Best Sooz Kempner Podcasts (2025)

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THE SIXTH SENSE (Julia's Version) - with Sooz Kempner 1:10:28

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16d ago1:10:28

1:10:28

The Sixth Sense was one of the biggest movies of the year, second only to The Phantom Menace. And since it's Halloween and Julia had never seen it before, we thought it was time to take a second look. A movie best remembered for its plot twist (and the meticulous build up to it), The Sixth Sense is nonetheless at its core a drama about grief. Once …

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Episode 200: Dr. No Legs 43:39

2h ago43:39

43:39

This is the story of how a 21st Century Cornish surgeon had his legs amputated below the knees... But went to jail for it. Masud couldn't join us for this one so join Chris and Sooz as they simultaneously laugh at an amputee while kink-shaming him. But don't worry, in as woke a way as possible. ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this …

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THE INSIDER - with Lindsay Beyerstein 1:13:49

12h ago1:13:49

1:13:49

Michael Mann's The Insider is easily the most glaring omission from the our initial 18, universally regarded as one of the best – if not THE best – movie of 1999. Finishing in 69th place, sandwiched between two previous entries, Girl Interrupted at 70th and Mystery Men at 68th, The Insider stars Russell Crowe, in an Oscar-nominated performance, and…

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Episode 199: The Jack Wheeler Mystery 42:56

11h ago42:56

42:56

Jack Wheeler, a US Army veteran and aide to several US Presidential administrations, was found dead in mysterious circumstances on New Year's Eve 2010. We piece together his strange last days to see if there's even a smidgen of a clue as to what happened... ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 20 minutes of bonu…

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Important: Please stop using Spotify 1:54

13d ago1:54

1:54

Hello, Laurence & Lindsay here. We've got a big problem, and we need your help. If you're listening to this on Spotify, we're asking you to stop, and switch to another podcast player. As I'm sure most of you know, there's plenty of evidence that Spotify is a terrible company with a long history of exploiting and underpaying artists, but that's only…

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TRUE CRIME (1999) and JUROR #2 (2024) - with Aaron from HIT FACTORY 1:50:20

15d ago1:50:20

1:50:20

True Crime was the 94th-highest grossing movie of 1999, grossing just $17 million on a $50 million budget with a fairly limited release. Starring and directed by Clint Eastwood, True Crime was largely forgotten and remains overlooked most likely due to its release at what can be described as Eastwood’s most prolonged artistic lull in the mid 1990s,…

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VHGuess #4 | This is Your La Bamba! 1:09:08

7d ago1:09:08

1:09:08

It's another edition of our favourite game VHGuess! Which videos are in the bundle this time? Who will win? And was Masud Googling in the toilet? Find out now! ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with over 30 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon! Extended episodes drop over there usually 3 days earl…

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Episode 198: The Bizarre Death of Katherine Briscoe 47:23

22d ago47:23

47:23

How can a woman be fatally shot in the chest in a house no killer could have gotten in or out of, with no murder weapon left behind at the scene? Katherine Briscoe's 1934 death at her Baltimore home has all the makings of a classic locked room murder. So how could it have been done, how did her death lead to the development of a new weapon and what…

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OCTOBER SKY - with Amanda Jane Stern 1:28:24

1M ago1:28:24

1:28:24

By John Brooks and Julia Sirmons

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25. Claire Storey - Stage and TV Actor/Writer 58:43

2M ago58:43

58:43

Jo is feeling autumnal so pull up a chair grab a cuppa and join her for a cosy natter with tv, stage and voice actor, Claire Storey. You may recognise her from the long running, award winning, BBC series Call the Midwife. Claire has also popped up on your tv screens in almost all our beloved soaps including Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Holly Oaks …

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Episode 197: The Greenbrier Ghost 44:29

2M ago44:29

44:29

For the first time in a long time we got a ghost case! In 1897, Elva Zona Heaster Shue was found dead at home, the coroner ultimately concluding a natural death of heart disease. But then Elva's ghost visits her mother to divulge there's more to her death than meets the eye. This turns out to be true. Not only that, the ghost was able to divulge sp…

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Maniac | Sooz's One Hit Wonders #5 1:05:22

1M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

Sooz's One Hit Wonders series returns with a look at Michael Sembello's 1983 megahit 'Maniac'. But what's Michael's story? Why did he not follow up 'Maniac' with more superhits, where else might you have heard him, what are the song's original, unused lyrics and which ads do Masud and Chris come up against on YouTube? Find out as Sooz deep-dives us…

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ENTRAPMENT - with Jason Christian 1:30:33

2M ago1:30:33

1:30:33

Despite its reputation as giant bomb, Entrapment was the 24th-highest grossing movie of 1999, coming in just behind another movie starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, The Haunting. Entrapment opened on April 30th at number 1 with an impressive $20 million debut, dethroning The Matrix at the top box office spot, going on to gross $212 million worldwide. I…

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Episode 196: The Trump is Dead Rumour 45:29

2M ago45:29

45:29

Our summer holidays are over and bringing us back to school, Sooz talks us through the recent rumours of Trump being dead. Where did they come from, was there ANY truth to them whatsoever (even just a kernel) and just what is the mystery of the White House windows...? ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode with almost 30 minu…

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THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR - with Sarah D. Bunting 1:33:01

2M ago1:33:01

1:33:01

The Thomas Crown Affair was the 31st-highest grossing movie of 1999, coming in one slot below another entry, Galaxy Quest, opening August 6th at number 3 at the box office behind the debut of the juggernaut The Sixth Sense at number one and Runaway Bride at number 2. The first of two 1999 film besides (besides The 13th Warrior, which we also recent…

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24. Sarah Callaghan - Spoken word artist & award-winning comedian 56:26

3M ago56:26

56:26

Jo's back with a bang, after a summer hiatus, with the multi-talented, Sarah Callaghan who was named a Time Out One to Watch. Tune in for a frank and inspiring chat about comedy, performance poetry, her experience on BAFTA Award-winning spoken word series Life & Rhymes on Sky Arts - Hosted by Benjamin Zephaniah featuring Kae Tempest, John Berkavitc…

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Episode 195: The Phone Found in Fiji 43:17

4M ago43:17

43:17

In our first recording together we take a look at a mystery Chris stumbled upon when compiling mysteries for our very first season! Since then, there have been developments in the case... This is the story of a mobile phone found in Fiji in the back of a taxi in 2014 which contained a disturbing video of four men being shot dead in the middle of th…

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1999 REWIND - Woodstock 99 1:05:39

4M ago1:05:39

1:05:39

By John Brooks and Julia Sirmons

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MUPPETS FROM SPACE - with Ethan Warren 1:27:27

4M ago1:27:27

1:27:27

Muppets From Space was the 95th-highest grossing movie of 1999, opening in 4th place behind juggernauts American Pie, Wild Wild West, and The Phantom Menace. Directed by Tim Hill, the co-developer and longtime director of Spongebob Squarepants (which debuted 3 days later!) and written by longtime Muppet writer Jerry Juhl alongside Joey Mazzarino an…

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Episode 194: The Big Grey Man [Guess the Mystery Part III] 41:30

4M ago41:30

41:30

The third and final instalment in our current Guess the Mystery trilogy as Sooz and Masud have to guess the mystery from the title alone, and this week it's the Big Grey Man... A myth of Scottish folklore of a tall grey spectral presence which roams the Cairngorms OR John Major challenging people to feel his muscles in the streets of Preston? Liste…

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Episode 193: The Campden Wonder [Guess the Mystery Part II] 35:24

4M ago35:24

35:24

The second in our Guess the Mystery miniseries sees Sooz and Masud having to work out what the heck The Campden Wonder is. Is it a batshit insane 1660 case of robbery, murder and coming back from the dead or is it the theft of a chandelier from a pioneering gay bar? Listen to find out! ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version of this episode w…

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GALAXY QUEST - with Annie Berke 1:42:24

5M ago1:42:24

1:42:24

Galaxy Quest was one of the great summer movies of 1999. Except it was released, for some reason, at Christmas. Lovingly sending up television sci-fi of a certain era - and heavily grounded in Star Trek - Galaxy Quest was a modest success as 30th highest grossing movie of 1999 The second feature film, both overall and in as many years following the…

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Episode 192: The Kentucky Meat Shower [Guess the Mystery Part I] 35:01

5M ago35:01

35:01

With Chris away on holiday, Sooz and Masud attempt to guess the mystery from the name alone. How close do they get? Well you'll be surprised! Chris certainly was... In Bath County, Kentucky in 1876 chunks of red meat fall from the sky. What are they? How did they fall from the sky? Despite science coming on leaps and bounds since then, there's stil…

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The Ken Brennan Trilogy #3 - Shootout at Spanky's [RE-RELEASE] 1:18:46

5M ago1:18:46

1:18:46

Our revisiting of our Ken Brennan trilogy comes to a close. December 2008 in Jackson, Tennessee bar owner and sheriff's deputy Euhommie Bond is tragically killed in a shootout outside his bar and grill, Spanky's. With so much gunfire concentrated in such a short space of time, finding out who killed him is no mean feat, one main reason why the poli…

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THE 13th WARRIOR - with Peter Raleigh 1:39:29

5M ago1:39:29

1:39:29

August 1999's The 13th Warrior was (mostly) directed by legendary Predator and Die Hard director – and occasional felon – John McTiernan, and released just three weeks after his other (far more successful) 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair. Based on the 1976 novel "Eaters of the Dead" by Michael Crichton (who also took over to direct several scenes…

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The Ken Brennan Trilogy #2 - The Vanishing Blonde and the Mercury Man [RE-RELEASE] 1:17:48

5M ago1:17:48

1:17:48

It's the second in our Ken Brennan Trilogy and 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 seen and ended up 8 miles away and left for dead. What happened to her, who did it and just who on Earth is the Mercury Man and might he be the key to the whole affair? This case, …

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The Ken Brennan Trilogy #1 - The Body in Room 348 [RE-RELEASE] 52:07

5M ago52:07

52:07

Revisiting our Ken Brennan trilogy over the next 3 weeks, we begin with our first Ken episode from way back in January 2020 as we meet Ken solving the bizarre mystery of Greg Fleniken, who was found dead in his hotel room, locked from the inside, with internal injuries that were similar to having been pulverised by a car. So what the hell happened?…

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AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME - with Siri Dahl 1:35:32

6M ago1:35:32

1:35:32

We are kicking off the summer by returning to the box office top 10 for the first time since Runaway Bride with one of the 1999’s big summer blockbusters, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me! Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me was the 4th-highest grossing movie of 1999, behind Toy Story 2, The Sixth Sense, and The Phantom Menace, opening on Ju…

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Episode 191: The Mysterious Lori Erica Ruff 59:24

6M ago59:24

59:24

This week's episode is the story of Lori Erica Ruff, who took her own life in 2010. She was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in her car, parked on her estranged in-laws' driveway. Erratic behaviour following the separation from her husband is only the beginning as the true nature of Lori is slowly uncovered. So who was she really? ______ A…

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JOE THE KING - with Zaki Hasan 1:14:15

6M ago1:14:15

1:14:15

Joe the King was the directorial debut of long-time career supporting actor and occasional indie leading man Frank Whaley, who also wrote the script based partly on his own life. It stars Noah Fleiss in the title role, Karen Young, John Leguizamo, Whaley’s friend and frequent collaborator Ethan Hawke, Camryn Manheim, Max Ligosh, a very young Kate M…

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Episode 190: The Fate of the Flower Doctor 43:47

6M ago43:47

43:47

This week's episode is the story of Charles Budd Robinson - a botanist from Canada who went missing while on an expedition to an Indonesian island in December 1913 never to be seen again... So what happened? Does the answer lie in Kew Gardens? And would he have survived if he'd packed his phrase book? ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free version o…

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23. Sooz Kempner - Actor, comedian, singer 50:10

6M ago50:10

50:10

Jo sets the world to rights with super talented, award-winning comedian, actor and singer, Sooz Kempner. You may recognise Sooz from her hugely successful appearances at the Edinburgh Fringe, this year is her eleventh show. She's created tons of character comedy sketches that have gone viral and starred as Doom from The Dr Who spin-off, Doom's Day.…

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Episode 189: Does the Pope Have a Time Machine? 45:44

6M ago45:44

45:44

Coinciding with the papal conclave of 2025 as cardinals reverently decide who will be the new Pope, we dive into a pervading mystery that the Vatican once had (and possibly still has) its hands on a working time machine... A story which takes in Nobel Prize winners and Nazi scientists, let's find out the answer to the question 'does the Pope have a…

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THE LIMEY: "Bang" - with Devan Scott 1:24:33

7M ago1:24:33

1:24:33

The Limey was 170th highest grossing movie of 1999, finishing just one spot ahead of cult favorite Jawbreaker Released October 8th in just 17 theaters and going on to make $3.2 million on a $10 million budget, The Limey was directed by Steven Soderbergh, just on the verge of his first major commercial successes (Erin Brokovich and Traffic, both rel…

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Jew Talkin’ To Me? With comedian Aaron Levene! 59:04

7M ago59:04

59:04

Join Jewish Comedians Rachel Creeger & Philip Simon for their comedy podcast, a chat show about all things Jewish, produced by Russell Balkind. This week we're joined by comedian Aaron Levene! Subscribe to our Patreon: @JewTalkin Facebook: @JewTalkin Twitter: @JewTalkin Instagram: @JewTalkin Lots more fantastic episodes waiting to be released, so d…

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You Get What You Give | Sooz's One Hit Wonders #4 58:51

7M ago58:51

58:51

In the latest in our Sooz's One Hit Wonders series, we are transported to 1998 and take a look at a serious contender for song of the 90s as we learn all about what led to (and came from) the utter smash hit You Get What You Give... Dreadful solo albums, a right-place-right-time capturing of the zeitgeist plus a more surprising subsequent career th…

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Episode 188: The Severed Feet of the Salish Sea 46:50

7M ago46:50

46:50

This week we uncover Sooz's fear of the ocean as we discuss the bizarre phenomenon of loads of severed feet washing up at various points along the British Columbia and Washington State coast... Just why did the amount increase between 2007 and 2018? And, more importantly, why does Chris now own Conclave on physical media in 2025!? The answers lie w…

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VAL KILMER: 1959-2025 1:14:00

7M ago1:14:00

1:14:00

Actor Val Kilmer died on April 1st of this year, after a long battle with throat cancer. He was 65. Kilmer's film career began in the 1980s with iconic turns in the likes of Top Gun and Real Genius, but it was in the 1990s where be became an icon in a decade known primarily one dominated by iconoclasts, starting with his portrayal of Jim Morrison i…

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Episode 187: What Happened at the Ole Miss Riot? 1:08:35

7M ago1:08:35

1:08:35

This week's episode is the story of (among others) Paul Guihard, Ray Gunther and James Meredith, whose lives intersect and, in two of their cases, come to an end at the fateful Ole Miss Riot of 1962 in Mississippi. So what happened? And boy had you better not mention to Masud that you don't like tomatoes! ______ An exclusive extended, ad-free versi…

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VHGuess #3 | Urgh, It's Not Stripes Is It? 1:17:26

7M ago1:17:26

1:17:26

Our favourite game is back this week and has some of the very best and some of the very worst guesses Chris and Masud have made. And it may also be the closes game yet PLUS Sooz goes rogue with awarding points. ______ An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 20 minutes of bonus extra chat can be found over at our Patreon! Extended …

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SWEET AND LOWDOWN: "All That Jazz" - with Liz Whitmere 1:32:38

8M ago1:32:38

1:32:38

Sweet and Lowdown opened on December 3rd in just 3 theaters and taking in an impressive 31,562 dollar per screen average Written and directed by Woody Allen, it stars Sean Penn as fictional jazz guitar legend Emmet Ray alongside Samantha Morton and Uma Thurman, Brad Garrett, John Waters, Anthony LaPaglia, and Brian Markinson, among others. Sweet an…

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Episode 186: The World's First Aerial Murder? 49:58

8M ago49:58

49:58

This week we take a look at possibly the world's first aerial murder, which is certainly what it was called in newspapers at the time. In 1923, daredevil BH DeLay was putting on an extraordinary aerial display of aviation stunts - something he had made a great living doing in the movies - when the wings of his plane snapped off and crashed into the…

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22. Josephine Lacey - Stand Up Comedian, 'Autism Mama' and writer 55:38

8M ago55:38

55:38

Funny, heartbreaking and inspirational in equal measure, this is a Real Folk to remember... Jo takes a deep dive into the background of stand-up comedian and writer, Josephine Lacey, creator of the hit five star comedy show, 'Autism Mama', 'The straight-talking comic’s debut hour is cheerfully rude and glowing with maternal love, as she describes p…

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Episode 185: Robert Johnson & The Devil at the Crossroads 1:19:37

8M ago1:19:37

1:19:37

While you may be forgiven for thinking that Robert Johnson is our guest for an episode about the devil at a crossroads, don't let the naming convention fool you. This is the tale of pioneering musician Robert Johnson who is simultaneously one of the most influential musicians of the 20th Century AND a complete mystery... Perhaps the first member of…

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FOR LOVE OF THE GAME: "Baseball" - with Jacki Krestel 1:14:32

8M ago1:14:32

1:14:32

57th on the 1999 box office chart, For Love of the Game marked director Raimi’s first foray into big-budget, mass-market filmmaking (which would ultimately pave the way for being handed the enormous task of finally bringing Spiderman to the screen in 2002) But love and baseball was very different territory for Raimi, and his inexperience in the rea…

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The One & Only | Sooz's One Hit Wonders #3 53:19

8M ago53:19

53:19

The next in Sooz's series of the stories behind some of the biggest one-hit wonders. This week, she walks us through Chesney Hawke's 1991 mega-hit 'The One & Only' while we of course manage to get in a Jurassic Park reference and Masud learns about the chain of shops John Menzies... ______ An exclusive extended version of this episode with almost 3…

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21. Sophie Haydock - Author, editor, journalist 49:49

8M ago49:49

49:49

Jo catches up with Sophie Haydock, Sunday Times and Guardian journalist, author of The Flames 'One of the finest historical authors of 2022', The Times. Her latest book, Madame Matisse, is released on 6th March 2025. Sophie delicately weaves fact and fiction to flesh out the stories surrounding the women that inspired Egon Schiele and Henri Mattise…

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TWILIGHT (1998) - Gene Hackman Special 1:09:10

8M ago1:09:10

1:09:10

There were no movies starring the late Gene Hackman that were released in the US in 1999, but two of his films released in the US in 1998 – Tony Scott’s Enemy of the State and Robert Benton’s Twilight – were released in Europe in 1999. So because plenty has been said about the former, we are taking a look today at the latter. Directed by Kramer and…

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Episode 184: The Calvine Sighting 57:53

8M ago57:53

57:53

This week's episode is the twisty story of what is considered to be the greatest photo ever taken of a UFO... In August 1990, two men hiking near the Scottish hamlet of Calvine saw a strange craft hover silently in the sky, be approached by a Harrier jet and then fly away vertically. Stranger than this sighting, though, is the story of the photogra…