Mike Prowse Solo Travel Comedy

In this episode, I investigate the worst guide book in the world. It's the Holy Grail of travel podcasts, and in a sense, the Gareth Bale of it as well - in that it underperformed internationally. I pursue a lead that unpicks the origins of the worst guide book in the world, "My Lovely Lake Disctrict" by Jemima Penk. This pursuite leads directly to snooker. Music and Sounds courtesty of Zapsplat.com

Britain has an ancient folk heritage. And if like me, you've ever asked the question "How can I make money from it?" this episode is for you. Join me as I make you aware of the whisper over your shoulder in the forest at night, the vague sense of the uncanny as you wander through the ancient village, and the absolute madness of Arpleshaw's bloody post cannon. Music and effects by Zapsplat.com

The last British, large-scale infrastructure project which came in on time and under budget was Stonehenge. That's why I've been investigating CROSSRAIL - with SHOCKING revelations about a project that's overdue, overspent, and over there. Expect INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM from me, and STRONG DRUG REFERENCES. (To be clear, the drugs are strong, not the references.) Music and FX courtesy of ZAPSPLAT.COM

Come with me as i descend into a dank world of competitive boffins and petty point scoring. A normal night of curating my "fun" quiz leads to danger as I'm inducted into the shadowy world of ILLEGAL QUIZZES. It's like The Chase but I'm all the chasers and one contestant combined. Music and effects via zapsplat.com

Do you believe in ghosts? I'm the solo travel expert Mike Prowse and I was pretty sure I didn't. But a night in one of Britain's most haunted hotels forces me to a definitive conclusion. This podcasts contains some scary moments, mild peril, strong peril, an undead fight scene, and multiple references to Yvette Fielding. It's not suitable for those under 18, not suitable for the very elderly, a bit risky if you're over 45, but less likely to fully engage that tricky 39-45 range who are increasingly busy what with a slight uptick in the mid-price leisure scene. Below 37 some of the references may be a bit old. Essentially it's for 38 year olds. Music and effects via Zapsplat.com Pic free courtesy of Pikrepo.com

We all love a good murder mystery. And we all love it when two murder mystery plays enter an all-out decades-long tit-for-tat WAR. In this episode I'm reporting from the battleground of the West End of London, where two venerable plays have been locked in conflict to decide the longest running play in theatreland. Expect the true history of The Mousetrap, and the surprisingly gripping reality of it's long-time rival THE COMPLICATED MURDER. Pic by Johann Persson used under Creative Commons Music and effects by Zapsplat.com

A few years ago, in the town of Blabwyn, something happened. A travel podcasting colleague, who was, like me, there at the very inception of the art form, disappeared. What happened to her? Did she visit the monument? The strange indescribable stretch, or puddle, of water? Or did she stay longer than she expected in the cafe? It's hard to tell. Because Blabwyn is the Everest of travel podcasting... nothing happens there. Come with me as I take a trip to a town which defies description. Along the way you'll learn about the origin of the MP3 and the extraordinary efforts to put anything of interest in the town museum. Blabwyn. It's on most road maps. FX and Music from Zapsplat.com, image used under Creative Commons licence

I receive a job offer... Accepting this offer sets me on a Shakespearean odyssey, a strange journey of tantalising opportunities, promises that can't possibly be kept and of strange portents. I also have a fight by a river. It's a podcast that sets one man's raging ambition against the remorseless wheel of fate, as he battles to achieve his ultimate goal of earning a relatively easy £400 quid. Music and Effects from zapsplat.com

As pop's Katie Perry returns to earth, I return to JOURNALISM. That's because I've been invited to the Texas rocket lair of Silicon Valley tech man turned rocket wrangler RICKY PANDERMAN. Granted the shortest interview slot in history, I set out to uncover the motivation behind entrepreneurs Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk's obsession with space. But i uncover something MUCH DARKER. In this episode I take a balanced impartial look at Space Tourism and why I don't like it. Music and FX by Zapsplat. Publicly available Apollo Audio used under creative commons.

During a crucial session in June 1962 George Harrison made a joke about George Martin's tie. It gave the EMI man a hint of the cheekily approachable sass which would beguile the world. And now - Marc Moss-Jones and Kevin Core's book about this epochal moment has landed on my welcome mat. I Don't Like Your Tie is a trip into the world of the joke that made The Beatles. But SOMEONE has to go further. Someone needs to check out where that tie is now. And I, as a seasoned travel journalist and podcaster who has worn a tie, am the man for the job. Join me as I descend into the Fabosphere, have a run in with a man from the motor trade, meet the egg men and have a catastrophic interaction with George Harrison's microscope. Music and FX from Zapsplat.com Image by Gail Myerscough https://www.gailmyerscough.co.uk/

Backstops, backbeats and Beatles. Come with me to Liverpool as I shine a light on the underexamined issue of BREXIT*, through the lens of 'The Fabulous Four'. *Britain's departure from the European Union Image: Leslie Spear cropped by Blofeld [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

John Clare, nature's sparky rocks and a breezy approach to probate law... Ukulele by Ruth Moss Jones

Join me, Mike Prowse, as I look at holiday fraud through the lens of Belgian 'phone skankers, not-for-profit games of canasta and Vanessa The Turkey... Image from GotCredit Ravel's Bolero: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bolero-Maurice_Ravel-1930.ogg Audio editing on 'Money': Denzel Wicksteed (https://soundcloud.com/jnrbones)

Wilk, Drake and Atonement... Image by Gareth Foster, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9233045 Laika music: https://www.silvermansound.com Squirrel: https://freesound.org/people/tim.kahn/sounds/324437/

Underage archaeology, the Sistine Chapel and its superior floor, The Pope's batcave and a fundamental poetry misunderstanding...

The Holy Knuckle Of St Barnabas, syphilis and a violent assault... Ukulele by audionautix.com. Released under Creative Commons License 3.0. Other music by Moss & Jones (http://mossandjones.bandcamp.com) Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wilson44691 CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication

Sensory deprivation, fear and the ninth most expensive Ferris Wheel in Dorset. Door creak: www.freesoundeffects.com/ Image: www.flickr.com/photos/edgarpierce/6280908581 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

A big sign, charades and Crewe's second best butcher... Bus sound effect: http://www.grsites.com/archive/sounds/category/12/?offset=108 Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rail_House,_Gresty_Road,_Crewe.JPG

Dick Splash, mugger confusion and a visit to a car park... Image: © Copyright Steve Fareham and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. Guitar music from www.purple-planet.com Other music from publicdomain.lafauniere.info

Velvet trousers, a giant sponge hand and reinventing of the very notion of a chair... Image by Rico Neitzel - http://www.rizi-online.de, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=976810 Music: http://publicdomain.lafauniere.info/index.php?-action=browse&-table=media&pk_media=%3D3057 http://publicdomain.lafauniere.info/index.php?-action=browse&-table=media&pk_media=%3D6335 http://publicdomain.lafauniere.info/index.php?-action=browse&-table=media&pk_media=%3D6170 Sound effect: http://www.freesound.org/people/Quistard/sounds/237680/

A dapper Italian gent, Ted Heath and the fate of the heroine, Ivy...