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 new pad as we do a little bit of housekeeping and in the process somehow uncover a mystery surrounding Masud himself! Thanks for bearing with us, everyone - normal service will resume going forward. What's more - should you wish, you can now go one extra step in supporting the podcast by heading to our b...
Apr 08, 2021•19 min•Season 4Ep. 4
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, among other things, a lengthy tangent about Easter as we try to pick apart a political scandal from 1950s Italy... In April 1953, socialite and aspiring actress Wilma Montesi is found dead on a beach, with no real clues as to how she got there, or even how she died. A huge veil of secrecy is drawn over the whole a...
Mar 04, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 3
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 such as Celebrity Total Wipeout and Big Brother's Big Mouth and gets stuck into a particularly strange case... On the Isle of Man in the 1930s one family were visited by - and very soon befriended - a disembodied voice in their walls claiming to be the ghostly manifestation of a talking mongoose, named Ge...
Feb 25, 2021•53 min•Season 4Ep. 2
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, Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell, Heroes Reborn, Inside Amy Schumer, but is probably best known for hosting smash hit The Last Podcast on the Left. When we're not getting sidetracked by having so much fun, we discuss the Murder in Setagaya case which saw an entire family brutally slain by an unknown murder...
Feb 18, 2021•58 min•Season 4Ep. 1
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 Hollywood A-lister Jeremy Renner, compounded by a shared love of the recent Renner Files podcast, Sooz and Masud walk us through the careers (plural) of the label-defying phenomenon that is Jeremy Lee Renner... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, a...
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 34
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 miniseries, our Hollywood series kinda got out of hand, expanding to thirty episodes so far. As a result, our memories proved super hazy on some of the cases so join us as we try to remember the early ones and each give our own personal Top 3 from the series... And can you guess what the Hollywood season finale w...
Jan 28, 2021•48 min•Season 3Ep. 33
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 enigmatic Tommy Wiseau. His origins remain shrouded in mystery, thanks mainly to the man himself who refuses to say where he is from, his age or how he managed to raise the $6million dollars he spent making 'The Room'. His strange friendship with actor Greg Sestero combined with the cult status 'The Room'...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 17 min•Season 3Ep. 32
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 flights grounded, set off cross country in an inconspicuous hire car to make it to safety. Or so the story goes... Join us as we try to uncover the truth and make some of our own ridiculous additions to the legend along the way... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartende...
Jan 14, 2021•55 min•Season 3Ep. 31
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 case which manages to include (among other things) the most married man in the world, the most married woman in the world and Jerry Lee Lewis... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck lounge singer, solving mysteries a...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 30
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 searched when he first went missing - an aqueduct below a busy highway. Not only that, investigators believe that in order to have crashed his car there he would have had to drive 3 miles into oncoming traffic. And the car's headlights were switched to 'off'. Oh, and Gary's hands were missing. But this is...
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 3Ep. 29
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 two fingers up to tradition. We hope you all have an excellent Christmas in this strangest of years and thank all our amazing listeners for coming with us on some real bizarre cases! At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-l...
Dec 24, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 28
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 beloved national football star turned actor OJ Simpson, became the trial of the century and a worldwide sensation. A pair of gloves, a cut on a finger, historic domestic abuse allegations and OJ's own behaviour after the murder all suggested without a shadow of a doubt that he did it. Except, he was acquitted....
Dec 16, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Season 3Ep. 27
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, who has supposedly roamed the area for quite some time and always brings with her a peculiar scent of gardenias... We rewind all the way back to the early days of our Hollywood series to take a look at the tragic story of Peg Entwistle, whose legacy has been cemented not as a glittering star of stage and scr...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 26
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-Listers rectally inserting a rodent and, in doing so, uncover an incredible Tinseltown rivalry which comes to a head at a star-studded party thrown by Elton John... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck lounge singer, s...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 3Ep. 25
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 and, despite the case being reopened in 2008 following a biography of Ivers, it seems likely that the killer will never be identified. So who could have even wanted Ivers dead, never mind actually murdering him? And join us for perhaps our most controversial episode yet as we all do what seems like the u...
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 24
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 remembered these days for her mysterious death. In November 1981 on a 55 foot yacht with her husband Robert Wagner, the actor Christopher Walken and the yacht's captain, Natalie somehow ended up in the ocean and was found dead the following morning one mile away from the boat. To this day nobody knows wh...
Nov 19, 2020•53 min•Season 3Ep. 23
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 delight at how it's all currently playing out. Quite obviously, this had nothing to do with the Wonderland murders so we snipped it all out but regular viewers of our livestreams let us know they wanted to hear it anyway. So here it is as a bonus episode for you to enjoy if you wish, or to disregard if you'...
Nov 13, 2020•21 min•Season 3Ep. 22
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 detectives into a web of drugs, robbery, money laundering and one of the world's most famous porn stars... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck lounge singer, solving mysteries and drinking cocktails. Each week a new guest...
Nov 12, 2020•45 min•Season 3Ep. 21
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 the affable stars of Hogan's Heroes dead? The subsequent investigation yielded no results but a wealth of suspects and blew Crane's loveable family guy image completely apart. At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck loung...
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 20
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 nevertheless failed to achieve her actual goal of being famous in her own right. And did making these connections ultimately lead to her brutal, unsolved murder in 1977 at the age of 27? An amazing story involving sex, intrigue, foreign Heads of State, A-List celebrities and Worcestershire sauce... At the M...
Oct 29, 2020•58 min•Season 3Ep. 19
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 terrifying events happening to many of those involved with making the film. From lightning strikes to vicious animal attacks, were these incidents due to some demonic force? Or is there a more rational explanation*...? *There is a more rational explanation At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleu...
Oct 22, 2020•56 min•Season 3Ep. 18
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 suddenly. A white lie told in the heat of the moment is soon exposed and provides a springboard for all manner of crazy conspiracy theories from those who cannot believe he would simply 'just die'. So what killed Bruce Lee? At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to set...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 17
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 star Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant at the time. They were acting under the orders of their deranged leader Charles Manson, who was trying to precipitate a race war and bring about his prophesied 'Helter Skelter'. Unusually for us, no mystery whatsoever this time - the perpetrators were identified,...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 3Ep. 16
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 was more to this car accident and Jayne's death... Plenty of outlandish theories and rumours abound, none more so than the involvement of Satan himself... At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck lounge singer, solving m...
Oct 01, 2020•50 min•Season 3Ep. 15
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 always one eye on the future, could Walt Disney's body really be cryogenically frozen beneath the Pirates of the Carribean ride in Disneyland...? At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, and the down-on-her-luck lounge singer, solving mysteries...
Sep 24, 2020•47 min•Season 3Ep. 14
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 technically a mystery of course, when Marilyn took her own life in 1962 it nevertheless set in motion an awful lot of conspiracy theories as to what actually happened - including murder, cover-up and some rather outlandish theories! Join us as we take a look at some of the more prevalent ones... At the Mystery on t...
Sep 17, 2020•52 min•Season 3Ep. 13
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 found himself typecast as the Man of Steel. Unable to secure other roles did this drive him to take his own life? Or do the presence of additional bullets at the scene when only one shot was heard, plus an affair with a married showgirl, suggest something else entirely...? At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you...
Sep 10, 2020•50 min•Season 3Ep. 12
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 enigmatic note handwritten by Jean found inside seemed at first to be a big clue but ultimately led nowhere. Did she vanish voluntarily with a gangster lover? Or is the answer altogether darker and more tragic...? At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his t...
Sep 03, 2020•51 min•Season 3Ep. 11
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, including becoming one of the founders and driving forces behind notorious organised crime group Murder, Inc... So was it a hit ordered by disgruntled mob bosses? Or someone just frightened for their life? At the Mystery on the Rocks bar you’ll find a retired sleuth, the bartender trying to settle his tab, a...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr•Season 3Ep. 10
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 lipstick. With the murder of Elizabeth Short taking precedence with police and press alike, the investigation into Jeanne's murder fizzled out - only to be opened again three years later... Was it one of her four ex-husbands? The decorator with whom she was having an affair? Or a tragic chance encounter? A...
Aug 20, 2020•57 min•Season 3Ep. 9
