Murder, he deconstructed
Posted on 31st January 2026
Tim Benzie has watched every episode of Murder, She Wrote, and has done so repeatedly, largely so we don’t have to. The end result of this selfless act is Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote, a joyous celebration of a truly awful television series that ran for an eye-watering 264 episodes. Starring Angela Lansbury as amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, each episode featured a host of famous, and not so famous, faces competing for the role of murderer. The setup, plot and resolution of each episode were invariably ludicrous, as Benzie’s merciless lampooning of Paint Me a Murder aptly illustrated.
If that sounds like an improbable concept for a fun night out, then it’s also a testament to the comedic skills of our host. The evening opened with a brief introduction for the uninitiated, including a teasing clip of Battlestar Galactica that got gentlemen of a certain age very excited. We then launched into a viewing of the episode, albeit one that was frequently interrupted by bon mots, as well as genuinely interesting trivia from Benzie, largely revolving around the cast of this episode. Using a range of clips, props and costume changes, Benzie managed to extract humour from the most incidental moment on screen, with a running commentary that ranged from the straightforwardly silly to the surprisingly insightful. Along the way there was some audience participation. Glasses were raised, hands were waved, and votes were counted. We even had a raffle and a spirited contribution from Lisa out of the audience.
Benzie’s deadly secret weapon, however – if you’ll excuse the apposite analogy – is his genuine affection for both the show and Angela Lansbury. For all its faults, one got the sense the show represents a time of lost innocence for him, when conflict and confusion could be neatly resolved in 42 minutes by a retired school teacher turned author. Benzie walked a tightrope throughout the show, ridiculing it with a gentleness epitomised by his loving tribute to Lansbury, and followed by a splendidly unnecessary sing-along. Can there be a better night out than one which has taken you completely by surprise with its wit, energy and inventiveness?