Let’s get one thing clear from the start: this isn’t a parody of Murder, She Wrote, but rather a witty send-up of the entire whodunnit genre, deerstalkers and all.
An improvised comedy performed by a top-tier cast, Murder, She Didn’t Write thrives on spontaneity and sharp wit. At the top of the show, Lizzy Skrzypiec, playing the narrator/detective, greets the audience, sets the scene, and gets everyone nicely warmed up. She asks a series of questions: who’s seen the show before (a surprising number, judging by the cheers), where the crime took place, what was found at the scene, and a few other prompts.
On the night I attended, the answers included “cheese tasting”, “a rubber chicken”, and “some oil”. The man who shouted out “cheese tasting” did so with such volume that it became a running gag. Every time those words were repeated, the cast matched his booming tone, generating raucous laughter each time. There was also a lovely detail in how unused suggestions from the audience subtly slipped into the show; a top-three idea about Dungeons & Dragons led to a few cheeky references, showing the cast’s sharpness and improvisational flair.
To reinforce the improvised nature, one performer closed their eyes and threw a hat into the audience; whoever caught it selected one of the audience’s earlier suggestions. Later, this same audience member chose the murderer and the victim, but crucially, those picks were kept secret from the rest of us, adding to the intrigue.
With the setting established at a cheese tasting, there were naturally more cheese puns than I camembert… sorry, couldn’t resist. One character was even named Brie. True to the Cluedo tradition, most characters had surnames based on the colours they wore. As expected, the performances were delightfully over the top: Peter Baker played a lactose-intolerant guest, leading to more than a few fart jokes, and Stephen Clements delivered a wonderfully exaggerated French accent for most of the show.
Skrzypiec regularly paused the action to add twists or throw spanners in the works, usually to trip up the performers or give them a moment to show off, depending on your perspective. In one memorable moment, a conversation about travelling through Europe became a showcase for a variety of accents, with mixed but hilarious results. The show also featured a couple of impromptu musical numbers, further highlighting the cast’s versatility.
What truly elevates this production is the denouement. Throughout the show, Skrzypiec takes diligent notes. At the end, she ties up all the loose ends, revealing the motives, the methods, and the murderer, all based on what’s unfolded during the performance. I was genuinely impressed by how well it all came together.
While I suspect there are a few recurring gags that may surface in most shows, the improvisation was genuinely fresh and spontaneous. This is a production you could see again and again, and I dare say you’d enjoy it just as much each time.
Murder, She Didn’t Write is at a theatre near you. Currently booking until May 2026. Book now at murdershedidntwrite.com
Words by Valentine Gale-Sides
Photography Pamela Raith
