Welcome to the lion’s den & other tales

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo, Sister Holly, Sister Suzi and Brother Matthew for Episode 7 of Season 8… and yes, the numbering is definitely, probably, completely accurate.Thomas confesses to an 80s campaign of fake-spider terror against his devout granny. Doris’s mum admits to tackling the messiest teenage bedroom on earth. Plus: a 1973 sponsored walk sabotaged with reversed arrows, and a Scottish council depot prank that has grown men shouting “PAPER TOWELS NOW!” at a metal box.Got a confession? [email protected]

It’s a distinctly international trip into the confessional this week with Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective.Craig kicks things off from behind the pharmacy counter in 1989, when an eager attempt to help a customer find “green ones” turns into a mortifying party‑poppers misunderstanding… Then ex‑RAF Police Corporal Binky Blythe teaches an Italian driver a “romantic” phrase that ends up being delivered to the Admiral’s wife.Plus: Nev’s compost‑heap ashes swap, and William’s French chemist translation help that accidentally escalates into Bon Saint‑Bernard deep‑heat justice.Got a confession? [email protected]

Episode five of Season Eight drops Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective back into the confessional for more chaos, dodgy logic, and the kind of stories that definitely shouldn’t be told… but are.Joe buys his daughter a life-size skeleton, commits fully by building it a coffin (complete with nameplate: “Mr Bone, RIP”), then watches it reappear in the worst possible place after a house fire — terrifying an insurance loss adjuster and some very shocked onlookers.Plus: Nigel’s 1979 school trip to Amsterdam that ends with the Dutch police being called, Dave’s “perfect peach” decorating job, and Gretchen’s free-range 1960s Yorkshire childhood gang — complete with singed eyebrows.Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective for another fresh batch of chaos, questionable life choices, and very loud studio drinks.Karen takes us back to late-70s school rule rebellion with a changing-room ear‑piercing “side hustle” run by Penny the Piercer… using mum’s sewing pins as the “earrings”.Then Steve relives a painfully awkward trip to Boots in Newquay, where asking for “party poppers” becomes a full-blown Small, Medium or Large misunderstanding.Plus: Joanne’s revenge corned beef hash with a feline twist, and Marina’s spectacular swimming pool disaster involving a glass-topped table, a smashed poolside, and a very quick exit.Got a confession? [email protected]

Episode three of Season Eight sees Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective back in the studio for more chaos, coat chat, and questionable decision-making. First: a “guilty and apologetic teacher” (aka Mr Schneebly) reveals how one forgotten gold-plated anniversary pen — and a suit-jacket mix-up mid-interview — may have cost another candidate their dream job… and accidentally won him his. Then Paula takes us to early-90s LA with the “naughty nannies” and a drunken trouser swap that leaves one poor bloke stranded in a loo, later raging for his “pants”. Plus: Sid’s rubber cobra prank on Nan, and James’ local radio “hero” surprise that goes catastrophically wrong in the rain. Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective for another fresh batch of confessions.Alf takes us to South Africa’s “Valley of a Thousand Hills” for a bit of teenage snake-hunting that ends with a biology master going absolutely white. Boomslang, anyone?Rose fights back against a scamp wrecking the ladies’ loo… with a “grown-ups” magazine placed at eye level, and one very memorable yelp.Plus: a Swiss bake sale accidentally becomes an open bar, and Bob the double bass player recounts 1976 Romania — jeans, Pink Floyd, broken windows, and an international pillow fight.Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Holy Collective as Season Eight kicks off — minus Brother Matt, who’s apparently busy in his orangery.First up, a “medical emergency” on a quiet Oxfordshire B-road turns into yet another in-progress game of Cluedo… complete with a horn, a thumbs up, and a very hasty getaway.Then Rob hides in the back of the “wrong” VW Beetle outside a chippy and nearly causes a bus-worthy disaster.Plus: an RAF Hercules engine test blows a captain off his bike, and a Costa Rican orange-knee tarantula prank sparks police panic and a South Wales Echo headline.Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective for cassette-tape sabotage, 80s vanity, and a honeymoon story you can’t un-hear. “Timothy” takes revenge on late-night Madonna singalongs by planting a whispered haunting on a Like a Virgin cassette… with consequences that end in a smashed stereo and a house move. Felicity discovers her mulleted boyfriend is “playing Cluedo” and delivers a tiny contact-lens payback before dumping him for good. Plus: Donald’s RAF “orange goo” disaster melts a visitor’s jacket, and Hilary’s Rome honeymoon scallops lead to an unfortunate bidet-towel incident. Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Holy collective. We start with a World Cup watch party that turns into the most awkward buffet raid imaginable..Storm Doris exposes “mum and dad time” evidence. Sarah “borrows” her brother’s badly behaved dog on Brancaster beach and denies everything. And we finish with Herb's show off moment, that causes chaos in a local village.Got a confession? [email protected]

Step into the confessional with Simon Mayo and the Confessions Collective for another “Confessions from the Crypt” special — lock the doors and grab your torch.Maria Callas (from Middlesbrough, obviously) reveals how a snowbound dash for the only train to London ended with her welded to Eric Cantona’s chest… Then one anonymous parent admits to a decade-long lie involving their daughter and a microchip.Plus: a birdwatcher’s woodland wee gets captured by a badger camera, and “Brian” accidentally soundtracks a neighbour’s paperwork with some very loud Cluedo.Want your confession on the next podcast - [email protected]