Murder Island on Channel 4: Premise explained, time it airs, is it based on a true story, who are the detectives and more

A BRAND new series mixing murder mystery and reality TV is starting on Channel 4 tonight.
The show will see amateur detectives attempt to solve a murder case for a cash prize. Picture: Channel 4The show will see amateur detectives attempt to solve a murder case for a cash prize. Picture: Channel 4
The show will see amateur detectives attempt to solve a murder case for a cash prize. Picture: Channel 4

Murder Island, was written and developed by Scottish crime novelist, Ian Rankin.

Channel 4 will air the new crime series tonight which will see eight contestants split into four teams as they try and solve a murder.

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Murder Island will take place on the remote Scottish isle of Gigha.

The island, which will be named Hirsa in the series, is inhabited by a group of residents who have their own suspicions when it comes to the murder and its investigation but it is up to the contestants to unravel the truth and how the residents may link to the crime.

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Contestants will have access to police resources such as forensic scientists, psychologists and pathologists.

Here is everything you need to know about the crime solving series:

What will happen in the first episode?

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The first episode of Murder Island, which will air tonight, will see the amateur detectives arrive on the island by boat.

The contestants will be greeted by their real-life Senior Investigating Officer, Parm Sandhu and her two deputies Simon Harding and Graham McMillan (Maca).

They will be whisked off to the crime scene where the body of Charly Hendricks was discovered.

The detectives will then attempt to solve the murder throughout the series.

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The series will feature a mixture of actors and members of the public.

The suspects and murder victim will all be played by actors.

Is the show based on a true story?

The show is purely fictional, although Ian Rankin who wrote and developed the series, had taken inspiration for the series from the 1985 murder of Willie McRae.

Mr McRae was a lawyer who had possible links to a Scottish nationalist terrorist group.

He died of mysterious circumstances.

Who are the detectives?

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There will be eight contestants who will compete to solve the murder.

The contestants include:

Sarah and Richmond

Sarah and Richmond have been together for four years and they are happily engaged with a three-year-old daughter.

Sarah, who is 28-years-old, studied Criminology and the couple are both fiercely competitive.

Richmond is 30-years-old and says his strengths lie in being able to read someone’s character by their body language.

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The pair, who are both from London, are obsessed with crime documentaries and name their perfect night in as a night in front of the TV studying a murder mystery with a bottle of wine.

Andrew and Nick

Andrew and Nick are brothers in law who have known each other for nearly their whole lives.

Nick, who is 33-years-old, is married to Andrew’s sister.

Andrew, who is 28-years-old, works as a marketing manager and Nick is a former officer and Captain in the British Army.

The pair, who are from London and Edinburgh, have a healthy sense of competition and Andrew comes from a long line of serving police officers.

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They hope their knowledge of the criminal justice system will help them to solve the murder.

Chrissie and Caroline

Chrissie and Caroline are next-door neighbours from Staffordshire.

They have been best friends for over 30 years and they wish to fly the flag for mature, strong women as they give the younger generation detectives a run for their money.

Chrissie, aged 77, and Caroline, aged 64, share a love for detective novels and TV dramas and they compare notes after every Line of Duty episode.

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They liken themselves to Miss Marple so they have a great shot at solving the murder.

Dot and Rox

Dot and Rox are best friends from Hastings.

The pair met when they worked together in a pub and Dot, who is 22-years-old, has recently completed a private investigation course.

Rox, who is 24-years-old is about to start an Open University criminology course to explore if detective work is her next calling.

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The duo love to sniff out injustice and are desperate to throw themselves into the crime scene.

What is the reward?

The reward for unravelling the murder investigation is £50,000.

Where can I watch the series?

Keen crime investigators will be able to watch the first episode on Channel 4 tonight from 9.30pm or on streaming site All 4.

The show will be on every Tuesday evening until the shows finale.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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