‘Cult hit’ comedy show to wow Derby crowds at murder mystery dinner with a twist

If you ever watched a murder mystery and found that you solved the crime before your favourite detective, this event at Derby will be sure you have a murderously good time.

Throw in some award-winning burgers and a live comedy show and you have all the ingredients for a fun night out with a twist.

A live comedy show which guides super-sleuths through a screening of the classic whodunnit TV show Murder She Wrote will be hosted at Annie’s Burger Shack Derby.

People of Derby are in for a good time, as the show was one of the big hits at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Solve-Along-A Murder-She-Wrote, which is fronted by superfan Tim Benzie, has now been lined up for a one-night-only appearance at Annie’s Burger Shack, in Friary Street, on Tuesday October 17.

The show, which also appeared at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal in March, consists of an interactive screening of the Murder She Wrote episode Sing A Song of Murder.

Here is a still from one of the events, giving you a flavour of what you can expect from the Derby event.

The show sees the central character Jessica Fletcher, played by Angela Lansbury, head to London, where she soon gets caught up in a murder mystery.

The audience is invited to rate characters’ likelihood of being the killer on the Suspiciometer, keep an eye out for famous faces, take part in quizzes, a singalong, and put their own powers of deduction to the test.

The show is just one of a packed line-up of events taking place at Derby’s Annie’s Burger Shack this autumn, alongside comedy gigs, drag bingo, singalong cinema screenings, live wrestling and a record fair.

Will Bailey, head of events at Annie’s Burger Shack, said: “It’s amazing to be able to offer our customers the chance to come and watch a show of this calibre at our Derby restaurant.

“Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote was hugely popular during the Edinburgh Fringe and it has previously played to sold-out venues across the UK and Australia.

“While it’s brilliant fun for anyone who loves solving crimes, its real appeal is the way it brings people together to pay homage to a classic TV detective show.

“We can’t wait, who wouldn’t want to spend an evening tucking into a burger, drinking a beer and trying to solve a murder – or just sitting back and letting Angela Lansbury solve it for them?”

What else is on at Annie’s Restaurant?

Other highlights of the autumn line-up include an appearance by TV comedian Milton Jones.

He will be kicking off a regular season of comedy gigs from Just The Tonic, A Celebration of Father Ted, an Oktoberfest event on October 20, an appearance from popular funnyman Joe Pasquale and another chance to see Clinton Baptiste, the hapless psychic from Channel Four’s Phoenix Nights, on December 4.

The chain’s Nottingham restaurant is also getting in on the events act.

They will be showing the film Pick It Up Ska In The 90s, a Glamour Ghoul Gala and a live Faulty Towers Dining Experience on November 8.

Will added: “Annie’s is still proudly a New England-style American burger diner at heart and the food and drink continues to be hugely important to what we do.

“Hosting events means we are able to offer audiences something different alongside it.

“We have worked tirelessly to put together a really diverse line-up of events both in Derby and at our Nottingham restaurant.

“The reaction we’ve had from customers this year has been nothing short of tremendous.”

Annie’s Burger Shack was founded by Annie Spaziano in Nottingham in 2009.

She opened the Derby restaurant, based in a restored former First Church of Christ Scientist church building, in 2018.

Its elaborate burgers, which come complete with names such as the Elvis burger, the North Carolina and the Lemmy, has helped it to build up a loyal following in both cities, with all of its burgers available in vegan, veggie and meaty versions.

To book tickets and find out about other events at Annie’s restaurants in Derby and Nottingham visit this website here.