Lockdown Murder Mystery game where you play detective.

YOU PLAY DETECTIVE

the detective plays everyone else

Lockdown Murder Mystery?

What’s that when it’s at home?
A comedy murder mystery game, the first of many*
written, performed (all 12 characters), filmed and edited
by just ONE MAN
in ONE ROOM over five weeks of the London lockdown in April 2020.

*By ‘many’, we mean two (check out The Nighty before Christmas Murder Mystery). Hopefully, this is the first (and the cheapest) of many!

On his own! Why did he do that?
What else is there to do?
Oh, he built the website too
(and when I say ‘he’, I mean ‘I’)

Can I play this game?
I hope you do. The films are free to watch but, to fully play,
you can buy the clue pack for just £3.99.

If you still have questions, you’re thinking like a detective.
You’ll demand answers.
Oh, look…

Murder Mystery: How to play...

By sharing your screen, the host can play these videos as your remote guests watch from…anywhere in the world.

OR you can watch and solve alone or with friends in your home. Or a group of you can watch at (roughly) the same time and speak after each video.

PLEASE PLAY IMAGINATIVELY. If you like the game, please share on social media. I’d love to know of your experience.

The Case

Watch all four tapes for free.

If you want to make a game of it, buy the RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP clue-pack.

Buy it at any time (early as possible is recommended).

Tape 1

Det. Insp. Butler introduces the scene of crime and meets a couple of the lads from the local force (duration: 11mins.)

Tape 2

Butler interviews the eyewitnesses and comes face to face with the prime suspect (duration: 7mins.)

Tape 3

We meet an eccentric stonemason as Butler prepares to tackle two of his most challenging roles (duration 9.5mins.)

Tape 4

Butler interviews another suspect and an innocent shopper before a late witness comes forward (duration 10mins.)

Murder Mystery Interviews

Re-watch the interviews? Go to the specific locations in the timeline for:

Tape 1 (6:37) Police Officers Nutting Paul Sallow

Tape 2 (1:00) Nollie Parker & Rufus Walker

Tape 2 (3:14) Councillor Andrew Longbottom

Tape 3 (0:35) Eric Flynt

Tape 3 (4:07) Daisy & Davinia

Tape 4 (1:31) Phil Lean & Natalie Longbottom

Tape 4 (4:27) Ivor Goodear

Tape 4 (8:47) Credits

Have you solved it yet?

Look, I’m only going to say this five or six more times. You’ll have a far better chance of solving this case if you have the clue-pack. If you’ve not already done so, I strongly advise you buy it now. It’s only £3.99.

What's in the clue pack?

Info on the victim and suspects, photo evidence, newspaper clip, police evidence, conclusion and tie-break forms.

Oh, and some instructions and game suggestions.

All PDF’s so you don’t even have to print. You can read on your screen.

The Answers

to your questions, not the case

What is this, some sort of murder mystery game?
Murder is not a game but, yes it is. You can solve it on your own or with family and friends (if it is safe to do so).

How do I play it, then?
There are four videos (and a trailer) that ‘re-enact’ an unsolved case.
The detective plays the suspects and witnesses for you to re-live his investigation.

I presume you’ve got to be over 18 to watch it?
Presume away. Not so. It can be played by all ages. There’s no swearing. Nothing offensive. Not really.

What do you mean, ‘not really?’ I bet there’s sex and violence.
There’s no sex; I’m the the only person in it! As for violence…well, it’s a murder mystery so there’s a murder (nothing graphic though).
There is a bit of innuendo, I suppose. Talk of affairs, that sort of thing.

I see. Sounds really good. How long does it take?
Up to you. The films total 37 minutes so, by skimming through, you could solve it in half an hour.
Or you could stretch it out for an entire evening.

Why would I do that?
For fun. Watch the first film, think about it (discuss it if competing), then watch the next.Watch them again if you like.
You may also want to spend some time on the clue pack.

What clue pack. You didn’t mention that.
The clue pack contains information on the victim and interviewees, along with photos, newspaper clippings, clues and an answer form.
Oh, and a tie-break form in case you want to play competitively.

Right. How much is this all going to cost me then?
The films are free to watch. The clue pack is just £3.99.

How much! I knew it.
Come on, that’s not much. Most murder mysteries cost tens or hundreds of dollars.

I suppose £3.99 isn’t much. It had better be good though. Is it?
The videos are free so you can make up your own mind.
You don’t have to buy the paperwork but if you want to make a game of it, I suggest you buy it before you watch.
Here’s the link. Enjoy.

The Gallery

REVIEWS (to date)

Thank you to all who have taken the trouble to say how much they enjoyed playing.

Almost without exception, they say they can’t wait for the next one. My apologies for the delay.

I do have plans (I know; plans are no good). I have shot a Christmas Mystery (which won’t be out until…guess when). I hope to shoot a ‘Butler plays Sherlock Holmes’ mystery and I have an ambitious script that takes players to places they have never been before.

I would love to say all three of these will be out THIS YEAR (2021).

In the meantime, thanks to all who have played.

IT WAS GREAT!
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing. Looking forward to your next one!

Charlotte Roper

WE LOVED IT! Great fun.
Congratulations it was great. PERFECT.

Carol Tubbs

We absolutely LOVED this murder mystery game and managed to spin it out over 3 nights by constructing timelines and goodness knows what else.

PLEASE do ANOTHER Murder Mystery (or indeed several). The clue pack price was too low. It should be at least £5 for the next and maybe increasing to, say, £10. It would also be great to have a Facebook chat page so people can share thoughts.

In the meantime, well done. The balance of humour and information was perfect.

Rachael & Rowena Bermingham

Had a lovely fun evening on Sunday solving this. Can't recommend highly enough. Played as a team via Zoom and managed to solve all the clues.

If you love puzzles, murder and mayhem you will love this. Can't wait for Number 2 to come out.

5*****

Susan Cockshott

Great fun. Really enjoyed it. All the family played along on our weekly lockdown zoom meeting.

The clue pack certainly adds to the enjoyment.

Very well done. Highly recommended. Hope you are thinking of releasing other mysteries?

Steve McCollum

Just wanted to say that we absolutely LOVED your Murder Mystery! We played last Saturday night and it was a welcome break to the “quiz night!”.

Thank you for using your lockdown time for everyone’s enjoyment and we would love to see another production!

£3.99 is an absolute steal! Your effort and attention to detail is worth so much more! Thank you 😊 xxx

Philippa Pattison

Great way to spend an evening in lockdown. It is well put together and really enjoyed the tongue in cheek nature of the videos. The clue pack is a must if you want to do a proper job! Well worth the £3.99.

Paolo Tamburello

We enjoyed playing the Lockdown Murder Mystery. It was very good. Entertaining and brain-teasing in equal measure.

Adie Allen

Thank you for putting this together, certainly gave us something to do for an evening, getting us thinking about something different, and well worth the £3.99. I will be sharing this around my friends, family and colleagues.

Charles Nott

The Creator

Ian Williams / Ian Bailey (stage name)

In March 2020, London, like much of the world, was plunged into lockdown. I grabbed a few shots on my phone as the streets emptied. Now, I was out of work for… who knows how long.

I trained as an actor, ran a murder mystery company and work as a filmmaker (I know: it doesn’t show). With time on my hands, I brought it all together – dressing up, filming and editing (all in my small loft studio).

I appreciate I’m one of the lucky ones; not everyone has home access to cameras, lights, microphones, green screens and edit suites. Some don’t even have the basic wigs, costumes or replica guns.

Whilst our healthcare workers have been risking their lives, I have been doing this. I hope you enjoy it.

The Set

A quick tour around the film studios, a visit to some of the locations before heading back to the edit suite (after which, it is all sent to the web developers).

Contact

Drop me a line

Unless you’re the Wessex Police, of course. It would be good to hear your views (apologies in advance if it has gone wrong somewhere). I’d love to know if, and how, you played the game.

Any suggestions about what else you’d like to see (a blog, a Christmas Murder Mystery). ‘Unless you’re a ‘bot’, let me know anything; the price was far too low, information on joining The Royal Itching Criminology Society.

Anything at all really.