Havana Helmet Club

Introducing: Havana Helmet Club

For nine years, US officials have been experiencing mysterious sounds and pressure and falling sick. Acclaimed presenters of the hit podcast West Cork, Sam Bungey and Jennifer Forde, investigate the enduring mystery of ‘Havana Syndrome’ believed by some to be caused by a secret directed energy weapon.They look for answers from spies, politicians, diplomats, brain and weapons experts, and they keep returning to the enigmatic spy at the centre, known as Patient Zero. New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds.

1. Psychological Fortitude

It takes a certain type of person to be a CIA agent in Havana. Subjected to constant harassment and surveillance, it is a claustrophobic and eerie world to navigate. And when one agent hears a mysterious sound causing him real-world symptoms, it raises fears of a covert weapon. New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds. Credits Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC SoundsOur archive was sourced from: US Department of State KCRW

2. Old Habits

US Marine Jim Tracy returns to Havana to raise the American flag he once lowered in 1961. It marks a hopeful new chapter of US-Cuban relations, created through quiet diplomacy and unlikely backchannels involving senators, spies, and even Pope Francis. But just as the mood shifts toward reconciliation, a young CIA officer lands in Havana and soon begins experiencing something strange and deeply troubling. His illness—and the mysterious sound that seems to trigger it—threatens not just his mission, but the entire political thaw. New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds. Credits Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC SoundsOur archive was sourced from: NARA

3. This Looks Real

A growing cluster of unexplained illnesses among US diplomats forces a response from the government. One CIA field agent refuses to let the issue be ignored, becoming both advocate and investigator. As more reports surface, the agency sends a medical expert to assess the situation on the ground.What happens next sends shockwaves through the case. In a story filled with doubt, deflection, and delayed decisions, the line between investigator and victim suddenly begins to blur - raising new questions about the nature of the threat, and whether anyone is truly safe.New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds. Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

4. Sound and Fury

After a State Department source hands a scoop to a Washington journalist, the Havana situation goes public in spectacular fashion.A media and political storm gathers around multiple investigations into the alleged sonic attacks in Havana. Figures within the Trump administration push to punish Cuba. With agents dropping like flies, the CIA takes dramatic action. New episodes will be released weekly, wherever you get your podcasts, but if you are in the UK, you can listen to the latest episodes a week early, first on BBC Sounds. Credits: Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey Editor: Guy Crossman Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan Sound designer: Merijn Royaards Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker Commissioner: Dylan Haskins Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC SoundsOur archive was sourced from: NARA WDEL US State Department KCRW KFI KMJ KAJX WBCF KCAA BBC Radio Kent