Consensual Face-Punching

The Box of Oddities

John Elliott and Kat Walls

Comedy, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 13 August 2025

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

TICKETS FOR THE LIVE FALL TOUR HERE! Somewhere in the shadows of the 1990s UK, an unsettling rumor spread: men and women posing as social workers, knocking on doors, asking questions they had no right to ask… and then vanishing. Were they government agents, criminals, or ghosts with clipboards? JG investigates the eerie phenomenon of the Phantom Social Workers — a case file that manages to be equal parts unnerving and confusingly bureaucratic. Meanwhile, Kat takes us to the dizzying streets of Bolivia, where the Tinku Festival blends dance, ritual, and a fair bit of consensual face-punching. In a centuries-old tradition meant to honor the Earth Mother, participants exchange blows not out of malice, but in hopes of a good harvest. Think of it as a county fair where the pie-eating contest could give you a black eye. From mysterious door knockers to cultural haymakers, this episode packs enough intrigue and oddity to make your curiosity tap out. #PhantomSocialWorkers #TinkuFestival #WeirdHistory #StrangeButTrue #TheBoxOfOddities #Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'll now hand you over to my best man, Eddie.
0:04.0	Wow, wow, wow, second time's a charm, eh, Billy Boy?
0:09.0	Oh God.
0:10.0	Substitution, courtesy of Paddy Power, embarrassing Eddie, makes way for sensible Samuel.
0:15.0	Cool, that was close.
0:16.0	You might not always pick the right starter, but your sub can still deliver.
0:19.0	Because with Paddy's super sub, your bet rolls over to the player coming on. Panny Power. Valid on selected leagues and markets only. Pre-match and in-play bets on qualifying player outcome selections only. Ties and exclusions apply. 18 plus, scummelware.com. Welcome to from beneath the Hollywood sign. If you love old movies, Hollywood history, or the golden age of filmmaking, you've come to the right place. This is the podcast that talks about amazing stories of Tinseltown from another era
0:41.2	and fascinating conversations with writer-producer Steve Kubine and actress writer Nan McNamara.
0:46.7	So Steve, did Ava Gardner and Howard Hughes have a good relationship?
0:51.1	Well, they did until he dislocated her jaw.
0:53.8	What? Well, don't worry he dislocated her jaw. What?
0:54.3	Well, don't worry. She hitting back with an ashtray.
0:56.4	From beneath the Hollywood sign is the gin joint for you.
1:01.1	What follows may not be suitable for all audiences.
1:04.2	Listener discretion is advised.
1:07.0	The world is full of stories.
1:11.2	Stories of mysteries.
1:14.0	Of curiosities.
1:16.9	Of oddities.
1:19.9	Join Cat and Jethro Gilligan Toth for the strange, the bizarre, the unexpected, as they lift the lid and cautiously peer inside the box
1:33.7	of oddities.
1:35.4	Man, did we get a thunderstorm last night?
	...

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