Podcasts by Mystery on the Rocks

RE-RELEASE: Nish Kumar & The Curious Tale of Clairvius Narcisse from 2023-08-17T04:00:26

Unable to record an episode this week due to sudden diarrhea, we dig into the archives and dust off one of our earliest episodes.

Bookended by some new chat from Chris and Sooz, we tak...

The Assassination of Piotr Jaroszewicz from 2023-08-10T04:00:29

It's 1992 and former (and unpopular) Polish Prime Minister lives in an almost paranoid level of security - his house is fortified by an 11 foot barbed-wire-topped wall and patrolled by a vicious...

The Cursed Bread of Pont-St-Esprit from 2023-08-03T04:00:18

The final (fingers crossed) in our trilogy (still keep em crossed) of duo episodes as Chris and Sooz tackle a mass poisoning of a French village in 1951, which led to 250 cases and 7 deaths, inc...

The Murder of Kyllikkii Saari from 2023-07-27T04:00:14

Needs must means the second in a trilogy of only 2 of us at the recording. This week, it's Chris and Masud who go over one of Finland's most notorious murder cases, the 17 year old Kyllikkii Saa...

The Lady with the Ring from 2023-07-20T04:00

Here is a fairly substantial shake-up to the formula as Sooz and Masud make up their own mystery based on what Chris told them it was called as he was away on holiday and unable to join the reco...

Whatever Happened to Barbara Newhall Follett? from 2023-07-13T04:00:19

In 1939 Barbara Newhall Follett vanishes without trace. She was 25 years old and disillusioned with her life. So what happened to her? And what about her extraordinary early life could have cont...

Murder of a Gold Miner from 2023-07-06T04:00:17

The sensational story of the gruesome 1943 murder of Sir Harry Oakes - a baronet, philanthropist and incredibly wealthy owner of a gold mine who was living in the Bahamas at the time. Stabbed wi...

The Atlas Vampire from 2023-06-29T04:00:23

In one of the most ghoulish cases we've covered, in 1932 in Sweden a sex worker by the name of Lilly Lindeström is found dead in her apartment, naked and face down on the bed. Police had to brea...

The Gentleman of Heligoland from 2023-06-22T04:00:39

An unidentified man, beaten to death, is found floating in the sea 12 miles off a tiny archipelago, itself 43 miles off the coast of Germany. Dressed in smart clothes, he is known to this day on...

The Day Aliens Stopped A Football Match from 2023-06-15T04:00:30

It's October 1954 in Tuscany and local football rivals Fiorentina and Pistoriese are playing a derby in front of 10,000 screaming fans. But the stadium falls silent, the players stop playing and...

The Mystery of the Salesman & The TV Show Host from 2023-06-08T04:00:13

What happened to Lawrence Joseph Bader, the salesman riddled with debt who rented a fishing boat and promptly vanished in 1957?

Does it have anything to do with the gregarious TV show ...

Not Serious People: A One-Off Succession Podcast from 2023-06-03T15:00:25

Sooz, Chris and Masud all agree that Succession is one of the greatest TV shows ever made, and that the finale is one of the greatest TV finales of all time...

So here is a one-off Suc...

The Severed Head of Cheslyn Hay from 2023-06-01T04:00:51

January 1994, in a sleepy West Midlands village, a retired school caretaker makes a gruesome discovery while walking his dog.

A gruesome delivery with links to arms dealing, a double s...

Who on Earth was Jennifer Fairgate? from 2023-05-25T04:00:41

Oslo, 1995.

A Jane Doe. With a gunshot wound to the head. Holding a gun she couldn't possibly have fired. In a locked hotel room in Oslo...

Mystery upon mystery upon mystery...

The Mystery of the Puking Shark from 2023-05-18T04:00:07

In April 1935 a tiger shark is caught 2 miles out to sea from Sydney before being transferred to a nearby aquarium where, in front of awed spectators, it vomits out a human arm with a distinctiv...

Alasdair Beckett-King and the Witchcraft Murder of Charles Walton from 2023-05-11T04:00:12

We're back!

A quick note to say that the first episode of the sixth season had a bit of a messed up audio file (Masud going away obviously jinxed us) but we have cleaned up to the best...

Shootout at Spanky's from 2023-03-30T04:00:48

Season Six starts NEXT MONTH but we recorded a brand new special episode ahead of that to mark our 4th anniversary!

December 2008 in Jackson, Tennessee bar owner and sheriff's deputy E...

Politics & Pizza from 2023-01-12T05:00:11

An extra episode to (belatedly) kick off 2023.

When the Andrew Tate/Greta Thunberg thing kicked off on Twitter, we decided to do an impromptu episode to discuss it, some British politi...

Did Michael Jackson do the Music for Sonic 3? from 2022-12-31T05:00:01

So a little later than expected...

By us too!

Illness and Christmas and family and bollocks conspire as they always do to stymie any kind of momentum. Not that Christmas and ...

Season 5 Last Orders from 2022-12-01T05:00:33

It's here! We did it! YOU did it!

Made it through our longest season yet. We take stock of the topics covered and take a moment to reflect on our collective favourite episode ...

Attack on the Capitol from 2022-11-24T05:00:57

It's (almost) the end...

A mammoth trawl through geopolitics, war and espionage brings us to 2021 and an outgoing US President incites an insurrection on the house of government. What ...

The Salisbury Poisonings from 2022-11-17T05:00:46

We hurtle towards the present day and the end of this mammoth season as we hit 2018 this week when the poisonings of two Russians, a father and daughter named Sergei and Yulia Skripal, in the Wi...

The Spy in the Bag from 2022-11-10T05:00:48

In 2010, Gareth Williams - a mathematician and spy - is found dead in a padlocked duffel bag in a bath tub in an en suite in a British secret service safe house in Pimlico with no fingerprints, ...

The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko from 2022-11-03T05:00:35

In 2006, British-based Russian author and journalist Alexander Litvinenko is suddenly taken seriously ill. His deterioration is world news, chronicled right up until his death 3 weeks later.

9/11 from 2022-10-27T04:00:14

One of the most seismic events of recent history, conspiracy theories abound as to what "really happened" when planes flew into the World Trade Center (plus Pentagon, and stopped from flying int...

Monica from 2022-10-20T04:00:41

In 1998 a White House intern's life comes crashing down after her affair with the President of the United States is exposed. Worldwide media goes crazy, the President is impeached but ultimately...

The End of the Cold War from 2022-10-13T04:00:55

This week is a rundown of the events of the final few years of the Cold War, ultimately bringing it to an end.

Masud couldn't be with us this week so rather than do a mystery without h...

Codename: Top Hat from 2022-10-06T04:00:43

We're hurtling towards the end of the Cold War and into the final decade of the 20th Century with this tale of intrigue concerning a Soviet double agent.

Espionage, treason, a potentially ...

Chernobyl from 2022-09-08T04:00:50

It's Episode 150!

And it's the nuclear disaster which cast an almost literal cloud over the latter half of the 1980s - Chernobyl!

We look at what happened, the causes and the...

Who Killed Olof Palme? from 2022-09-01T07:11:40

In 1986, the Swedish Prime Minister is shot dead walking back from the cinema.

His long career in politics saw him make a lot of international enemies but even so, the case has never ...

The Story of Zoya Fyodorova from 2022-08-18T04:00:24

Two out of three ain't bad, right?

Not a full house this week guys as our schedules are still tricky to align. While we have decided to record if two of us can make it, this isn't a pe...

The Death of Malcolm Caldwell from 2022-08-11T04:00:28

This week's episode sees us back to our current season and bidding farewell to the 1970s in...

Cambodia!

Malcolm Caldwell, a Marxist writer from Scotland, is killed in myster...

SIDESTEP: The Identity of the Somerton Man from 2022-08-04T04:00:48

An update to one of the earliest cases we covered and one of the most enduring mysteries of all time... The Somerton Man!

A study believes they've unearthed the mystery man's identity ...

The Umbrella Murder from 2022-07-28T04:00:15

September 11 1978, Georgi Markov dies in hospital in Balham, South London. Markov was a Bulgarian journalist working for the BBC, having recently defected to the West earlier that year. He had d...

Peiper Pays the Piper from 2022-07-21T04:00:58

Content Warning for this week: graphic descriptions (ie, direct quotes from witnesses) of mass murder...

July 14th 1976, a house is torched in eastern France. The charred remains of it...

The Assassination of Herbert Chitepo from 2022-07-14T04:00:41

This week's episode, we pop to Africa and gross ourselves out by having to say 'Rhodesia' a lot. In 1975, Herbert Chitepo was assassinated by a car bomb, which was so powerful it also claimed th...

The Fate of Flight 367 from 2022-07-07T04:00:12

January 1972, a plane crashes over what was then Czechoslovakia. Some believe it was shot down by Czechoslovakian defences mistakenly believing it to be an enemy aircraft, whereas some believe i...

The Mystery of Mauro de Mauro from 2022-06-30T04:00:54

In 1970, prominent Italian journalist Mauro de Mauro vanishes without trace in Siciliy, his remains never discovered to this day.

So what happened?

Could it have something to...

The First Men on the Moon from 2022-06-23T04:00:10

This week's episode takes a quick squint at the conspiracy theories that suggest mankind's greatest feat of space exploration never happened. There are many who believe the moon landings were 10...

Txabi's Twitchy Trigger Finger from 2022-06-16T04:00:26

In 1968 Francoist Spain, one of the leading members of the antifascist Basque separatist cell ETA sets in motion a chain of events that reach right up to the present day, including the assassina...

The Murder of Viola Liuzzo from 2022-06-09T04:00:56

In 1965, civil rights activist Viola Liuzzo was fatally shot during a car chase when she was pursued by four members of the KKK after she had been shuttling civil rights protestors back to the a...

The Assassination of JFK from 2022-06-02T04:00:25

The daddy of all conspiracy theories...

In November 1963, president of the United States John F Kennedy is shot dead in Dallas, Texas. Lee Harvey Oswald is quickly named as the assassi...

The Cuban Missile Crisis from 2022-05-26T04:00:32

This week we find ourselves well and truly in the 1960s with the world the closest to nuclear war as it had come by this point... We take a quick look at why and what happened, get the year in w...

The Lost Cosmonauts from 2022-05-19T04:00

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union supposedly sent up doomed manned spaceflights before Yuri Gagarin was recognised officially as the first man in space. While the Soviet Union neve...

Members' Lounge Open Day from 2022-05-05T04:00:12

Due to life/scheduling reasons, this week's episode isn't our regular programming. Instead of a mystery, this is a compilation of a tiny percentage of the extra just-chatting bonus stuff we put ...

Lester C Hunt & The Fall of McCarthyism from 2022-04-28T04:00:35

Our current season continues into the 1950s as we take a look at the suicide of Lester C Hunt, a Democratic Senator for Wyoming. Several factors could have led to his ultimate decision to take h...

The Death of Joseph Stalin from 2022-04-21T04:00:31

This week we find the Cold War well and truly underway as one of the Soviet Union's most totemic figures (probably the most) bows out.

In 1953, the Iron Man of Russia - Joseph...

The Story of Harry & Harriet Moore from 2022-04-14T04:00:42

This week's episode sees us move from the war into the 1950s, to the United States where the Civil Rights Movement is gaining momentum. So much so, that it has some white supremacists pretty wor...

Fat Man & Little Boy from 2022-04-07T04:00:28

This week, we recorded on location in Sooz's dressing room as she got ready for a show (hence the echo, sorry guys) to discuss the end of World War II, specifically the devastating bombings of J...

A Very Self-Indulgent Birthday Party from 2022-03-31T04:00:46

Happy Birthday to us! We take a break from the current season as this week's episode is our third birthday special! A hugely self-indulgent stroll down memory lane as we recount the Mystery on t...

Adolf Hitler: Death of a Farty Coward from 2022-03-24T05:00:29

This week we are reaching the end of World War II and quite probably our most immature episode yet as we take a look at some of the conspiracy theories regarding the possibility that Adolf Hitle...

The Nazi Gold Train from 2022-03-17T05:00:45

For listeners from Eastern Europe, Poland specifically, we apologise sincerely and profusely for our terrible, terrible pronunciations. What dinguses we felt! Right stupidos...

Why so ...

Operation Mincemeat: The Man who Never Was from 2022-03-10T05:00:36

In early 1943, the Allies are planning to invade Sicily - although with each side of the war closely scrutinising the other with a ramped up focus on espionage and stealing secrets the question ...

Pearl Harbor Double Bill from 2022-03-03T05:00:05

Slightly looser episode this week as we get far too distracted by the relationship status of the two main characters in Jurassic Park but when we get to business it's two mysteries for the price...

Kristallnacht from 2022-02-24T05:00:22

We might take a little longer than usual to get to the subject of this week's episode because Sooz and Chris were recording in the same room and so more time was spent on the cocktails as Masud ...

Who Stabbed Dimitri Navachine? from 2022-02-17T05:00:41

Our current season hits 1937 an we head to Paris where Russian politician and economist Dimitri Navachine is stabbed to death while walking his dog. Despite the attack taking place in broad dayl...

Federico & Franco from 2022-02-10T05:00:39

Federico Garcia Lorca was one of Spain's most promising and famous poets and playwrights of the 1920s. The fall of the Restoration era in 1931 saw the monarchy abolished, the dictatorship of Mig...

The Murder of Gareth Jones from 2022-02-03T05:00:02

Famine hit the Soviet Union in 1932-1933, killing millions upon millions. It was covered up with creative language in the press but certain crusading journalists began uncovering the truth and r...

Who Was Wallace Fard Muhammad? from 2022-01-26T23:31:26

This week we learn about the founder of the controversial religious and political group Nation of Islam - Wallace Fard Muhammad. No fixed date of birth exists for the man and many have tried, in...

The Night of the Long Knives (or, Did Hitler J*** While Soft?) from 2022-01-20T05:00:15

In 1934 to consolidate his iron grip on Germany, Hitler did away with dozens of political foes, and even allies he considered might be foes. This was Operation: Hummingbird. Also known as The Ni...

Magnus Hirschfeld and the Fate of Dora Richter from 2022-01-13T05:00:53

The Nazis are in power and barely one month after the enabling act effectively makes Hitler dictator of Germany steps are made to eradicate literature and research deemed to go against the Nazi ...

The Reichstag Fire from 2022-01-06T05:00:01

We hit the 1930s in our Geopolitics, War & Espionage season and hotfoot it straight over to Germany in 1933 where something big was brewing. Hitler and his Nazi party are able to seize absol...

The Kidnapping of Casper Holstein from 2021-12-30T05:00:19

1928 New York. Prohibition has been in place for some time but some of the criminal underworld (who have been some of the few to profit from its tight grip) are sensing it is nearing its end. Ca...

Mystery on the Rocks Christmas Drinks from 2021-12-23T05:00:52

This week we're taking a week off from our ongoing themed season for a chilled-out Christmas special - join us for some Christmas drinks where we go through our middle names, our Christmas plans...

The Death of Morduch Halsman from 2021-12-16T05:00

In September 1928 Latvian dentist Morduch Halsman is hiking in Austria with his son, Phillippe. He loses his footing and plummets off a cliff to the horror of Phillippe. When Phillippe manages to f...

The Osage Murders from 2021-12-09T05:00

When a Native American people gains immense wealth from oil found on their land at the beginning of the 20th Century, it sets in motion a chain of events which leads to fraud and death in a conc...

The Assassination of Michael Collins from 2021-12-02T05:00

This week, we decide to educate ourselves on something which didn't really get taught to us at school or, we feel, get adequately explained to us as children... Irish history.

Specific...

The Wall Street Bombing from 2021-11-25T05:00

On September 16th 1920, an attack on Wall Street killed 30 people instantly, 10 more in the aftermath and injured hundreds more. Yet it remains unsolved, despite arrests being made, trials being...

The Spy Who Predicted Pearl Harbor from 2021-11-18T00:00

Following the Great War, in the early 1920s celebrated military strategist Earl Hancock Ellis worked tirelessly on a secret project - a project which would eventually lead him on a secret missio...

The Disappearance of William Cantelo from 2021-11-11T05:00

Following last week's encounter with the nefarious Sir Basil Zaharoff, we rewind to the 1880s when machine gun inventor William Cantelo vanishes completely upon completing the prototype machine ...

Chocolate For ZedZed: The Merchant of Death from 2021-11-04T05:00

Sir Basil Zaharoff. One of the most evil men who ever lived. Bigamist, fraudster, international arms dealer. Codename: ZedZed. A real nasty piece of work.

Most likely the real-life tem...

Anastasia from 2021-10-28T04:00

Season Five continues with one of the great 20th Century mysteries; did Princess Anastasia Romanov survive the Bolshevik revolution and execution of her family and go on to live a long life in s...

Anastasia from 2021-10-28T04:00

Season Five continues with one of the great 20th Century mysteries; did Princess Anastasia Romanov survive the Bolshevik revolution and execution of her family and go on to live a long life in s...

The Mad Monk Rasputin from 2021-10-21T04:00

Kicking off Season Five of Mystery on the Rocks (a kinda themed trawl through Geopolitics, War & Espionage of the 20th Century) is our 100th case... The Mad Monk Rasputin!

A mystic...

The Vanishing Blonde and the Mercury Man from 2021-07-29T04:00

It's our Season Four finale and we wanted to pick a doozy for it! So come with us to Florida in 2005 as we look at how a woman got out of a hotel she couldn't possibly have left without being se...

The Zeta Reticuli Incident from 2021-07-22T04:00

This week's episode focuses on one of the earliest stories of alien abduction, that of Barney and Betty Hill who claimed to have been abducted by an alien spacecraft while they were driving back ho...

The Tale of John Lang from 2021-07-15T04:00

This week's episode, as voted for by our awesome supporters on Patreon in our monthly mystery vote, is t...

The Life and Death of Sonny Liston from 2021-07-08T04:00

Something a little different this week as we got together in the same (really echoey - sorry!) room and lay out a story suggested just one hour prior to recording by former guest of the sh...

Dead Creek: The Suspicious Death of Jonathan Luna from 2021-07-01T04:00

A case which has nothing whatsoever to do with 90s movies but which we still managed to make aaaaaallllllll about 90s movies.

In 2003, assistant attorney Jonathan Luna is found dead al...

The Murder of Pier Paolo Pasolini from 2021-06-24T04:00

Pier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, intellectual, actor, journalist, novelist, playwright and political figure who created such uproar during his life that he was eve...

The Toxic Lady from 2021-06-17T04:00

Gloria Ramirez was 31 years old when she was admitted to Riverside General Hospital Emergency Room in February 1994, delirious and speaking gibberish with heart palpitations. She died that night...

100th Episode from 2021-06-10T04:00:19

A big one today. Not including the initial trailer, this week's episode is our big 100!

So allow us a little self indulgence as we discuss, among other things, our favourite cases, epi...

Sunil Patel and the Ghost of Copper Hole from 2021-06-03T04:00

Wonderful comedian, actor and decent bloke Sunil Patel popped by the bar this week to reduce us to hysterics while talking about a Welsh sheep farmer and to assist us with the spooky 19th Centur...

Freddie, Kenny & Lady Di's Big Night Out from 2021-05-27T04:00

After an 11th hour guest cancellation we decided to discuss the case between ourselves anyway and had a fun conversation about the oft-repeated story of Freddie Mercury and Kenny Everett disguis...

Live From The Bill Murray: The Ourang Medan from 2021-05-20T04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we got together to do Mystery on the Rocks in the same room for the first time in over a year and did a live show from Angel Comedy's brilliant venue The Bill Murray. Rest...

Matt Highton and the Circleville Letters from 2021-05-13T04:00

The brilliant comedian, director and man behind all those TV intros you have seen re-imagined as stock footage Matt Highton poked his head round the door of the bar for a lot of film chat and to...

Juliette Burton and the Sonora Aero Club from 2021-05-06T04:00

Juliette Burton is an absolutely top-drawer comedian, writer and actor as well as being one of the country's foremost speakers and advocates on the topic of mental health, an ambassador for the ...

Stuart Laws and the Murder of Eric Tamiyasu from 2021-04-29T04:00

Stuart Laws isn't just a fantastic comedian in his own right, he is also behind some of the best online comedy content of the past few years. His company Turtle Canyon are responsible for some a...

Vix Leyton and the Case of the Sherlock Holmes Scholar from 2021-04-22T04:00

This week the fabulous Vix Leyton, stand-up comedian and host of the awesome Comedy Arcade podcast, swung by and was even generous enough to get the round in herself! We drank lovely pre-mixed c...

Helen Duff and the Watseka Wonder from 2021-04-15T04:00

Joining us for this week's episode is absolutely fantastic comedian, actor and writer Helen Duff. You may have seen Helen on The Mash Report, heard her beautifully narrate one of many, many audi...

"Grand" "Reopening" from 2021-04-08T04:00

After a couple of weeks of unexpected hiatus the bar is back in business! And we've made a few changes. We have a couple bits of news so, before we get back to cracking mysteries, join us in our...

Gráinne Maguire and the Wilma Montesi Mystery from 2021-03-04T05:00

This week's guest is fantastic comedian, writer and political commentator Gráinne Maguire, who has appeared on Question Time, written on shows such as The Last Leg and who joins us on,...

Jarred Christmas and Gef the Talking Mongoose from 2021-02-25T05:00

Sauntering into the bar this week is the effortlessly funny and absolutely top drawer Jarred Christmas who brightens up the bar with tales of his time on (and borderline sabotaging of) TV shows ...

Henry Zebrowski and Murder in Setagaya from 2021-02-18T05:00

A bit of a dream for us this week as we are joined by actor, comedian and podcast legend Henry Zebrowski! Henry has cropped up in all manner of film and TV, including The Wolf of Wall Street, Yo...

Hollywood Case File #31 - What Is Jeremy Renner? from 2021-02-04T05:00

It's the Hollywood season finale and there's an end of term vibe as Sooz and Masud bring in their boardgame and lead with their own mystery. Both sharing an obsession with the mercurial Hollywoo...

Hollywood Case Files, The Story So Far... from 2021-01-28T05:00

Ahead of next week's Hollywood Case Files finale, we take a brisk walk down memory lane as we recount all the cases we've covered so far in our Hollywood series. Initially meant to be a miniseri...

Hollywood Case File #30 - Who On Earth is Tommy Wiseau? from 2021-01-21T05:00

When 'The Room' was released in 2003 it very quickly became widely recognised as the worst film ever made but a mystery which endures to this day surrounds its bizarre writer/director/star, the ...

Hollywood Case File #29 - Brando, Jacko & Liz Taylor's Escape from New York from 2021-01-14T05:00

On September 11 2001, in the wake of the devastating attacks on America, firm celebrity friends Michael Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor find themselves in New York City and, with all...

Hollywood Case File #28 - Who Shot Bonnie Lee Bakley? from 2021-01-07T05:00

Our Hollywood series hits the 21st century as we take a look at the fatal shooting of Hollywood wannabe Bonnie Lee Bakley as she sat alone in her husband's car in May 2001, a deceptively simple ...

Hollywood Case File #27 - The Strange Case of Gary DeVore from 2020-12-31T05:00

In June 1997, screenwriter Gary DeVore vanishes without trace after finishing a script said to expose corruption in the CIA. A year later, his car is found submerged in an area of water already ...

The Mystery on the Rocks Pandemic Christmas Party from 2020-12-24T05:00

As it's Christmas, we take a week off Hollywood sleuthing so join us in a cocktail as we chat about our differing opinions on Christmas films, share memories of toys of Christmas past and stick ...

Hollywood Case File #26 - The O.J. Simpson Murder Trial from 2020-12-16T05:00

In June 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were brutally murdered - stabbed multiple times in a frenzied attack. The resulting trial of Nicole's ex-husband, the formerly belov...

Hollywood Case File #25 - The Ghost of the Hollywood Sign from 2020-12-10T05:00

In 1990 two dog walkers saw an ethereal woman in 1930s dress looking dazed and confused near the Hollywood sign. This was far from the first and certainly not the last sighting of the woman...

Hollywood Case File #24 - Richard Gere's Ass Gerbil from 2020-12-03T05:00

A stubborn rumour which won't go away... Join us as we discuss the possible origins and sources for the urban myth/true story (delete according to personal preference) of one of Hollywood's A-Li...

Hollywood Case File #23 - The Peter Ivers Mystery from 2020-11-26T05:00

In March 1983, avant garde musician and anarchic late-night TV show host Peter Ivers is found in his Los Angeles loft apartment bludgeoned to death with a hammer. The trail went cold immediately...

Hollywood Case File #22 - Natalie Wood from 2020-11-19T05:00

One of the biggest Hollywood mysteries... After finding fame as a child star in films such as 'Miracle on 34th Street' and becoming one of movies' most recognisable names, Natalie Wood is better...

Bonus Minisode - The Gang & The Election from 2020-11-13T18:00

When we recorded the most recent episode about The Wonderland Murders, we ended up getting sidetracked quite a lot by the recent US election, its surrounding news stories and our own personal de...

Hollywood Case File #21 - The Wonderland Murders from 2020-11-12T05:00

In July 1981, four people were brutally murdered in a Laurel Canyon townhouse in a crime scene detectives described as 'more gruesome' than the Manson Family murders... Investigations led detect...

Hollywood Case File #20 - The Murder of Bob Crane from 2020-11-05T05:00

Wholesome 1960s sitcom star Bob Crane was murdered in 1978 in Arizona, beaten by an unknown object and found in his apartment with a cord wrapped around his neck. Who could have wanted one of th...

Hollywood Case File #19 - The Story of Christa Helm from 2020-10-29T05:00

Christa Helm just wanted to be a famous movie star and would do anything to make it happen. Making unbelievable connections and an unlikely fortune along the way, success came her way but she ne...

Hollywood Case File #18 - The Curse of the Omen from 2020-10-22T04:00

In 1976, seminal horror movie 'The Omen' was released, depicting the birth and early childhood of the Antichrist. But some say the movie itself was cursed, with a string of bizarre and terrifyin...

Hollywood Case File #17 - The Death of Bruce Lee from 2020-10-15T04:00

July 1973, fast-rising superstar Bruce Lee dies suddenly while in Hong Kong. His brain is swollen by 13% and the world asks how someone at the peak of physical fitness could have died so suddenl...

Hollywood Case File #16 - The Manson Family from 2020-10-08T04:00

One of the most notorious crimes of the 20th century... Over two nights in August 1969 members of the cult The Manson Family carried out seven brutal murders including that of rising Hollywood s...

Hollywood Case File #15 - Did the Devil Kill Jayne Mansfield? from 2020-10-01T04:00

In June 1967 Hollywood star Jayne Mansfield died in a terrible car accident after a turbulent career and much publicised private life. However, there are some who believe to this day that there ...

Hollywood Case File #14 - Was Disney Frozen? from 2020-09-24T04:00

Walt Disney died in 1966 but rumours persist that he insisted his body be cryogenically frozen in the hope that one day he could be revived and able to see the future. With an inventive mind and...

Hollywood Case File #13 - Marilyn Monroe from 2020-09-17T04:00

A slight left turn for us this week as our Hollywood series hits the 60s! And what would a Hollywood series be without an episode on the ultimate movie star Marilyn Monroe!? While not technicall...

Hollywood Case File #12 - The Death of Superman from 2020-09-10T04:00

In June 1959 the actor George Reeves is found in his bedroom, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. World famous for his role as Superman in the hugely popular television series, Reeves had fou...

Hollywood Case File #11 - The Disappearance of Jean Spangler from 2020-09-03T04:00

In October 1949 professional dancer Jean Spangler vanished without trace... Not even her purse, which was found two days later, could help detectives find her, or what happened to her. An enigma...

Hollywood Case File #10 - Bugsy Siegel Gets Whacked from 2020-08-27T08:49:23

In June 1947 the prominent gangster, feared mobster and casino mogul Bugsy Siegel was shot dead following an eye-popping 20-year career involving extortion, bootlegging, robbery and killing, inc...

Hollywood Case File #9 - The Red Lipstick Murder from 2020-08-20T04:00:14

February 1947. Mere weeks after the Black Dahlia killing Jeanne French is found by a Los Angeles roadside, naked and beaten to death and with an obscene message scrawled across her body in red l...

Hollywood Case File #8 - The Black Dahlia from 2020-08-13T04:00

One of the most enduring unsolved murders of the 20th Century is the brutal killing of Elizabeth Short, otherwise known as The Black Dahlia. In January 1947 her body was found badly mutilated in...

Hollywood Case File #7 - The Killing of Georgette Bauerdorf from 2020-08-06T04:00

October, 1944. A wealthy oil heiress who is nevertheless trying to make her own way in Hollywood is found murdered, face down in her overflowing bathtub. Defensive wounds suggest she put up a he...

Hollywood Case File #6 - The Murder of the Masked Marvel from 2020-07-30T04:00

In September 1943, a car careens out of control on a busy boulevard before coming to an abrupt stop in an adjacent field. The driver, wearing only swimming trunks, staggers out calling for help ...

Hollywood Case File #5 - The Battle of Los Angeles from 2020-07-23T04:00

Through the night of February 24th 1942, LA was plunged into a blackout as American forces at the beginning of their war effort defended the county from an enemy attack. However, it became appar...

Hollywood Case File #4 - The Suspicious Demise of Thelma Todd from 2020-07-16T04:00

Not every movie star was able to make the transition from silent film to the 'talkies' but phenomenal actress Thelma Todd was one of the few who could. Comedy, drama, thriller - she could do any...

Hollywood Case File #3 - The Thomas H Ince Conspiracy from 2020-07-09T04:00

1924, a party to celebrate the birthday of revolutionary movie producer Thomas H Ince takes place aboard the luxury yacht of pioneering media mogul William Randolph Hearst. A day later, Inc...

Hollywood Case File #2 - Who Killed William Desmond Taylor? from 2020-07-02T04:00:32

While last week's case was still ongoing, prominent film director William Desmond Taylor was found shot in the back in his Hollywood home. A litany of suspects and a heavily contaminated crime s...

Hollywood Case File #1 - The Death of Virginia Rappe from 2020-06-24T23:00

Hello listener, and welcome to something a little different... 

Join us for the first in a mini series where Mystery on the Rocks Do Hollywood! Murders, mysteries and int...

Katy Montgomerie and the Murder of the Blind Architect from 2020-06-18T04:00

A blind architect found bludgeoned in an empty mansion... £12 million of missing gold bars... The search for Camelot... And an ubercool guest as musician, YouTuber and LGBT activist Katy Mo...

Mike Balazo and the Sherman Murders from 2020-06-11T04:00

Beaming all the way over the Atlantic is fantastic writer and comedian Mike Balazo. Winning the Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Variety of Sketch Comedy Programme just hasn't been qu...

Saima Ferdows and the Great Mull Air Mystery from 2020-06-04T04:00

Joining us for some lockdown-eased larks this week is comedy producer and director extraordinaire Saima Ferdows! As well as racking up credits impressive credits on Channel 4 and ITV, Saima is p...

Sooz, Chris & Masud Have a Lock-In from 2020-05-28T04:00

In an unprecedented turn of events, our guest this week just... Never showed up. But we recorded the ensuing chat regardless! Plus, a former guest messaged with a burning question, a listener em...

Danielle Rowley and the Vanishing Victor Grayson from 2020-05-21T04:00

We've put on our best clothes and gone all serious (of course not) as we are now bona fide political interviewers... We're joined this week by former Member of Parliament Danielle Rowley. Daniel...

Adele Cliff and the Icebox Murders from 2020-05-14T04:00

Responsibly distancing herself from everyone else in the bar this week is one-liner comedian extraordinaire Adele Cliff. Adele's jokes have featured in Dave's Best Jokes of the Fringe every year...

Charlie Baker and the Devil's Footprints from 2020-05-07T04:00

Joining us in lockdown this week is comedian, singer, actor and dancer Charlie Baker! Charlie has turned his hand to most things and excelled at all of them, from musicals to stand-up and even t...

Carl Donnelly and the Formidable Dolly Osterreich from 2020-04-29T23:00

Popping into the bar today is phenomenally funny comedian Carl Donnelly. Carl is also a bona fide podcasting legend having hosted 'The Carl Donnelly & Chris Martin Podcast' and 'Babysitting ...

Ken Cheng and The Gatton Murders from 2020-04-23T04:00

Popping into the bar during his daily outdoor exercise allowance is the hilarious comedian and professional poker player Ken Cheng. As well as his own series on BBC Radio 4, you might have heard...

Suzy Bennett and the Murder of Barbara Colby from 2020-04-16T04:00

Another week in lockdown sees ace comedian, former Butlins Redcoat and avowed Columbo superfan Suzy Bennett beam into the bar with a proper posh cocktail of her own to help the gang with possibl...

Joz Norris and the Mandela Effect from 2020-04-09T04:00

Joining us at the bar during lockdown (without breaking any rules don't call the police please thanks) this week is award-winning alternative comic, screenwriter and actor - the fabulous Joz Nor...

Paul Gannon and The Enfield Poltergeist from 2020-03-26T05:00

Nipping in for a swift one this week is real life ghost hunter and Ghost Busters fanatic, Paul Gannon! Paul has been writing, producing and performing comedy and radio shows for 10 years. He is ...

Heidi Regan and The Travellers in the Fourth Dimension from 2020-03-19T05:00

Come to quench her thirst this week is Heidi Regan! Heidi is an award-winning Australian writer and stand up comedian. She co-hosts the BBC podcast Grown Up Land as well as her own podc...

Bilal Zafar and The Monster with 21 Faces from 2020-03-12T05:00

Perusing the mocktail menu this week is Bilal Zafar! Bilal is a stand-up comedian, actor and writer from London. His 3 solo shows, Cakes, Biscuit and Lovebot have toured around...

Jen Brister and the Death of Hugues de la Plaza from 2020-03-05T05:00

Asking if there’s vegan options on the menu this week is Jen Brister. Jen is a critically acclaimed stand-up comedian, writer and actor. She has performed six solo shows worldwide, written for T...

Zigmund Adamski's Close Encounter of the Sixth Kind with Mr. Biffo from 2020-02-27T05:00

Getting in on the round this week is UK screenwriter Paul Rose aka Mr. Biffo! Mr. Biffo is a BAFTA nominated writer of children’s television for CBBC and CITV, and former editor of the teletext-...

Nigel Ng and The Great Amherst Mystery from 2020-02-20T05:00

Dropping by for a tipple today is stand-up comedian Nigel Ng! Nigel was nominated for the Best Newcomer Award for his sold-out show Culture Shocked at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2...

Bec Hill and The Persian Princess from 2020-02-13T05:00

Taking a look at the bar menu today is the brilliant Bec Hill. Bec is an Australian-born, UK-based comedian, writer, actor and presenter. She is best known for her viral flipchart videos and rid...

Evelyn Mok and The Mary Morrises from 2020-02-06T05:00

Asking for a local cab firm at the bar is the wonderful Evelyn Mok! Evelyn is a brilliant writer and comedian and also has her own podcast Rice To Meet You that she hosts alongside Nig...

Rosie Holt and Mary Reeser, the Cinder Woman from 2020-01-30T05:00

It's last orders for Rosie Holt as she joins the crew to solve the mystery of Mary Reeser! Rosie is a comedian and actor currently starring in The Crown - Live!

At the Mystery ...