Nine residents of Blackwater are under suspicion for the murder of local girl Catherine Prior in the BBC's new fictional series The Murder Game. Digital Spy examines each of them in turn.
Suspect 1: The Vicar's Wife
Name: Tina Wells
Age: 38
Character: Tina arrived in town nine months ago as wife of the new Vicar. She is fit and sporty and runs every day before breakfast. She is loud and inquisitive and not liked by most locals. Catherine was her one true friend in town. After the murder she befriends Vanessa who lives in the pub next to the church.
Evidence: Tina Wells claims to have found Catherine shortly after she was attacked in the church. She tried to comfort her and called the emergency services. Her hands were covered in Catherine’s blood.
Suspect 2: The Babysitter
Name: Vanessa March
Age: 18
Occupation: Works at the local pub
Character: Vanessa is Catherine’s babysitter; she looks after Catherine’s daughter Anya. Vanessa is a teenage dreamer: rude, stroppy and often in a world of her own. She’s frequently in love and is currently going out with the Best Man Dean Garretty. She is mad about clothes and good at dressmaking.
Evidence: Vanessa claims she arrived at the church after the ambulance. She says she went to find out what was going on. She met Tina outside the church.
Suspect 3: The Builder
Name: Trevor Bodie
Age: 43
Occupation: Building Contractor
Character: Trevor is a building contractor and his firm is currently doing work at the church where Catherine was attacked. He also has the contract to maintain the caravan site where Catherine lived. He lives in an annex at Creeksea Place, the Wilmington family home where he attempts to maintain the dilapidated house. He still gets his supplies from the timber firm the Wilmington family once owned.
Evidence: Trevor claims he arrived at the church after the attack when he went to check on his men who were working there. He comforted Tina and Vanessa.
Suspect 4: The Father
Name: Frank Prior
Age: 53
Occupation: Milkman
Character: Frank brought up his two girls (Catherine & Goldie) alone, and is regarded as a local hero for that. He is bright, but uneducated, and lives in a small pre-war council house, where Goldie is staying in her old bedroom as she prepares for the wedding. Frank has a criminal record for thieving and handling offences, and did time about 15 years ago for ABH during a burglary.
Evidence: Frank claims the first he knew about his daughter, Catherine’s death was when the investigators broke the news. He says he was at home getting ready for his other daughter, Goldie’s wedding later that day.
Suspect 5: The Bride
Name: Goldie (Gillian) Prior
Age: 28
Occupation: Doctor
Character: Goldie is academically bright and a great beauty. She has always been a real golden girl, hence the family nickname, which she now claims to find embarrassing. Goldie is not in medicine to care for anybody. Her aim? The status and financial gain afforded by working with the large drug companies. She’s come home to marry the boyfriend she first met when she was only 15. Their relationship seems to have stood the test of time, even if people find it odd that she seems far more driven by testosterone than he does.
Evidence: Goldie, Catherine’s younger sister, also claims to know nothing about the murder. She says she was at home with Catherine’s daughter Anya, getting ready for her wedding all day.
Suspect 6: The Groom
Name: Jay Wilmington
Age: 30
Occupation: Part-time boatman
Character: Jay and Catherine have been close friend since school. He went to a minor public school where he didn't thrive – he dropped out of University. He lives on a houseboat moored at the quay where he’s made a name for himself as ‘the’ person to talk to about anything navigational.
Evidence: Jay says he was at his family home, Creeksea Place at the time of the murder. He was preparing his speech and getting ready for his wedding. He appears laid back and claims to want nothing more than his boats, his bride and a big family as soon as possible.
Suspect 7: The Groom's Mother
Name: Jennifer Wilmington
Age: 50
Occupation: Antiques shop owner
Character: Jennifer married into the Wilmington family when it owned a profitable timber yard. Ten years ago her husband, Tony, fell ill and lost the business. Now she scratches a living dealing in antique furniture. Jennifer had her only child, Jay, very young, and hated the experience so much she vowed not to repeat it. Her husband resented this. She never felt her husband really loved her, and her son seems to have inherited his phlegmatic and undemonstrative nature. Jennifer still hungers for romantic love and rumours of an affair with Trevor are rife.
Evidence: Jennifer also claims to have spent the morning of the murder at Creeksea Place, although she did pop out on several last minute errands.
Suspect 8: The Best Man
Name: Dean Garretty
Age: 29
Occupation: Used car dealer
Character: Dean is Jay’s best man. They played rugby and cricket together as boys and maintained their friendship in spite of the class and income differences. He grew up on the same council estate as Catherine and Goldie Prior and they all went to school together. A self made man, he’s got his own used car business and he has bought his first house, a starter home on a C2 estate. His latest purchase is the fancy video camera he used to film Catherine.
Evidence: Dean admits to having filmed Catherine at the church shortly before she died. He was making a wedding video for the groom, Jay. At the time of the murder he says he was at his office alone working on the computer.
Suspect 9: The Music Teacher
Name: George Hawick
Age: 72
Occupation: Retired
Character: George used to teach at the local school where Catherine’s daughter Anya was a pupil. He taught Anya and that’s how he met Catherine. In recent years he has also being teaching Catherine. Shortly after he retired, he took the chance to follow a lifetime's ambition: he moved across the tidal causeway to live in a cottage on the island. Here he can live in total seclusion with his music, his bird watching binoculars and his little boat. The Anna Magdelena.
Evidence: George was with Catherine the morning of the murder. She was due to play the piano at her sister’s wedding and he was giving her last minute lessons.
Now you've seen the suspects, what are your first impressions of each and who do you think the killer could be? Share your ideas in our forums here. Catch The Murder Game Saturday at 21.15 on BBC One.
