Penny Lecture: It’s a Mystery! with Tim Benzie

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve gathered you all here this evening.”

Tim Benzie, the acclaimed creator and host of Solve-Along-A-M**der-She-Wrote presents his one-man show, a funny and engrossing deep dive into the appeal of M**der mysteries.

The audience are summoned to the drawing room as Tim takes on the role of detective, examining the clues that drew him to the genre as a child...a journey from Scooby Doo and Encyclopaedia Brown, to German mystery-puzzle books, via reading the entire works of Agatha Christie as a teenager. Along the way he draws connections between obsessions with detective films, the TV series M**der, She Wrote and his current Solve-Along show.

There is a tenacious theory that in times of societal strife, M**der mysteries surge in popularity, and Tim unpacks the notion via stories of his own troubled times, to determine not just why there is a detective in all of us, but ultimately what is the mystery that we’re all trying to solve.

Funny, touching and showcasing the delight in pop culture minutiae that has made Solve-Along-A-M**der-She-Wrote a cult hit, It’s a Mystery! will appeal to fans of the genre and anyone who’s ever wondered whodunnit (and why).

It’s a Mystery! has played to critical acclaim at the 2023 and 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Bread and Roses Theatre London in 2024 and was performed in New York and Australia in 2025.

This Penny Lecture is free to attend and has an age guidance: 16+. The 65-minute performance will be followed by a 20-minute Q&A.

West End Best Friend

***** Five stars

“Benzie is a great host. His enthusiasm for this genre is immediately apparent and his journey through the topic, heartfelt … This is a great insight, lots of fun and a joyful production at this year's Fringe.

A killer of a show!”

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Host or Publisher Morley College London