Murder They Wrote Podcast 🎙️

#PRInvite #Gifted | Granite Noir is back until tomorrow, with one of the greatest line-ups yet for fans of the true crime writing festival. I attended 'Murder They Wrote' - a live podcast by Iain Sterling and Laura Whitmore, and absolutely loved it.

Star rating: ★★★★

The anticipated ‘Granite Noir’ festival kicked off on Thursday, and Aberdeen Performing Arts have a fantastic range of treats in store for us until Sunday. This year, they have ‘coupled up’ with married couple Iain Sterling and Laura Whitmore for ‘Murder They Wrote - a live version of their successful podcast which is available on all streaming platforms. The podcast brings new installments weekly, but this was the first of its kind - where the hosts took the crime scene all the way to the Granite City.

Granite Noir has become an annual festival, inspired by the popularity of crime fiction and writing. Whilst it is hosted by Aberdeen Performing Arts, the festival spreads itself out across multiple Aberdeen venues, including Aberdeen Arts Centre, the Anatomy Rooms, Central Library and Cowdray Hall. This year, it boasts visits from poets and writers, as well as stage shows too, including podcasting duo Iain Sterling and Laura Whitmore.

You may recognise their names easily - they are two well distinguished hosts for British television. I first came to know Sterling from his time hosting CBBC as a child, alongside the iconic Hacker the dog. Whitmore has risen through the ranks from guest stints on the likes of This Morning and Celebrity Juice - alongside hosting Survival of the Fittest in 2018. It is hard to ignore that the couple are now most known for their time on Love Island, Whitmore carrying the baton as the main host for a few years, and Sterling continuing the show’s voiceovers since the reality show’s evolution. Though Sterling’s voice is still so recognisable on Love Island, Whitmore has pursued other projects since 2022 - appearing in plays such as 2:22 in the West End, and she will be embarking on the new UK Tour of Girl on the Train, which arrives here later in the year.

It was actually really lovely to feel like we were getting to know the couple away from the umbrella of Love Island on Thursday, with Laura explaining that she was originally a Journalist, with her husband Iain having a degree in Law before he became a comedian. Their new adventure in the podcasting world, hosted by the BBC, has gained loads of ‘living legends’ - which they explained is the affectionate term they use for their fans. Based on that alone, I think you can tell that I was new to their podcast, going into the show blind only recognising the names behind it, and in support of Granite Noir. It’s fair to say that this true crime podcast is infectious, and I am now subscribed. Oh, he’s a living legend now, too.

The podcast is encompassed by the true crime genre, which unravels some of the most horrific stories relating to murder, and the hosts make sure no stone is left unturned with the story’s delivery. Whitmore, clearly in her element with her Journalist roots, seems to be the brains behind the operation, picking out cases in fine detail, explaining them to her husband and audience simultaneously - or, at least that’s how it was during the live show! Sterling, also in his element due to his comedic background, elevates the humour and atmosphere of the room, despite it being a dark tell-tale territory. The pair began their live show with a bit of a trigger warning, explaining that all of these cases will be dealt with sensitively, but fans of the podcast will know that they don’t hold back on gory details.

Since the podcast is being performed live, the true crime enthusiasts presented with a set on stage, complimented by their use of projections and slideshows - making this extremely accessible in more ways than one. I imagine each case verbally being explained in such intricate detail can become overwhelming, though fascinating, to listen to without any visual aids. So, it was great to see pictures of those involved and follow the perpetrator’s journey along the map. Even better, this allowed Sterling the opportunity to use a pointing stick, which, as you can imagine, the novelty got the better of him.

Whitmore takes the lead in presenting the case, the main investigation for this show being placed in Ireland, making her Irish accent that bit more immersive. Largely, the audience are to sit and listen to all of the evidence and speculation build up over the course of the criminal report - but this is not exactly unexpected for a live podcast show. However, the pair include pockets of audience participation with prizes up for grabs - but this comes at the cost of Sterling running around the audience with a microphone looking for volunteers. They also use questioning techniques to get the whole room thinking, guessing over a series of questions displayed on their screen. I was chuffed with myself getting both answers right on the night - and you will never believe how many dollars-worth of butter has been stolen in the past… It is fun facts like these that make my brain tick, so I absolutely loved this.

That’s not the only time they get the audience involved though, as followers of the podcast know that they accept submissions from their listeners, and it was nice to acknowledge these on stage. It was particularly lovely seeing their fans write so much praise about the pair, and how much enjoyment they have got out of the podcast in its 73 episodes since it began. Luckily, most of the emails which were read out were of fans who attended the live show, and one of them even sent in a fraud case from Aberdeen for the pair to discuss on the night. 5 years of sentencing doesn’t seem bad for £23,000, does it? 

(For legal reasons, that was completely and utterly a joke).

Whitmore and Sterling had such a natural presence, and charisma in bucket loads - really, they were a joy to watch. Whilst Sterling was also fantastic, uplifting the room with his sense of humour (some of which stemmed from a few beers at interval…), it is Whitmore that really impressed me. I couldn’t actually believe Granite Noir was the first time these two had performed the podcast live in front of an audience, because it was so effortless and polished - though, with their presenting history, I’m not sure why I am so surprised. They may, however, want to check that there are no typos on the screens, even if this was hilarious.

Though they have made a one-off appearance in Aberdeen for Granite Noir, I am sure they will have plenty of live-show dates in the future. I, for one, really hope they come back as part of the festival next year! For the rest of my day, I’m off to catch up on a few episodes - I wonder how long it will take me to listen to all 73 (and counting!)?

Credits

Instagram links: @theatregramuk, @aberdeenperformingarts, @lauraandiaindothings

Review by Joel Simpson cc: theatregram@gmail.com

Production photos supplied by 'Granite Noir Crime Festival' on Facebook