal Macduff? We're in Helmand, not Catrick.

• 7:39Speaker 03

  Duffy? Robbo, come take a pew, man.

• 7:44Speaker 03

  Your lucky day. Empty piss bottle? Not a drop.

• 7:51Speaker 03

  That's, uh, impressive. Slight dehydration and a packet of Biscuit Brown before we left. I'm locked down tighter than a jock's pockets. You see the Taliban out there? Oh aye, of course. There's a set of rangefinders in my day sack. Yep, sure, sure.

• 8:13Speaker 03

  I spy with my 40 power I something beginning with D. Desert? No, Deckers. Duo of Deckers with a duschka. Jen? I'll bring me on, I can't see them. See Alpha 14? Big compound with a wall, come left a fist to the line of the trees, heading right to left with a ditch behind it.

• 8:39Speaker 03

  Can't see them.

• 8:42Speaker 03

  You gonna drop her? Not really how things are done anymore, sadly. An ROE issue or what? We're on card Alpha now. What's that? shorthand for JSP 398A, of course. Of course. We're self-defense only. We lost hostile intent a few weeks ago. Not to worry, if we wanna kill two little gentlemen like this, we gotta ask nicely, Robbo.

• 9:13Speaker 03

  Tungsten 99, this is tungsten 32 Alpha, we are at grid Sierra Papa Romeo 03984070. Pair of fighting age males PID'd in vicinity of Alpha 14 with one times crew-served heavy weapon. Requesting ROE upgrade to hostile intent, over.

• 9:31Speaker 04

  99, read back tungsten 32, grid Sierra Papa Romeo 03984070, PID two times fighting age males digging you from vicinity of Alpha 14 with one x crew-served heavy weapon, requesting ROE upgrade to hostile intent, wait out.

• 9:46Speaker 03

  They must be using that ditch to move around. Now you're thinking, Robbo.

• 9:53Speaker 04

  Tungsten 32 Alpha, 99.

• 9:55Speaker 03

  Tungsten 32 Alpha, send it.

• 9:58Speaker 04

  99, message from tungsten 0 Alpha 427, ROE requested, I'd maintain eyes on, over.

• 10:04Speaker 03

  We can't touch them. Because of what, Obama? No we can't, says Mister Yes We Can. Welcome to 2010. Tungsten 32 Alpha out. Double press the button at the top of the box, get me arranged to the trees.

• 10:24Speaker 03

  The Deckers are a total blur to me. That's 1760 metres to the trees. Roger. My usual advice would be if you can't be best, be first. But we might have to let them have the opening pop.

• 10:41Speaker 03

  What do you mean? We can't shoot at them unless they shoot at us first. What are you doing? Peek-a-boo. Duffy, get down, man! Get on the net, let 99 know we're taking effective. 99, 32 Charlie, cut!

• 11:01Speaker 03

  Cut! Wait, wait out, wait out. Tungsten 99, this is tungsten 32, contact at last time and given locations, two times FEM killed, crew served, weapons still operable. No friendly injuries, maintain eyes on for follow-up, over.

• 11:18Speaker 04

  99, roger, no friendly WIA, two times enemy KIA, yes.

• 11:23Speaker 01

  Bear Hunt.

• 11:26Speaker 01

  Available now wherever you get your podcasts.