A multi-award-winning horror-comedy-murder-mystery-mock-doc.
Who killed the world's best loved ventriloquist?
Watch all six episodes of Murder for Dummies below, for free.
THE EPISODES
Back in the nineties, ventriloquism was more popular than Princess Diana and the Spice Girls put together.
...You remember that, right?
Of course you do. We wouldn't make up something like that.
When beloved ventriloquist Keith Flapp was found murdered in his West End theatre dressing room in 1999, it devastated the nation.
Today, a true crime documentary filmmaker tries to finally solve the mystery of who murdered Keith...
...but... does everyone she's interviewing have a motive for killing him?
And... has the killer returned to bump off anyone who might incriminate them before the documentary reveals their secrets?
(Yes - yes they have.)
Meet The Interviewees
Audiences around the globe might have loved Keith Flapp, but the people who actually knew him feel very differently...
Could any of the interviewees have gone on to murder Keith? And how far might they go to stop their secrets coming out...?
Keith's money-hungry former agent
MADISON SKIRMISH
"It was only after I'd done my usual routine of cleaning up his blood and wiping my fingerprints from the room that I realised... he was dead."
Madison is played by stage, screen and voice actor Amy Rockson (The Sandman; Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story)
Keith's bitter ex-double act partner
HENRY DEADSON
"Keith was like that optical illusion with the vase... if you look at him long enough, you realise he's two faced!"
Henry is voiced by actor and Edinburgh Comedy Award nomine Thom Tuck (The Play Wot I Wrote, The Crown, DOM: The Play, Straight to DVD)
Keith's eccentric widow
DR. ANNABELLE FLAPP-DELANEY
"Here - look at this: I wasn't even cross-stitching. I was just stabbing a picture of his face with a needle. But I didn't kill him - I promise."
Annabelle is played by stage and screen actor Claire Marie-Hall (Operation Mincemeat, Les Miserables)
Keith's love-starved son
TOM FLAPP
"Who doesn't want to stab their dad in the heart again and again and again and scream I'M MAKING ROOM IN THERE FOR ME?!"
Tom is played by actor and comedian Luke Booys (Casual Violence, The Magnus Archives, C.B. Strike, Time Run)
Keith's obsessive number one fan
DARREN WOUND
"I adored Keith, I didn't WANT to kill him!... Wait, sorry, can we do that again? I put a weird emphasis on the 'want'... for no reason."
Darren is played by actor and comedian Alex McCallum (Casual Violence, Hector Vs The Future)
Keith's resentful rival ventriloquist
DICKIE ROLEX
"But that doesn't mean I killed him, and if you make me look my a murderer in your film I'll f--king kill you!"
Dickie is played by actor and comedian David Arrondelle (Casual Violence, Hector Vs The Future).
Keeper of Keith's old dummy
SUSAN FINANGLE
"Stabbing someone is like... breaking a dog's legs. It's a crime of passion. The person who killed Keith didn't plan in advance."
Susan is played by stage, screen and voice actor Beth Eyre (Wooden Overcoats, The Beef and Dairy Network, Victoriocity)
Keith's former live-in butcher
MOLLOY MANGLE
"Keith performed so much better on stage when he was terrified for his life and I could literally taste his fear from the front row"
Molloy is played by actor and comedian Greg Cranness (Casual Violence)
Keith's go-to puppet maker
MADAME PUCKERBRUSH
"I carved Fungo from a single block of driftwood, fetched from the sunken wreck of the Marie Celeste... his eyebrows taken from the fur of a monkey's paw..."
Puckerbrush is played by actor and comedian Kathryn Bond (Whitstable Pearl, Class Dismissed)
Retired police detective
RICHARD PRENT
"We weren't aware of the murder until about 9:30, when the ice cream girl told us they were out of chocolate chip... and that Keith had been stabbed".
Prent is played by stage, screen and voice actor Ian Houghton (War Horse, The Audience, This House)
"Creative, strange, brilliantly performed stuff"
The Scotsman
"Leading the new wave of sketch comedy"
The Sunday Times
★★★★★
The Skinny
★★★★★
FringeGuru
★★★★★
ThreeWeeks
★★★★★
Brighton Argus
★★★★★
Broadway Baby
★★★★★
Latest 7
★★★★
The List
★★★★★
Reviews Hub
★★★★
Fest
A Casual Violence Series.
CASUAL VIOLENCE are the UK's most physically attractive comedy troupe: David Arrondelle, Luke Booys, Greg Cranness, James Hamilton and Alex McCallum.
After ten years of mild to medium success as a live act (enough to perform at major West End venues, sell out multiple Edinburgh Fringe runs, win several fringe comedy awards and star on BBC Radio 4; not enough to convince their parents that this was a good use of a decade) the group have now released their first six episode series - MURDER FOR DUMMIES, a comedy-horror murder mystery.
Led by James Hamilton as writer/creator, Casual Violence have created and produced more than a dozen successful and award winning stage shows - including HOUSE OF NOSTRIL, SLOW FADE TO BLEAK, OM NOM NOMINOUS, CHOOSE DEATH and A KICK IN THE TEETH - for major theatre venues including the Soho Theatre, the Pleasance Courtyard, and the Lowry.
The group also starred on an award nominated episode of BBC Radio 4's SKETCHORAMA, and made acclaimed podcast sitcom series HECTOR VS THE FUTURE, followed by their mini-anthology series TALES OF CASUAL VIOLENCE.
MURDER FOR DUMMIES is their latest collaboration with director, editor and visual effects artist J.W. Roberts, who has regularly partnered with the group to create more than thirty short films and sketches since 2012.
For more about Casual Violence, visit our website.
The Writer & The Director
Series Writer, Creator & Executive Producer
JAMES HAMILTON
James Hamilton is an Emmy nominated screenwriter. He was the head writer of Netflix's animated comedy series DOGS IN SPACE ("consistently smart and deft... just snarky enough, just silly enough and just sentimental enough" - New York Times), and head writer of critically acclaimed Netflix YA series JENTRY CHAU VS THE UNDERWORLD, which was nominated for three Children's & Family Emmy Awards in 2025, including Outstanding Writing.
James has won several awards for his writing and his work with Casual Violence.
Series Director, Editor & Executive Producer
J.W. ROBERTS
J.W. Roberts has more than fifteen years' experience as a director, editor and VFX artist.
His credits span directing and producing short films, commercials, documentaries, corporate videos and branded content, for companies including the BBC, Channel 4, E4, Vice, Casual Films, Grain Media, Gunpowder & Sky, Serious, and Avalon.
As a VFX artist, he contributed to Oscar and BAFTA winning feature films at the world-renowned VFX house Framestore, including the iconic first shot of Two-Face from The Dark Knight.
The Detective, The Victim, The Experts
Director turned detective
ESTHER FARRAGO
An unlucky documentary maker who finds herself in the middle of a killing spree: can Esther figure out who killed Keith before the killer bumps off all her interviewees... and her?
Esther is played by Lucy Farrett (Sally4Eva, Alice's Adventures Underground, Ladyface)
Beloved ventriloquism duo
KEITH FLAPP & FUNGO
Keith might have been beloved by the public, but the people who knew him best aren't so fond of him. His famous dummy Fungo has been missing since his death... did someone steal him from the crime scene?
Keith is played by Sean Garratt (Blind Summit Theatre's The Table)
Detective on the case
ELLIE PLANK
When everyone connected to Keith's murder back in 1999 starts getting picked off, Plank takes the lead on the police investigation. She's got a lot of theories... but they tend to be a little out there...
Det. Plank is played by Kath Hughes (Tarot, Sally4Eva, Afterlife
Supportive cop
FRANKIE OCTAGON
Plank's deeply loyal partner in (solving) crime, Octagon is the most supportive friend you could ask for. He'll always back Plank up, no matter how outlandish her accusations.
Det. Octagon is played by Ed Easton (Tarot, Ladhood, Starstruck)
Handwriting expert
DEXTER RUSSELL
What true crime documentary DOESN'T have a handwriting expert? And Dexter's the best of the best.
Dexter Russell is played by Greg Haiste (Ghosts, This England, Pennyworth)
Dummy sentience expert
SALLY RICKETTS
There's a lot of people accusing ventriloquist dummies of having lives of their own these days; the acclaimed author of "Are Dummies Sentient?" is here to set the record straight.
Dr Ricketts is played by Susan Harrison (Showstopper! The Musical, Class Dismissed)
Behavioural play therapist
LINDA RAZZAMATAZZ
Keith went through his fair share of tragedy and psychological trauma before he died... did puppetry help him recover, or make things worse?
Linda is played by actor Rochelle Harvey (X US)
Top toxicologist
DR. AARON LEGLEG
Appearing only via video call to provide some crucial lab results, Dr Legleg likes nothing more than delivering dramatic news on true crime docs.
Dr Legleg is played by actor/writer David K Barnes (Wooden Overcoats, Doctor Who, Cry Havoc).
Newsreading staple
TIMOTHY CLENCH
Britain's best loved newsreader, delivering tragic stories in a comfortingly steady voice for over thirty years.
Clench is played by actor/comedian Tom Bell (The Mash Report, Extraordinary, Brassic)
Retired carnie
RENNIE GARRISON
Keith won his very first ventriloquist dummy at a fairground back in the early nineties... it seems Rennie might have accidentally started this whole saga!
Rennie is played by Simon Furness (Wednesday)
