The Roy half of Siegfried and Roy was mauled on October 3rd, 2003, by a 380-pound white tiger live on stage in Las Vegas.

Roy lived, but was partially paralysed, which spelled the end for the wildly successful double act, which had performed more than 30,000 shows for 50 million people and generated well over $1 billion in ticket sales over nearly half a century.

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore how opulence, German accents and mullets proved a winning formula for Siegried and Roy; discuss how the pair bonded over a smuggled cheetah; and look into why there was a police investigation into the white tiger’s attack…

Further Reading:

• ‘Siegfried and Roy: What Happened the Night of the Tiger Attack?’ (Reader’s Digest, 2021): https://www.rd.com/article/siegfried-and-roy-tiger-attack/ 

• ‘The untold truth of Siegfried and Roy’ (Grunge, 2021): https://www.grunge.com/163908/the-untold-truth-of-siegfried-and-roy/ 

• ‘Roy Horn Reveals Shocking Info on Tiger Attack from 11 Years Ago’ (Entertainment Tonight, 2014): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU_d7O8dWww 

• ‘Siegfried & Roy Full Show: The Magic & The Mystery at The Mirage Las Vegas (Legends of Magic, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7VCa8yowlA   

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2022.

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