The Countess

Exit The Garret

BRITAIN’S MOST BIZARRE BENEFITS SCANDAL An audio production of Paul Kalburgi's verbatim play 👑 A Countess who never was. 👭 A twin who didn’t exist. In North West London, “Countess” Mariaska Romanov crafted a breathtaking double life, posing as both Russian royalty and her own paraplegic sister to claim nearly £200,000 in benefits. Dubbed “stranger than fiction,” this true crime audio drama draws on verbatim testimony, transcripts, and exclusive interviews to uncover a deception almost too extraordinary to believe. 🗓️ Out 20 June on all podcast platforms. ✨ Full cast to be announced!

Episodes

  1. 11h ago

    Act 2 – The Fall of the Countess

    The trial reaches its climax as investigators, councillors and residents confront the contradictions at the heart of Mariaska's story. Questions of identity, disability, truth and self-invention collide as the jury considers its verdict. In the aftermath, the community reflects on the legacy of a woman who was at once admired, controversial, and impossible to forget.

    1h 2m

  2. 11h ago

    Act 1 – The Rise of the Countess

    In Brent's Roundwood Park, a beloved community café becomes the centre of a growing controversy. As supporters rally behind the charismatic Countess Mariaska Romanov, a benefit fraud trial begins to uncover startling questions about her identity, her finances, and the extraordinary life she has built. Testimonies, council investigations, court proceedings, blog comments, and local memories creates a portrait of a community wrestling with truth, myth, loyalty, and identity.

    1h 12m

  3. Trailer

    Extended Trailer

    She convinced the council she couldn’t walk. She convinced the community she was royalty. Now hear the extraordinary true story behind Britain's most bizarre benefits scandal. This new audio production of Paul Kalburgi's verbatim play, The Countess follows the rise and fall of the enigmatic Countess Mariaska Romanov—a beloved community figure accused of living a double life. Hero, fraudster, fantasist, survivor. The truth lies somewhere in between.

    3 min

Trailer

About

BRITAIN’S MOST BIZARRE BENEFITS SCANDAL An audio production of Paul Kalburgi's verbatim play 👑 A Countess who never was. 👭 A twin who didn’t exist. In North West London, “Countess” Mariaska Romanov crafted a breathtaking double life, posing as both Russian royalty and her own paraplegic sister to claim nearly £200,000 in benefits. Dubbed “stranger than fiction,” this true crime audio drama draws on verbatim testimony, transcripts, and exclusive interviews to uncover a deception almost too extraordinary to believe. 🗓️ Out 20 June on all podcast platforms. ✨ Full cast to be announced!

Information

  • Creator
    Exit The Garret
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    3
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Exit The Garret
  • Show Website
    The Countess