Sport's Strangest Crimes

5. Houston, we have so many problems


Listen Later

Houston, 2004. Super Bowl XXXVIII. The biggest television event of the year — and everyone involved is chasing perfection.

Inside the NFL machine, Jim Steeg is orchestrating a military-grade operation where every second is worth millions. In the production truck, Salli Frattini is holding together a halftime show so complex it feels like a controlled explosion: Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, pyro, thousands of performers, and cameras everywhere. On the field, Patriots linebacker Matt Chatham is inches away from the game of his life.

And somewhere in the middle of all this sits Mark Roberts — disguised, tattooed, layered in Velcro, and nervously taping a tiny deflated American football over his “chicken McNugget” because Texas has him rattled.

As the game kicks off, the tension builds — not just for the players, but for everyone who knows what’s riding on halftime. When it arrives, the stadium turns into a full-blown 2004 MTV spectacle: lights, dancers, smoke, sweat, and pop royalty at its most electric.

It looks flawless. It sounds flawless. Everyone thinks it is flawless.

But in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, something happens that almost nobody inside the stadium fully registers — yet will be replayed, analysed, and argued about for decades.

And while everyone is distracted by that half-second… Mark sees his chance.

Presented by Rich Hall

Produced and written by Elle Scott
Production co-ordinator: Juliette Harvey.
Production manager: Debbie Waddell.
Development Executive: Emma Shaw.
Production Executive: Ian Taitt
Executive Producer: Georgia Catt
Sound Design and Composition: Julian Corrie
Assistant Commissioner: Rob Green
Commissioning Executive: Stevie Middleton
A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Sport's Strangest CrimesBy BBC Radio 5 Live

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

63 ratings


More shows like Sport's Strangest Crimes

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,913 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

523 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,067 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

296 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,576 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,113 Listeners

Test Match Special by BBC Radio 5 Live

Test Match Special

199 Listeners

Following On: talkSPORT's cricket show by talkSPORT

Following On: talkSPORT's cricket show

33 Listeners

Tailenders by BBC Radio 5 Live

Tailenders

137 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

227 Listeners

Sky Sports Cricket Podcast by Sky Sports

Sky Sports Cricket Podcast

127 Listeners

The Rugby Pod by The Ringer

The Rugby Pod

352 Listeners

Flats and Shanks by Flats & Shanks

Flats and Shanks

103 Listeners

The Analyst Inside Cricket by Simon Hughes

The Analyst Inside Cricket

68 Listeners

Rugby Union Weekly by BBC Radio 5 Live

Rugby Union Weekly

403 Listeners

Wisden Cricket Weekly by Wisden Cricket Weekly

Wisden Cricket Weekly

66 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

346 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

235 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

326 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,245 Listeners

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby by Platform Media

The Good, The Bad & The Rugby

262 Listeners

Gangster by BBC Radio 5 Live

Gangster

141 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

689 Listeners

Dua Lipa: At Your Service by BBC Sounds

Dua Lipa: At Your Service

1,001 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

528 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Studios

Believe in Magic

630 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

394 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

239 Listeners

For The Love Of Rugby by Crowd Network

For The Love Of Rugby

124 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

54 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

80 Listeners

Stick to Rugby by The Overlap

Stick to Rugby

13 Listeners

For The Love Of Cricket by For The Love Of Cricket

For The Love Of Cricket

43 Listeners

Stick to Cricket by The Overlap

Stick to Cricket

85 Listeners