True crime fans are being challenged to turn detective when a live serial killer investigation comes to Bordon next week.

Can You Catch a Serial Killer? will put audiences at the heart of a simulated murder investigation at Phoenix Arts Centre on Saturday, October 10.

Hosted by serial killer expert Cheish Merryweather, the interactive show will use crime-scene reconstructions, criminal profiling, forensic evidence, investigative techniques and simulated autopsies to challenge audience members to crack the case.

A scene from Can You Catch a Serial Killer?
A scene from Can You Catch a Serial Killer? (Cheish Merryweather)

Cheish said: “True crime fans are being asked to join us for the evening and help solve cases.

“It’s no longer about passively watching true crime on television. We want people analysing evidence, questioning assumptions and thinking like investigators. This is the new era of true crime.”

The Bordon show will also offer an introduction to Serial Killer Unit UK (SKUUK), an independent project Cheish is launching in December.

The initiative aims to use open-source intelligence information available from publicly accessible sources to examine suspected serial cases and create a database of known and suspected serial murders across the UK.

Cheish said: “In December, we are launching Serial Killer Unit UK – the UK’s first dedicated independent team aiming to help investigate potential real-life serial killer cases using OSINT techniques.

“This night will not only demonstrate how we intend to investigate these cases using real investigative techniques, but will also introduce some of the specific cases and patterns we are examining.”

These will include deaths in and around Manchester’s canals that have sometimes been linked in speculation to a supposed “Manchester Pusher”, as well as other cases the group believes warrant further examination.

One of SKUUK’s first projects will be an attempt to map the history and scale of serial murder in Britain.

Can You Catch a Serial Killer? takes place at Phoenix Arts Centre on Saturday, October 10.