The classic mystery has a rich hertitage on the radio, from the likes of Behind the Screen (1930) to ‘Cabin B-13’ (1943) to the readings of classic mysteries that proliferate to this day. So a brand new, fair play mystery on the radio could well be something to get excited about.

At some point in the last year — I’m not being deliberately vague, because it doesn’t really matter when — the writer Brendon Connelly contacted me about a radio mystery he was hoping to get produced called Done to Death. It quickly became pretty clear to me that Brendon is a devotee of the classic mystery, and I asked to be kept in the loop. Then, the best news happened: the BBC had greenlit the pilot episode, and it was due to go out on Radio 4 at…some point.

Well, that point has arrived: Done to Death was broadcast recently, and ahead of that broadcast Brendon very kindly sat down to discuss mysteries in general — including how his own love of the genre developed — and the specifics of plotting and clewing for radio. All of this is, of course, a shameless advert for Done to Death, but since the first episode is so good, and since Brendon’s love of classic mystery tropes makes the remaining episodes — which will only get produced if this pilot episode garners sufficient attention — sound so enticing, well, I’m happy to shamelessly promote it for an hour.

You can listen to the podcast on iTunes here, on Spotify here, or by using the player below. 

My thanks to Brendon for all the work that has gone into this, to Johnny Berliner for the music, and to you, as always, for listening. I don’t ask for any remuneration for this podcast, but if you could see your way clear to checking out a genuine fair-play mystery puzzle written for we fans by a fan, the Done to Death page can be found on the BBC website here. Your support would mean a lot, not least because this is clearly a labour of love, and it’s wonderful to think that we have such talented people striving to entertain us so fully. The rise of the classic mystery continues!