Member Article

Cluedo's 70th anniversary celebrated with murders most foul

Joy Swift MBE, the originator of the ‘murder mystery weekend’ concept, is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the beloved game, Cluedo, with a brand-new story that brings her love of board games to life.

Boardom is the 139th plot Joy has written since starting the very first murder mystery weekend in 1981. This plot is set around the fictitious 20 ‘Boardom’ Clubs up and down the country, where patrons are brought together due to their love of board games. Each plot includes a minimum of three murders and five suspects, with a police incident room containing dozens of clues to help the Murder Weekend guests figure out whodunnit!

Created in 1949, Cluedo has cemented itself as a firm favourite for families across the globe. Its preeminent characters, including Colonel Mustard and Miss Scarlett, are as well-known as the candlestick, revolver and other weapons that they are suspected to yield.

For its 70th year, the game’s publisher, Hasbro, has planned a number of commemorative activities, including a partnership with interior design company Houzz to redesign one of the famous rooms in Tudor Hall, which has not been changed since the game’s inception.

For Joy, who received an MBE for her services to tourism in 2001, this is the perfect time to develop a storyline that focuses on one of the nation’s favourite pastime. She explains:

“My love of board games started in my childhood, when a game of Cluedo in particular was a frequent occurrence. This love of sleuthing and creating a story filled with mystery and intrigue stayed with me until my adult years, when I decided to give up my day job and start the world’s very first murder mystery weekend, creating a worldwide industry.

“I’ve developed my murder mystery weekends to be action-packed from the very beginning. The weekend starts on Friday evening and is continuous until Sunday morning, when the detective inspector presents his denouement. The actors will be in character the whole time and the murders are incredibly realistic.

“We always find that the handful of guests that have their very own ‘lightbulb’ moment are thrilled to have figured out the identity of the murderer before the weekend concludes. And of course, with this plot commemorating Cluedo, there will be elements of the game mentioned throughout, especially as one of the characters is obsessed with it.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jeanette Gill .