Dead cert

But how many times have you sat in front of the box and thought you could have done better? Be honest now.

In response to the growing trend - that started with Agatha Christie - of the Whodunit? plot, the Murder Mystery weekend was launched.

And although it may no longer be the most talked about weekend break, most people would love to give it a go, if they haven't already tried it.

Turn up at the grand reception, book yourself in and you will start to feel part of this big theatrical set.

As night falls and you sit at the dinner table surrounded by friends and strangers, the bells chime... suddenly there is a shrill scream, the large heavy oak doors fly open and in comes the maid screaming blue murder.

But who was it? Could it be the strange-looking character in the corner of the room who is shifting precariously in his seat? Or perhaps the lady opposite you in the twin-set and pearls who is blushing ferociously? Could it be one of your friends perhaps? Or heaven forbid, you!

This is where the fun begins. The murder mystery weekend has been there, done that and murdered the butler, and now the popularity is once again at knifepoint as we enter into what is now known as the murder/mystery season.

Sitting in a caf in Bournemouth next to Tim Taylor - the man who runs the hugely successful professional murder mystery company Cloak & Dagger - and discussing his latest murders is a very surreal experience indeed.

The tales from the audience of a murder/mystery event have been told a thousand times, but little is known about the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Tim has countless tales, like the eerie time he was performing in a hotel in Wiltshire. The story goes that the hotel had a ghost, a young girl who had been locked in a room in the attic by her father because she had fallen in love with the wrong sort of man.

The scratch marks of her fingernails as she attempted to be break free still stand as proof on the back of the door. Sadly her battle was in vain and she killed herself, Romeo and Juliet-style.

On this particular murder/mystery event Tim and his team were able to use this particular "ghost story" in their event, but things didn't quite go according to plan. The props were set up in the dreaded attic room; a dagger by the bed and a picture of the young girl's lover by its side. The door was locked, but when the participants opened the door the dagger was gone.

Tim says: "There is no explanation for it. I saw it when we left and no one else went into that room. It definitely wasn't part of the plot. It was all very strange and there was a very odd feeling."

Tim, however, takes this kind of experience in his stride. As a child he recalls seeing a figure walk into his room to look into a ghostly chest of drawers - the trouble is this woman and the chest of drawers only ever appeared at night.

Another time, in a different home, he remembers hearing footsteps on several occasion on the upstairs landing and the door latch rattling when no-one else was in the house - the dog would bark ferociously every time it happened. It later turned out that the house was apparently haunted by a young man who had hanged himself some 50 years earlier.

But this isn't the reason why Tim became involved in the Murder Mystery business. He is a thespian who comes from a strong acting background and was roped into it by chance.

"I had never attended a murder/mystery event, let alone played in one. I was called in at the last minute because someone was off ill."

Six years later he is running the business that was there when the murder/mystery weekend exploded into our lives. Today he organises events across the country, performs at golf clubs, Masonic lodges, hen parties and as a charity fund-raiser. And every event is different.

For Tim it's a stable business in the unstable world of showbusiness. And he loves every minute of it: "From the very start I thought the idea was magic.

"It's a lot harder than performing on stage because you have to interact with your audience and you never know what they are going to say or do. We have people screaming at the fake seances, and we have even lost a few people!"

But this is all part of the act, and one that professional murder/mystery organisers pull off very well. "I suppose we must be quite convincing. The acting starts as soon as the people walk through the door. We meet the people in the bar, introduce ourselves and give them a little background.

"You always get one person who doesn't quite get it and asks if we are one of the actors!

"I have even had people come up to me at the end of the evening when I am packing up and ask me whether I knew for example that my sister stole my jewels! I try to explain I was acting and they say 'yes, I know, but did you know'? I say yes to keep them happy!"

Each script is very different, ranging from the popular Hallowe'en Murder Unforeseen: "This one is about a clairvoyant called Madame Anna, who was murderd one year ago and whose murder has never been solved.

"We do a test on our audience to see if anyone has psychic abilities, then we try to contact Anna. This is not for the faint-hearted!"

But Tim reassuringly admits that most of the murders on the menu are incredibly comical. "There's the transsexual brothel-keeper, the St Trinian's School mystery and the Wild West delicacy."

Each script takes about a month to write and another month to perfect, and the group has been known to write scripts especially for its clients. But with 14 scripts in total that keep getting changed, there is always something to get your teeth into.

And as we enter into what is considered the murder/mystery season the question is, could you figure out whodunit? If Tim and his red herrings have anything to do with it, well, who knows?

Cloak & Dagger consists of both professional and semi-professional actors. The group can be hired for around £500 a night or look out for future murder/mystery events happening in this area. For information visit www.murderdinner.co.uk or call 07041 471266.