Review: Murder They Wrote Brings True Crime and Laughter to Granite Noir

Terry Charleton, co-host of the Four Idle Hands podcast, stepped into the buzz of Granite Noir 2025 to catch the live performance of Murder They Wrote. This true crime podcast blends gripping tales of historical misdeeds with sharp humour, creating a stage experience as compelling as it is entertaining.

Over to Terry…

Granite Noir kicked off its first evening event with a live performance of the popular BBC Sounds podcast Murder They Wrote hosted by comedian Iain Stirling and his partner presenter Laura Whitmore.

The format will be familiar to fans of the show, but the premise is that the pair run through various true crime stories from recent and not-so-recent past. The pair have done over 60 episodes, but this was the first live show.

For Granite Noir, the first story presented was the brutal murder of Butter Merchant Cornelius Dennehy In County Laois, Ireland in 1938. Iain provided the gags while Laura ran through the details of the crime, setting out the case for the prosecution which ultimately led to (spoiler alert) the conviction and subsequent hanging of Dermot Smyth in 1939.

The live format added an extra element to the show as the pair could show photos from the crime scene and news clippings which added to the drama of the story. Despite the gruesome nature of the crime there was plenty of humour to keep it all very entertaining.

Before the break, they introduced an extra interactive element to the show in the form of a multiple-choice competition, allowing Iain Stirling to come down to the floor with a roving microphone, adding some more fun to the evening.

As the second half kicked off, the pair then ran through some emails received from listeners from the Aberdeen area and, small world, a couple of the senders were in the audience, this prompted more opportunities for gags from Iain.

The second crime presented was a local Aberdeen story with a run-through of an ultimately doomed attempt to steal £23 million from Britoil in 1988. Alison Anders and Royston Allen had planned to transfer the cash to a Swiss bank account, but alert Bank of Scotland staff foiled the plot.

After his jail term Royston ended up lecturing at Aberdeen University and by coincidence (or was it) one of his former pupils was in the audience.

All in all, a great night with plenty of crime drama and humour to send everyone home happy. And if you want more just check out the couple’s podcast on BBC Sounds.

Thanks, Terry, for your thoughtful review of Murder They Wrote. For those who haven’t yet tuned in, Terry co-hosts the Four Idle Hands podcast, an Aberdeen-based show covering music, sport, film, and more with plenty of wit and charm. It’s well worth a listen! You can also follow them on Bluesky.