The Columbo Podcast

The latest podcast project from Gerry & Iain sees them tackle the Original Series of Star Trek. Enjoy the first episode here.

This mini episode contains an excruciating outtake from the recording of the podcast for Season Ten's Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health.

We are proud to present the latest project from the Columbo Podcast team, the Fawlty Towers Podcast. This will be a retrospective look at the classic BBC sitcom working in chronological order from A Touch of Class forwards.

Episode seventy one of the Columbo Podcast is a quick update and look forward for the show. In this podcast Gerry and Iain catch listeners up on what they've been doing lately, what their plans for the Columbo Podcast are and on their other upcoming shows.

Episode seventy of the Columbo Podcast looks back on the series, its highs and lows, triumphs and disasters. In this podcast Gerry and Iain revisit episode one, answer questions submitted by the listeners and cast their eyes forward to future endeavours.     Amongst the mysteries tackled in this episode are:   * Has Iain learned anything about Columbo during the first sixty nine episodes? * What goes into putting an episode of the podcast together? * Who was the show’s most sympathetic killer? * Which of Columbo’s tropes is the most appealing? * What will Iain and Gerry’s next project be? and * What next for the Columbo Podcast?   If you have thoughts on the Columbo Podcast please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Tweet

The sixty seventh episode of Columbo was titled Columbo Likes the Nightlife and was the final episode of the show’s final season. Columbo pursues a nightclub owner and sitcom actress when one man dies and another disappears. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the last ever episode of Columbo.     Welsh actor Matthew Rhys had the honour of portraying Columbo‘s final killer, as nightclub entrepreneur Justin Price. When his investor, Tony Galper (Carmine Giovinazzo), dies in an altercation with his ex-wife (and now Price’s partner)  Vanessa Farrow (Jennifer Sky), Justin and Vanessa conceal the death. Their dual motives are to avoid repercussions from Galper’s mob family and to ensure Justin’s new nightclub receives the funding Tony had arranged.   Unknown to them, however, tabloid hack Linwood Coben (Douglas Roberts) has been spying on Vanessa from a neighbour’s garden and has photos of them moving the body. Knowing they’ll never be free from his blackmail, Justin persuades Vanessa that the only option is for Coben to die. Justin then meets Coben and arranges to reconvene at the journalist’s office, where he brutally kills his one-time associate.   Julius Carry appears as Columbo’s primary LAPD support, while there is an entertaining cameo from The Sopranos actor Steve Schirripa as mob messenger Freddie. John Finnegan has a welcome cameo as Vanessa’s neighbour Sean Jarvis, while Lost star Jorge Garcia plays Justin’s doorman, Julius.   Director Jeffrey Reiner and writer Michael Alaimo make their only contributions to the Columbo universe with this episode.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Columbo Likes the Nightlife, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Columbo Likes the Nightlife was released in 2003. It is 85 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixty sixth episode of Columbo was titled Murder with Too Many Notes and was the fourth episode of the show’s final season. Columbo calls the tune as a legendary film composer tries to lead him on a merry dance. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the show’s third and final Scottish killer.     Legendary Scottish comedian and actor Billy Connolly was handed the killer’s gloves as Columbo returned after a two-and-a-half year hiatus with a clunking, ill-conceived disaster of an episode. Connolly’s Findlay Crawford is a composer of film soundtracks who has been propped up in recent years by the uncredited work of his protégé Gabriel McEnery (Chad Willett) as his own talents waned. Threatened with exposure of this charade, Crawford kills McEnery using a long-abandoned elevator to knock him off the roof of a concert venue while apparently on-stage.   Richard Riehle makes his second and final Columbo appearance as Sergeant Degarmo, while additional support is provided by Charles Cioffi as movie director Sidney Ritter and Hillary Danner as McEnery’s girlfriend Rebecca. Obi Ndefo plays sound engineer Nathaniel Murphy, while Miguel Pérez is uncredited as security guard Freddie.   Patrick McGoohan returns for his final stint as director, working (and apparently heavily adapting) the work of writer Jeffrey Cava (who apparently was not best pleased at the result).   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Murder with Too Many Notes, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Murder with Too Many Notes was released in 2001. It is 88 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixty fifth episode of Columbo was titled Ashes to Ashes and was the third episode of the show’s final season. Columbo goes head-to-head with a celebrity undertaker. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at the final appearance of a much-loved performer.     In his final on-screen role, Columbo veteran Patrick McGoohan makes his fourth appearance in the show, playing Eric Prince, a celebrity undertaker who shares the secrets of the dead with a tabloid reporter. When that reporter, Verity Chandler (Rue McClanahan), works out that Prince stole a valuable necklace from a corpse she tells him she intends to report it, a revelation that leads to her immediate death at his hands.   The episode focuses largely on Prince and Columbo‘s interaction (to its benefit), but there are small supporting roles for Sally Kellerman as grieving widow Liz Houston, Ron Masak as fence Eddie Fenelle, Spencer Garrett as Verity’s PA Roger Gambles, Richard Riehle as Sergeant Degarmo, Richard Libertini as Sheikh Yarami, Edie McClurg as another widow – this time one vital to the conclusion of the investigation – and Catherine McGoohan (daughter of Patrick) as Rita, an assistant at the funeral parlour.   Patrick McGoohan, as in two of his three previous performance, doubled up as director, working with a young playwright named Jeffrey Hatcher, who has gone on to create cinema screenplays for films including The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley, and Mr. Holmes with Lord of the Rings star, Sir Ian McKellen.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Ashes to Ashes, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Ashes to Ashes was released in 1998. It is 88 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ...

The sixty fourth episode of Columbo was titled A Trace of Murder and was the second episode of the show’s final season. Columbo is forced to look close to home for a suspect. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a temperamental double act.     Star of Sledge Hammer!, David Rasche, teams up with Shera Danese – finally featuring as a killer – as Patrick Kinsley and Cathleen Calvert: a pair looking to frame Calvert’s husband Clifford (Barry Corbin) for the murder of rival Howard Seltzer (Raye Birk) and live off his wealth.   A small supporting cast includes Donna Bullock as Seltzer’s attorney Tracy Rose; John Finnegan reprising his role as Barney; and Will Nye as a helpful LAPD officer.   Vincent McEveety found himself in the director’s chair yet again, in his final stint, working with a story by Charles Kipps.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of A Trace of Murder, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   A Trace of Murder was released in 1997. It is 88 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixty third episode of Columbo was titled Strange Bedfellows and was the first episode of the show’s final season. Columbo enlists unconventional assistance to pin down a double murderer. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a killer with no flair for disguises.     George Wendt, of Cheers fame, features as fratricidal killer Graham McVeigh. Having inherited half a horse training farm, McVeigh finds his life complicated by the presences of his gambling addict brother Teddy (Jeff Yagher). He concocts a complex scheme, convincing Teddy he will fix a race to pay off Bruno Romano (Jay Acovone), but dopes the horse causing it to come up short. He then seeks to frame Romano for Teddy’s death and sets up a self-defence alibi for his own killing of Romano.   Columbo isn’t the only characters keen to see justice served, however. Mob godfather Vincenzo Fortelli (Rod Steiger) was fond of Romano and has his mind set on taking revenge for that murder. Bruno’s partner, Lorraine Buchinsky (Linda Gehringer), provides an alibi for the time of Teddy’s death, while Sgt Phil Brindle (Bruce Kirby) assists the investigation.   Vincent McEveety found himself in the director’s chair once again, while the story was written by Peter S. Fischer, using his Lawrence Vail pseudonym.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Strange Bedfellows, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Strange Bedfellows was released in 1995. It is 86 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixty second episode of Columbo was titled Undercover and was the final episode of the show’s twelfth season. Columbo adopts an alternative identity to infiltrate a criminal conspiracy. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a break from the traditional format.     After a minor role in Season 7’s How to Dial a Murder, Ed Begley Jr. returns as manipulative killer Irving Krutch, an insurance investigator whose standing was reduced when he failed to track down $4m stolen from a banking client some years earlier. Krutch has acquired a list of names – people connected to the original thieves who each hold one piece of a photograph showing the hiding place for the money.   The first people from the list we meet are JJ Dillinger (Jon Beshara) and Eugene E Ehrbach (an uncredited actor – can you identify him?), followed by Mo Weinberg (Burt Young), Geraldine Ferguson (Shera Danese), Dorothea McNally (Tyne Daly) and Derrick Combs (doesn’t appear). Columbo’s investigations are principally aided by Det. Sgt. Arthur Brown (Harrison Page) on the authority of their captain (Hank Garrett).   Irving Krutch’s alibi was supplied by his lover Suzie Endicott (Kristin Bauer), while Geraldine Ferguson’s associate Bramley Kahn (Edward Hibbert) also had a role to play in an episode featuring a sizeable principal cast.   Vincent McEveety got his shot at working from an Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) story, adapted for the screen by Gerry Day (her only work for the show).   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Undercover (and particularly if you know who played Eugene E. Ehrbach), please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Undercover was released in 1994. It is 88 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixty first episode of Columbo was titled Butterfly in Shades of Grey and was the second episode of the show’s twelfth season. A bombastic radio presenter reacts violently to the prospect of his daughter leaving town. In this podcast Gerry and Iain remark on a couple of returning faces.     William Shatner makes a welcome return to the show as right-wing radio host Fielding Chase. Angered by the efforts of show investigator Gerry Winters (Jack Laufer) to persuade his daughter Victoria (Molly Hagan, last seen on Murder, Smoke and Shadows) to head to New York in search of a publishing deal he shoots the younger man dead, while staging a phone call from his own home.   Another small cast participate in this episode, with Shatner and Peter Falk doing the heavy lifting. Richard Kline appears as Lou Cates, a literary agent who can help Victoria; Yorgo Constantine has a cameo as the radio station manager; Mark Lonow is a soap star and Gerry’s boyfriend, Ted Malloy; Robin Clarke appears briefly as Senator Gordon Madison; and DeeDee Ross (Beverly Leech) and her agent (Brian Markinson) dine with Fielding Chase ahead of his interview with Madison.   Dennis Dugan, who appeared as Mac Albinski in Last Salute to the Commodore returns to direct this episode, working from a script by veteran writer Peter S. Fischer (his eighth of nine shows).   If you have thoughts on any aspect of Butterfly in Shades of Grey, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   Butterfly in Shades of Grey was released in 1994. It is 98 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).   Tweet

The sixtieth episode of Columbo was titled It’s All in the Game and was the first episode of the show’s twelfth season. Columbo faces a unique distraction as a killer uses her femininity to take his eye off the ball. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at an imperfect seduction.     Lauren Staton (Faye Dunaway) and her daughter Lisa Martin (Claudia Christian) are being two-timed by sleazy gigolo Nick Franco (Armando Pucci). When Franco is violent and threatening towards Martin they determine the best way to eliminate the threat is to kill him before he can harm her further.   There is a tight cast in this episode, with Bill Macy‘s apartment complex manager Ruddick and John Finnegan‘s philosophical barman Barney the primary support as Peter Falk and Dunaway feature prominently (the actress would go on to win an Emmy for her performance). Shelley Morrison had a brief appearance as the victim’s maid (and would of course go on to find prominence as a maid in Will and Grace). Jack Shearer headed a team of unnamed investigators.   Vincent McEveety returned to director his fourth episode, following Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo, Death Hits the Jackpot and A Bird in the Hand…. On this occasion his writer was Peter Falk himself – a script he had reportedly been saving for years, waiting for the perfect guest star to play Lauren Staton.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of It’s All in the Game, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   It’s All in the Game was released in 1993. It is 98 minutes long and originally aired on the ABC network. This episode is not available on Netflix, but can be found on the Season 10 or complete collection DVD box sets from Universal (all remaining episodes are considered ‘Season 10’ in the DVD collection).  

The fifty ninth episode of Columbo was titled A Bird in the Hand… and was the final episode of the show’s eleventh season. Columbo has a choice of killers as a family implodes. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at an episode with a critical and surprising twist.     Harold McCain (Greg Evigan) spends his time chasing gambling debts in Vegas and back home in California. When his wealthy uncle, Big Fred (Steve Forrest), refuses to help and Fred’s wife Dolores (Tyne Daly) cannot help he is left in a difficult spot. Determining that murder is the best solution he wires a pipe bomb to Fred’s car, only for Fred to be killed in a hit and run accident before it can be detonated.   As Harold looks for an opportunity to defuse the bomb, Columbo arrives to investigate Fred’s death, taking an unusual interest in the car. Fred’s gardner, Fernando (León Singer), tries to move the vehicle and is killed in the ensuing explosion. Assisting the Lieutenant is Lt Robertson (Frank McRae), who expresses some doubt in relation to Columbo’s methods on occasion, and Sgt. Nancy Duran (Joanna Sanchez).   Dolores comes under suspicion after Harold is later murdered and her lawyer, Bertie (Don S. Davis) offers little assistance in rebuffing the Lieutenant’s questions. Other key figures include Harold’s primary creditor, Mr Hacker (Michael Gregory) and his Casino Manager (Stephen Liska). Lenny Citrano makes a brief appearance as a barber offering crucial information to Columbo.   Vincent McEveety was back in the director’s chair following his work on Rest in Peace, Mrs Columbo and Death Hits the Jackpot. This would be the third of his seven directorial roles on the show. He worked with Jackson Gillis‘ eleventh and final script for the show.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of A Bird in the Hand…, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes – as that can make a big difference to growing the podcast’s audience.   A Bird in the Hand… was released in 1992.

The fifty eighth episode of Columbo was titled No Time to Die and was the second episode of the show’s eleventh season. A family wedding becomes a manhunt as the bride goes missing. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look at a major departure from Columbo‘s usual format.     It is a day (and night) of celebration as Columbo’s orphan nephew, Detective Andy Parma (Thomas Calabro) of the LAPD, marries Melissa Hays (Joanna Going), daughter of the wealthy Sheldon Hays (Donald Moffat) and Louise Hays (Patricia Huston). Andy’s joy turns to anguish, however, as his bride disappears shortly after they retire to the bridal suite.   As Columbo, Parma and a group of colleagues including Sergeant Goodman (Dan Butler) and Detective Dennis Mulrooney (Doug Savant) attempt to piece together the night’s events, Melissa is being held captive by a crazed stalker, Rudy Strassa (Daniel McDonald), who intends to force her to participate in a bizarre wedding ritual before re-enacting his father’s murder of his mother and subsequent suicide.   With support from their Captain (Lance LeGault), Columbo’s crack squad move quickly to investigate and eliminate Albert Wagner (Don Swayze) on a tip off from Tubby Comfort (Cliff Emmich). Meanwhile photographer Alex Varrick (Daniel Davis) and Bailey (David Byrd), who cleans a nearby restaurant at night, provide vital clues to propel the lieutenant in the right direction.   Alan J. Levi followed up his directorial work on Uneasy Lies the Crown and Columbo and the Murder of a Rock Star with this, his third and final stint behind the show’s camera. The episode was adapted from a story by Ed McBain – a pen-name of Evan Hunter – and the teleplay was written by Robert Van Scoyk, who previously wrote Murder Under Glass and had an uncredited hand in the script for Death Hits the Jackpot.   If you have thoughts on any aspect of No Time to Die, please share them below, or find us on Twitter at @columbopodcast.   The Columbo Podcast is widely available – on iTunes, Stitcher, tunein, Pocket Casts or pretty much wherever you choose to receive and manage your podcasts. If you enjoy the show it would be greatly appreciated if you consider leaving ratings and reviews on these sites – particularly iTunes &...