- Cluedo (UK game show)
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Cluedo Format Game show Starring James Bellini (1990)
Chris Tarrant (1991)
Richard Madeley (1992-1993)Country of origin 
United KingdomNo. of series 4 No. of episodes 24 (plus 1 Christmas special) Production Running time 30mins (inc. comms)
50mins (Xmas special)Production company(s) Granada Television Broadcast Original channel ITV Picture format 4:3 Original run 25 July 1990 – 24 May 1993 Chronology Related shows Cluedo (Australian version) Cluedo was a UK television game show based on the board game of the same name. Each week, a reenactment of the murder at the stately home Arlington Grange of a visiting guest was played and, through a combination of interrogating the suspects (of whom only the murderer could lie) and deduction, celebrity guests had to discover who committed the murder, which of six weapons (not usually the original six from the board game) and in which room it was committed, whilst viewers were invited to play along at home.
Contents
Cast
Character Series 1 (1990) Christmas special (1990) Series 2 (1991) Series 3 (1992) Series 4 (1993) Presenter James Bellini James Bellini Chris Tarrant Richard Madeley Richard Madeley Mrs. Elizabeth Peacock Stephanie Beacham Kate O'Mara Rula Lenska Susan George Joanna Lumley Col. Mike Mustard Robin Ellis David Robb Michael Jayston Lewis Collins Leslie Grantham Rev. Jonathan Green Robin Nedwell Derek Nimmo Richard Wilson Christopher Biggins Nicholas Parsons Prof. Peter Plum Kristoffer Tabori Ian Lavender David McCallum Tom Baker John Bird Miss Vivienne Scarlett Tracy Louise Ward Toyah Willcox Koo Stark Lysette Anthony Jerry Hall Mrs. Blanche White June Whitfield Joan Sims Mollie Sugden Pam Ferris Liz Smith Episode solutions
The show would begin with a short film, describing the event before the guest's murder. The celebrity detectives were then allowed to ask the suspects questions regarding the case. Then, the celebrity teams would take it in turns to make a 'deduction', in which they would accuse a person, weapon and room. The host would then reveal how many of those three were right, (e.g. If the solution was Mrs. Peacock with the Poison in the Dining Room, and a celebrity team would accuse Colonel Mustard with the Sword in the Dining Room, then they would accumulate 1 out of 3, the Dining Room being secretly correct, unaware to the teams). Play would continue until one of the teams accused correctly. The killer would then reveal full detail of their crime and the show would finish, with the host saying everyone is free to leave except the murderer.
The show's six suspects were the original from the board game. The show's six weapons varied between episodes. The show's six rooms were: the Drawing Room, the Kitchen, the Dining Room, the Billiard Room, the Library and the Study. With the Billiard Room replacing the Hall. In the 1990 "Christmas Cluedo" there was no Billiard Room but the hall took its place.
Note: In each series, each suspect was a murderer, except in series one where Reverend Green was never a murderer, Mrs. Peacock was a murderer twice.
Season One
Episode Murderer Weapon Room Motive 1 (countdown) Mrs. Peacock Poison Dining Room Mrs Peacock was due to marry the French count. However she overhears him on the phone, discovers he isn't even French and that he is only after her money. 2 (Deadly disco) Colonel Mustard Statuette Dining Room The disco was costing the grange a fortune and Colonel Mustard would be forced to move to a cheaper home if the disco was to proceed 3 (Going going, goner) Mrs. Peacock Antique Sabre Study Art expert Peregrine Talbot-Wheeler wanted to play a practical joke on Mrs Peacock by pretending that her Rembrandt painting was a fake. He tried to blackmail her, threatening to reveal this to her society friends unless Mrs. Peacock paid him off. She didn't. 4 (A Bridge Too Far) Miss. Scarlett Bridge Trophy Study Miss. Scarlett and Mrs Peacock had lost a lot of money playing bridge against the Hope's that she could not afford to pay. When she found out they were hustlers she killed Mrs Hope. 5 (A politician's Funeral) Professor Plum Tie Billiard Room Mr. Chapman fired Plum and was planning to send him back as a teacher in America. 6 (A Fete worse than death) Mrs. White Poison Drawing Room Mrs. White thought that the policeman knew about her "borrowing" from the money of the previous fête and kept him quiet when in fact he never knew anything about the crime at all Note: in season 1 Rev. Green does not murder anyone.
Christmas Special - christmas past, christmas present
Murderer Weapon Room Motive Miss Scarlett Knife Library Miss Scarlett was jealous of her stepmother (Mrs Peacock) and Col. Mustard getting married. She then realised that Forrest (the chauffer) was blackmailing Mrs. Peacock so she killed him to blame Mrs. Peacock and marry Col. Mustard Season Two
Episode Murderer Weapon Room Motive 1 (Deadly deal) Mrs. White Steel Sharpener Kitchen Mrs White lost all her savings on a previous deal and could not get it back from the man she killed 2 (The best insurance) Reverend Green Kettle Flex Kitchen The Reverend made a false insurance claim on some antique candlesticks lent to Mrs. Peacock and he was frightened of being discovered 3 (Fatal Distraction) Colonel Mustard Rope Kitchen Years ago, the Colonel had blackmailed George Velares and the heat drove him to suicide and somehow Marrianne Kray found out and the Colonel kept her silent- forever 4 (Charity begins at home) Mrs. Peacock Lead Pipe Billiard Room The window cleaner found out Mrs. Peacock was putting up a painting worth millions and blackmailed her for the deal 5 (A Traveler's Tale) Miss Scarlett Knife Study Miss Scarlett found out about her lover's history and was betrayed 6 (The Bolivian connection) Professor Plum Funeral Urn Drawing Room Jack Peacock and the Professor were in a project in Bolivia, where Jack disappeared and presumed dead, until he arrived at the time of his "widow" marrying Col. Mustard. Later that night, Jack found a special part of the research that the Professor wanted, so he blackmailed him, the Professor ultimately silenced Jack to save paying him Season Three
Episode Murderer Weapon Room Motive 1 (A hunting we will go) Reverend Green Scissors Kitchen The Reverend told Gordon about the hunt whereabouts that Gordon protested and he used it as blackmail against him forcing him to choose his friends at the Grange & lose his job or testify as a witness for Gordon after he was beat up by Colonel Mustard, he chose the former as he hadn't the strength to move away to start afresh 2 (Scared to death) Colonel Mustard Dagger Billiard Room The psychic found out about the Colonel's secret affair with Miss Scarlett and kept her quiet 3 (Murder in Merry England) Mrs. Peacock Croquet Mallet Study Arlington Grange was in danger of being sold to build a theme park Max Gold was building so Mrs. Peacock prevented it all from accomplishing 4 (And then there were nuns) Mrs. White Antique Spear Drawing Room Mrs White killed the nun in the spur of the moment after being threatened by the nun, who had discovered she was trying to steal her jewels. Having found out about Sister Consepta, sister-in-law of Mrs Peacock, in a history book, she decided to surprise her employer and friend Mrs Peacock by inviting her to Arlington Grange. She wrote a letter to her. When Mrs White discovered the nun was going to inherit Arlington Grange, she felt she had to stop it. Knowing that the nun's emeralds were vital to the nun being able to build the convent, she decided to steal them. She was caught stealing the jewels by Sister Consepta, and after she threatened Mrs White with her spear, the cook took it out of her hands and killed the nun. 5 (Blackmail and the fourth estate) Professor Plum Insecticide Library A journalist found out that the Professor's recent experiment had killed some subjects and was blackmailing him so the Prof. killed him to prevent the newspaper article going public to save his own reputation 6 (Deadly dowry) Miss Scarlett Sword Stick Billiard Room Miss Scarlett owed Clive, her faux fiancee, a great deal of money that can be cleared by a trust fund that Miss Scarlett will receive when she marries him Season Four
Episode Murderer Weapon Room Motive 1 (Finders keepers) Professor Plum Dagger Billiard Room The treasure that Jake found would lead to the discovery that Plum's book about the history of Arlington would be exposed as lies 2 (Seven deadly sins) Colonel Mustard G String Kitchen While Col. Mustard was in military training, he was bullied by Nigel Hussey. So when he came to Arlington Grange, the Col. took his revenge 3 (The word, the flesh and the devil) Reverend Green Ice Pick Kitchen Farrah Fox, real name Candy Costello, found out about the Reverend's book he had been writing about a homicidal vicar was autobiographical. The Reverend wanted this to be kept private 4 (The hanged man) Miss Scarlett Desktop Lighter Drawing Room The second-sighted Marjorie Hunt apparently found out through her psychic power that Miss Scarlett was involved in a hit-and-run accident 5 (Where there's a will) Mrs. White Decanter Stopper Study Poor Mrs. White lost all her savings to a con artist, which she soon discovered after she signed the papers 6 (published and be dammed) Mrs. Peacock Microphone Study Mrs. Peacock told a journalist so many stories about Princess Catherine until she found out that it would destroy her reputation Controversy
Episode 2 of season four created considerable controversy at the time of broadcast. The producers cast Leslie Grantham as Colonel Mustard, the murderer for the episode in question. Leslie Grantham had whilst serving as a soldier in the British Army stationed in Germany murdered a German taxi driver. The family of Granthams victim expressed disdain that Grantham had been cast as a murdering soldier
Transmissions
Original series
Series Start date End date Episodes 1 25 July 1990 29 August 1990 6 2 24 April 1991 5 June 1991 6 3 4 May 1992 8 June 1992 6 4 19 April 1993 24 May 1993 6 Specials
Date Entitle 26 December 1990 Christmas Special External links
- Cluedo at UKGameshows.com
- Cluedo at BFI
- Cluedo at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- British game shows
- ITV television programmes
- 1990 British television programme debuts
- 1993 British television programme endings
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