Participant Pitch (TLDR for cast and helpers)

You're invited to help pull off a surprise

For Granny's 80th, we're making her something properly special: a murder mystery she gets to solve herself, starring all of us.

The short version

Granny loves Poirot and loves a puzzle. So we've built her one. It's a private-investigator case file called Hartwell House, delivered as five sealed envelopes she opens one at a time. Inside: witness statements, a floor plan, financial records, photos, and the part where you come in, short video interviews with the suspects.

The suspects are us. Her family and friends, each playing a character, each filmed answering questions from the investigator. She watches the videos by scanning QR codes printed in the envelopes, studies the evidence, and works out who did it. There's a final envelope she only opens after she's written down her accusation.

The story is invented. Lady Beatrice Ashford-Hale, wealthy matriarch of a pickle-and-preserves empire, found dead in her study after a tense family weekend. Four relatives with reasons to want her gone, all lying about something. Nobody playing a part is in any real way "the baddie", it's a game, and the fun is that she gets to interrogate people she loves.

What we need from you

Most of you just need to film one short interview on your phone. That's it.

  • A few minutes, sitting down, talking to camera as your character.
  • Filmed horizontally, in a quiet room with decent light. Phone quality is perfect.
  • One take is fine. Raw and unpolished is exactly what we want; she's expecting real witnesses, not actors.
  • We'll send you your character, your lines or talking points, a one-page brief, and a private upload link.

A couple of people have slightly bigger or smaller parts, and a few are written into the documents rather than filmed. We'll tell you exactly which you are.

The one rule

It's a surprise. Please don't mention it to Granny, and keep your character to yourself so the mystery holds together. Half the delight is her realising, partway through, that everyone was in on it.

Timing

We're aiming to have everything filmed and assembled well before her birthday in July 2026. The sooner you send your clip, the easier the editing, so we'll get briefs out shortly and would love footage back within a couple of weeks of receiving yours.

If you're in, reply and we'll send your character and instructions. Thank you. This only works because all of you are in it.