Rephonic
Artwork for The Poisoned Wife

The Poisoned Wife

The Australian
Ray Mcqueen
Strychnine
Rosslyn Mcqueen
Bendigo
Roslyn Mcqueen
Strychnine Poisoning
1987 Coronial Inquest
Rex Bakes
Minnie Hall Murder Case
Roslyn Joy Mcqueen
Forensic Toxicology
Forensic Evidence
Donna Menalek
Australia
Donna Menalik
Virginia Slaughter
Children's Understanding Of Death

Who killed Rosslyn McQueen? The Australian’s Hedley Thomas and Karina Berger investigate the unsolved 1986 murder of a 30-year-old pregnant mother, poisoned with strychnine in her own home in country Victoria, as her toddler played nearby. Rosslyn’s husband, Ray McQueen, told police and ambulance officers she had terminal cancer. But Ros didn’t have cancer and nobody believed she would have taken ... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes13Founded3 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
True CrimeDocumentarySociety & Culture

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Poisoned Wife

Latest Episodes

Key evidence revealed at the Eaglehawk Court House on day one of the 1987 coronial inquest into Rosslyn's death is examined by Hedley and Karina.

Two witnesses give telling evidence about whether Ray needed to contact Ros urgently on the morning sh... more

Hedley, Karina and Rex reunite in Melbourne for a podcast live event for listeners.

Some of Rosslyn’s relatives are in the audience, along with her close friends Wendy, Jillian and Lisa.

Many new connections are made and new information comes to ... more

Former Bendigo resident Max Miles comes forward to reveal that Ray McQueen asked him troubling questions about autopsy testing in the days immediately after Rosslyn's death.

Hedley and Karina delve into strychnine, the toxic farming poison that ki... more

For the first time, Rosslyn's best friend Wendy's real voice is heard in the podcast.

She has never believed that her friend committed suicide and is sure she met foul play.

Wendy reveals that homicide detectives told her some things in 1987 abo... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Unravel
UnravelABC Australia
The Case Of
The Case OfABC Australia
Bronwyn
BronwynThe Australian
Sick to Death
Sick to DeathThe Australian

Recent Guests

Virginia Slaughter
Professor of Psychology and Dean of Research at the University of Queensland.
University of Queensland
Episode: Episode 11: Eaglehawk
Kath Mead
Daughter of neighbour Gordon Rosengren and a witness to Jodie's words on the day Rosslyn died.
Episode: Episode 11: Eaglehawk
Rex Bakes
Retired private investigator who has worked on the McQueen case for decades
Episode: Episode 10: All of Us
John Mauschel
Retired forensic scientist and former Victoria Police forensic laboratory sergeant.
Episode: Episode 9: Bitter Nemesis
Dimitri Gerostamoulos
Toxicologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine.
Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine
Episode: Episode 9: Bitter Nemesis
Max Miles
Former colleague of Ray McQueen at the National Mutual Insurance Office in Bendigo.
National Mutual
Episode: Episode 9: Bitter Nemesis
Wendy Beatty
Ros McQueen's close friend and key interviewee
Friend of Ros McQueen
Episode: Episode 8: Rex and Wendy
Donna Menallek
Former resident connected to the Roslyn McQueen case; witness and interviewee
Private individual
Episode: Episode 7: Donna
Ray McQueen
Husband of Rosslyn McQueen, central figure in the investigation
McQueen family
Episode: Episode 5: The Charge

Hosts

Hedley Thomas
Host and investigative journalist with a focus on long-form, evidence-driven storytelling.
Karina Berger
Co-host and investigator/writer providing narrative structure and interview coordination.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 485 ratings
  • vewy good

    ye ye ye ye

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    ♡i rlly don’t care ♡
    Australia25 days ago
  • Another Headley Thomas cracker of a podcast

    Podcast Addict
    5
    slatersli@hotmail.com
    25 days ago
  • Disappointed

    I’ve listened to most episodes and now I’m suddenly locked out. I log in and get told my account can’t be linked to the podcasts, despite paying for a subscription.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    TheBentEdit
    Australiaa month ago
  • Slow

    I like Hedley’s previous podcasts but this one is incredibly tedious. They go into all the tiny details over and over. And we know what the story is anyway

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    OkieDonkie
    Canadaa month ago
  • A bit meh

    This doesn’t appear to have the same punch as the other Hedley podcasts. 6 episodes in and there doesn’t appear to be any real structure - the episodes jump around a lot covering the same ground and chronology and we haven’t really learned anything new that wasn’t already covered in ep 1. It seems to be suffering from the same drift which featured in the latter part of the Bronwyn pod.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Adski 123
    United Kingdoma month ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

- Listeners frequently highlight compelling storytelling and new angles on the case.
- Some reviews mention pacing or AI-narration as drawbacks for the listening experience.
- The critiques note inconsistent pacing due to production choices but praise the investigative depth.
- Fans appreciate the host's persistence and rigorous research.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#216
United States/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#227
United Kingdom/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#29
United Kingdom/True Crime
Apple Podcasts
#156
Canada/True Crime
Spotify
#25
Australia/Top Podcasts
Spotify
#4
Australia/True Crime

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Episode 11: Eaglehawk
Q: Was Ray McQueen's urgency in trying to reach Rosslyn that morning necessary to obtain information for an insurance quote?
The quote required computer processing and did not need to be prepared that morning, so there was no apparent practical urgency; the evidence does not establish why Ray kept calling.
Episode 11: Eaglehawk
Q: Could a two-and-a-half-year-old have said “Mummy's dead, mustn't touch Mummy” without being coached by an adult?
Virginia Slaughter says children that age can use “dead” to mean not moving and may repeat phrases they have heard in ordinary situations, though their understanding is not adult-like.
Episode 10: All of Us
Q: Was that something you were surprised to hear from Ray McQueen?
Berger says she was surprised by Ray McQueen's suggestion of a forensic mix-up. She reports that multiple samples had unique identifiers and were handled by an assigned pathologist, making a mix-up negligible in likelihood.
Episode 10: All of Us
Q: Does the failure of the police at that initial crime scene shock you or surprise you or is that something that unfortunately does happen in crime scenes in Australia?
Karina Berger says she would be shocked to see the same failures today, when police would likely treat the death as a probable homicide, secure the scene, collect evidence and interview witnesses.
Episode 9: Bitter Nemesis
Q: Would you expect a person suffering from strychnine poisoning to recognize the symptoms and appreciate that they're in trouble and then possibly be able to take action in response such as calling 000 or calling out for help to someone else in a house for instance?
Gerostamoulos says someone might be able to call for help, but intense pain and rapidly worsening symptoms can prevent action. The time to get medical help is limited.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Poisoned Wife

What is The Poisoned Wife about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep-dive investigative series that reconstructs a decades-old murder in rural Australia, blending police transcripts, private investigation angles, forensics context, and neighbor testimony. Across episodes, the show foregrounds rival narratives about a husband's potential involvement, complex personal relationships, and the evolving pursuit of truth through archival material and fresh interviews. A distinctive feature is the recurring use of a long-time private investigator who brings new angles to a case that has sparked regional conversations for years, making it feel like a live, ongoing pursuit of justice. The format pairs rigorous documentation with emotional storytelling, making it particularly appealing to true crime enthusiasts,... more

Where can I find podcast stats for The Poisoned Wife?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Poisoned Wife. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Poisoned Wife and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Poisoned Wife get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Poisoned Wife, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Poisoned Wife?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Poisoned Wife, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Poisoned Wife have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Poisoned Wife has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Poisoned Wife?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Poisoned Wife:

1. Unravel
2. The Disappearance of Katie Walker
3. The Case Of
4. Bronwyn
5. Sick to Death

How many episodes of The Poisoned Wife are there?

The Poisoned Wife launched 3 months ago and published 13 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Poisoned Wife?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Poisoned Wife?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Poisoned Wife from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Poisoned Wife?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Poisoned Wife. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Poisoned Wife?

Recent guests on The Poisoned Wife include:

1. Virginia Slaughter
2. Kath Mead
3. Rex Bakes
4. John Mauschel
5. Dimitri Gerostamoulos
6. Max Miles
7. Wendy Beatty
8. Donna Menallek

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days