A north-eastern castle hotel is luring people in to test their little grey cells in a way many will not previously have done, if a North-South divide, just discovered by the hotel, is an accurate reflection of the state of the nation.
Ahead of a murder mystery night, to be staged by Langley Castle, near Hexham, on June 14, the historic and atmospheric castle commissioned an independent research survey of thousands of Brits. This sought to determine how many have ever taken part in a murder mystery event during their lifetime. When it came to ‘whodunnit’ in the past, the results truly surprised the hotel management team.
90% of Brits have never enjoyed a Murder Mystery evening. Whilst around one-in-ten Brits (10%) have participated in such sleuthing, the UK distribution pattern is uneven. Although 18% in the East of England and 17% in the South East have acted out their Poirot fantasies, the survey found nobody in the North East had done so. Less than 2% of people living in the North West had been an amateur detective at such an event and it was only one-in-twenty of those living in Scotland (5%).
The castle also discovered that involvement in a murder mystery event was more likely to have been the case for women (12%) than men (8%). Fewer than one-in-twenty of those under the age of 24 have had this experience, and only 7% of the 25-34-year-old age bracket have sleuthed the night away.
Armed with this information, the castle is determined to demonstrate the huge amount of fun to be had from unravelling the evidence and picking up on the clues that lead to the identification of the murderer.
Its Murder on the Dancefloor murder mystery event, will have a brilliant plot and channel the expertise of the company delivering it – Murder 57.
Participants will need to keep their wits about them, note the words and actions of the suspects and be hot on the trail of means, motive and opportunity. Amidst all the subterfuge, they may just also get an opportunity to soak up the incredible ambience of Langley Castle and revel in some of its real treasures.
Langley Castle’s general manager, Mohamed Serag, says, “There is a massive opportunity for us to attract keen wannabe detectives from across the north, as we are certain the majority will never have had the challenge of solving a murder mystery, given the surprising results of our research survey. Having said that, it seems that there are potential attendees across the UK who have never ever been a Miss Marple or Inspector Morse at such an event.
“We are also certain that, even if people are amongst the minority who have previously attended a murder mystery event, it will never have been in a venue as unique as ours – a medieval castle, built in 1350 and retaining many original features, from garderobes to seven-feet thick walls. The latter will be guarding the secret of who the fiend who committed murder on the dancefloor actually is and it will take some skill to reveal their identity.”
Just one more thing, as TV detective Columbo would say, tickets are currently on sale but are limited and selling like hot cakes at £62.50 per person, inclusive of welcome drink, three-course meal and murder mystery evening. To avoid missing out, head to the event page at www.langleycastle.co.uk for the menu and book your tickets by calling 01434 688888.
If you should wish to extend the experience and stay overnight, all of this, plus a room for two in the Castle View accommodation in the grounds, and a hearty Northumbrian breakfast the following morning, is available for £290 (for two sharing a room).