BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sports Strangest Crimes returns with comedian Rich Hall leading a new series.
Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker tells the extraordinary true story of Liverpudlian Mark Roberts and his decades long obsession with streaking at major global sporting events.
Across six episodes, the series charts Roberts’ journey from an impulsive first stunt to a carefully planned mission to streak at the biggest sporting event in the world, the Super Bowl.
Roberts first streaked at the World Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong in 1993, an experience that unexpectedly sparked a career built on shock, spectacle and international notoriety.
Over 33 years, he completed more than 500 streaks across 23 countries, targeting global events including the Champions League final, Commonwealth Games 100 metre final and Wimbledon men’s final.
“Why do you do it?…That’s always the question,” Roberts explains in the podcast. “For two reasons. One is to entertain tens of thousands of people in that stadium, and the other is to put two fingers up to authority.”
He describes how his ambition steadily escalated as he worked through the world’s biggest sporting stages, before setting his sights on American football’s biggest night.
“I’ve done virtually every major event there was,” he says. “I did the Champions League final, Commonwealth Games 100 metre final, and then the Wimbledon men’s final, massive. I thought, wow, what’s the biggest thing you could do in the world? The Super Bowl.”
The series follows Roberts’ preparation for what he considered streaking’s ultimate achievement, featuring interviews with Super Bowl organisers and an NFL player unexpectedly caught up in one of his headline grabbing moments.
Rich Hall also explores the wider cultural impact of streaking, reflecting on famous sporting controversies including Janet Jackson’s widely discussed Super Bowl performance moment that sparked global debate about live broadcast boundaries.
Hall contributes personal insight too, revealing details about his own history with streaking, adding a humorous and reflective layer to the storytelling as he unpacks the motivations behind public spectacle and risk taking.
The podcast combines comedy, sport and cultural history, offering a detailed portrait of a figure whose unusual pursuit repeatedly tested security, broadcasting standards and public tolerance for live sporting disruption.
With archive material, first hand interviews and Hall’s narration, the series examines how Roberts transformed a spontaneous act into an internationally recognised identity that divided audiences between amusement and outrage.
Sports Strangest Crimes: Confessions of a Super Bowl Streaker is available on BBC Sounds from 6 February.
