Murder Island: All about new Channel 4 murder mystery show

Murder Island is the new reality game show coming to Channel 4 – here’s all you need to know.

The six-part series will see a group of everyday people attempt to solve a fictional murder and put the perpetrator behind bars.

Eight amateur detectives will compete to solve the crime and build a watertight case that can stand up in court, all under the watchful eyes of some of Britain’s leading Senior Investigating Officers.

The contestants will be split into teams of two with a £50,000 prize up for grabs for those who solve the crime and bring the suspect to justice.

The teams are engaged couple Sarah (28) and Richmond (30); brothers-in-law Andrew (28) and Nick (33); neighbours Chrissie (77) & Caroline (64) and best friends Dot (22) & Rox (24).

Murder Island begins on Channel 4 on Tuesday, 5 October at 9:30PM on Channel 4 and continues weekly. The series will run for six episodes.

Best selling crime-writer Ian Rankin has written the murder mystery, which was filmed on the remote Scottish island of Gigha.

In the first episode, the four teams of amateur detectives arrive on an island by boat, greeted by senior investigating officer Parm Sandhu and her two deputies, Simon Harding and Graham McMillan (Maca).

They are whisked off to the crime scene, the Manse, where the body of Charly Hendricks was discovered a few hours earlier. The Manse is an old, rundown property that Charly had been renting from the local pub landlord Tony Slade. A murder investigation begins.

Among the blood and forensics are the clues to understanding the victim and her lifestyle. Simon and Maca remind the sleuths of an old police saying: if you can discover how a victim lived it will help you to find out how they died.

As each team searches the scene, they find evidence of a land dispute. A rich businesswoman from London seems to be buying up property to create a resort, but the die-hards on the island are fighting back. And who is the woman with Charly in the photos on the fridge?

The teams go straight from the crime scene to speak to the last people to see Charly alive but they soon discover that everyone seems to have something to hide.

And just as they begin to understand the events of the night of the murder, new evidence lands that changes the way they must think about Charly, her life, and her death.

Ian Rankin said: “When it comes to writing a whodunit I usually call the shots, taking the reader only to the places I want them to visit and showing them only the characters I want them to see. Murder Island is different.

“The detectives can follow any strand, uncovering clues as they go and asking the suspects any questions they like. Will I manage to stay one step ahead of them? I think I’ve constructed my twistiest story yet – so let’s see!”

Murder Island starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday, 5 October at 9:30PM.