History Series / WhodunnitUK

* RedHerring: The presenters always reminded viewers that some "clues" were planted in the episode specifically to mislead. For example, in "The Rajah's Ruby", we see [[spoiler:StageMagician the Great Maestro appear to accidentally-on-purpose drop the ruby and then, with a bit of sleight of hand, replace it with a fake while he slips the real ruby into his jacket pocket; meanwhile, his fellow music hall performer Jillian Hampshire appears to use her compact to watch the Maharajah select the new combination for the safe in which he is storing the ruby]]. They are among the moments the panel ask to see again, but neither one has anything to do with the solution.

* BeneathSuspicion: In several cases the killer is this; in [[spoiler: "Crime After a Fashion"]] the criminal is [[spoiler: the doorman]], and in [[spoiler: "Which Eye Jack" it's the barmaid.]]

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sergeant Morris, the VictimOfTheWeek in "Goodbye Sarge". The higher-up who ends up investigating his death even calls him "The most hated Sargeant in the British Army."

** In "Too Many Cooks", the VictimOfTheWeek attempts to scratch the killer's name into a block of ice after he has been LockedInAFreezer. Unfortunately, he only gets as far as the first letter--'B'--which is not helpful as every suspect's name starts with B. [[spoiler: Though not entirely - the head chef has a 'B' initialled surname, where the dead chef would have used his first name as they worked together and knew each other well. In fact, the killer was someone who the chef knew only by their surname.]]

* FlockOfWolves: At the start of "Too Many Cooks", Commander Blade from [=MI5=], who is investigating the murder of a hotel chef believed to be linked to a planned assassination attempt on a visiting foreign dignitary, arrests the head waiter. The head waiter reveals himself to be a CIA agent, and attempts the arrest the assistant chef. The assistant chef then reveals himself as an agent of SDECE (French intelligence).

** In "Evidence of Death", the VictimOfTheWeek, is poisoned with a nerve agent. With his voice paralysed and 20 seconds to live, he removes his signet ring and stuffs it into a matchbox as a cryptic clue to his killer's identity.

* FoodPills: Used in "Future Imperfect", which was set in the year 2076. The options included duck l'organge and haddock Monte Carlo, although one of the characters passed on the new potato pills because they were slimming.

* HeadTiltinglyKinky: In "A Bad Sign", a photographer hands the inspector and bundle of photos being used to blackmail one of the suspects. The inspector looks at the first photo and turns it almost completely around before the photographer reaches out and turns it back the way he originally had it.

** In "The Rajah's Ruby", the primary investigator is PC Ferret (John Savident), who stumbles and stammers his way through the investigation, to the point that the suspects end up getting more information out of each other than he gets out of them.

* CluelessDetective: In "Adieu Monsieur Chips", the primary investigator is the bungling head of security for the Monte Carlo casino (who has more than a touch of [[Franchise/ThePinkPanther Inspector Clouseau]] about him. Host Creator/JonPertwee notes that he is still clueless about the killer's identity even after it has been revealed.

* DownerEnding: In[[spoiler: "Final Verdict", everyone except the killer and their accomplice end up dead.]] The only thing that stops this also becoming TheBadGuyWins is that the killer is caught and will presumably be convicted.

-->'''Mrs Mitchell''': Two were bills, and... the third was to the Doctor Who fanclub. ''(studio audience laughs)'' I wanted to ask for your autograph [[note]] At the time of the episode's making, Pertwee was still playing the Third Series/DoctorWho [[/note]]

* RunningGag: Patrick Mower, who during his years on the show starred in two different police procedural tv shows (''Special Branch'' and ''Target''), calling out actors playing the police in the ShowWithinAShow about obvious errors in police procedure or evidence handling. This became a plot point in [[spoiler: "Fly me, I'm dead", when his knowledge of prisoner transport helped him work out that the police detective was actually a criminal who'd killed his police escort in order to temporarily steal his identity and escape.]]

* SideBet: At the start of "All Part of the Service", Inspector Godfrey and Sergeant Coop have a bet about how long they'll be at the crime scene.

Each week it featured a short murder-mystery drama enacted in front of a panel of celebrity guests who then had to establish who the murderer was. Anouska Hempel and Patrick Mower became permanent panelists from series 3 onwards, with two guest celebrities each episode. In series 5, Liza Goddard replaced Anouska Hempel as a permanent panelist. The panel members could interview the remaining characters, with only clue being that only the murderer could lie. Each panelist could also request to see a short replay of one section of the initial drama, which would often include events as they occurred and flashbacks as seen and narrated by individual suspects. (The video technology used at the time meant that it usually took a few minutes to set up each replay.)

Each week it featured a short murder-mystery drama enacted in front of a panel of celebrity guests who then had to establish who the murderer was. Anouska Hempel and Patrick Mower became permanent panelists from series 3 onwards, with two guest celebrities each episode. In series 5, Liza Goddard replace Anouska as permanent panelist. The panel members could interview the remaining characters, with only clue being that only the murderer could lie. Each panelist could also request to see a short replay of one section of the initial drama, which would often include events as they occurred and flashbacks as seen and narrated by individual suspects. (The video technology used at the time meant that it usually took a few minutes to set up each replay.)

* ExactWords: in "Fly me, I'm dead", the last words of the ShowWithinAShow are the police detective saying outright "I know who did it!" [[spoiler: For very good reason - it was him! He was actually a criminal who'd killed his police escort in order to switch identities long enough to escape.]]

* NeverSuicide: "All Part of the Service" starts with the police arriving to investigate an apparent suicide. Immediately {{lampshaded}} by host Creator/JonPertwee in his introduction when he says that if it really was a suicide, they wouldn't have a show.
** Subverted in [[spoiler: "Worth dying for",]] when it actually was a suicide. In this case, the [[OnceAnEpisode 'will the real Whodunnit please stand up?']] question was answered by [[spoiler: the victim opening the closed door of his office and coming out to join the suspects.]]

* PsychicLink: Played for laughs in the episode "Fly me, I'm dead". Patrick pretended to have one of these to Anouska (who was out sick), and received messages from her.[[note]] probably also a reference to ''Zodiac'', the paranormal crime series she'd starred in right before Whodunnit?[[/note]] He '''did''' pick the correct murderer and most of the clues...

* SexyCoatFlashing: In "Final Trumpet", Aerolita claims to have seen (accompanied by a flashback), Nola seducing the RepulsiveRingmaster by knocking on his caravan door wearing a plastic mac and then throwing it open to reveal her LovelyAssistant costume--a spangly bikini--underneath.

* BeneathSuspicion: In several cases the killer is this; in [[spoiler: ''Crime After a Fashion'']] the criminal is [[spoiler: the doorman]], and in [[spoiler: ''Which Eye Jack'' it's the barmaid.]]

* ActorAllusion: In series one episode three, "A Knife in the Back", Jon Pertwee (appearing on the show for the first time as a panelist) asks one suspect about the letters she posted.
-->'''Mrs Mitchell''': Two were bills, and... the third was to the Doctor Who fanclub. ''(studio audience laughs)'' I wanted to ask for your autograph [[note]] At the time of the episode's making, Pertwee was still playing the Third Series/DoctorWho [[/note]]

* KnifeThrowingAct: The CircusEpisode "Final Trumpet" opens with Mad Wolfgang and his LovelyAssistant Nola rehearsing their knofe-throwing act. Later, during the questioning, Wolfgang gets so infuriated at Patrick Mower that he hurls a knife at him, which hits the target board behind him.

* DressedToPlunder: In "Which Eye Jack", a murder occurs among a gathering of pirates. All of the suspects fit this trope to some degree, with Blackbeard being the most complete example, dressed in a tricorner hat, frock coat, EyepatchOfPower, HookHand, and SeadogPegLeg. Capatin Magee, the sole PirateGirl at the gathering, rocks a tight WaistcoatOfStyle, flouncy shirt, PaintedOnPants, and thigh high boots.

* FlockOfWolves: At the start of "Too Many Cooks", Commander Blade from [=MI5=], who is investigating the murder of a hotel chef believed to be linked to a planned assination attempt on a visiting foreign dignitary, arrests the head waiter. The head waiter reveals himself to be a CIA agent, and attempts the arrest the assistant chef. The assistant chef then reveals himself as an agent of SDECE (French intelligence).

* InsuranceFraud: The crime in "Diamonds Are Almost Forever" turns out to be insurance fraud with the thieves stealing their own diamonds in order to keep the stones and claim the insurance.

* AbsenceOfEvidence: In [[spoiler:"Final Trumpet"]], the clinching piece of evidence for the sergeant investigating is the lack of muddy footprints on the pristine white carpet inside the caravan. Only one have the suspects could have entered without using the door, and thus avoid tracking mud in from outside.

* ActorAllusion: in series one episode three, "A Knife in the Back", Jon Pertwee (appearing on the show for the first time as a panelist) asks one suspect about the letters she posted.

* PsychicLink: Played for laughs in the epsiode "Fly me, I'm dead". Patrick pretended to have one of these to Anoushka (who was out sick), and received messages from her.[[note]] probably also a reference to ''Zodiac'', the paranormal crime series she'd starred in right before Whodunnit?[[/note]] He '''did''' pick the correct murderer and most of the clues...

* RunningGag: Patrick Mower, who during his five years on the show starred in two different police procedural tv shows (''Special Branch'' and ''Target''), calling out actors playing the police in the ShowWithinAShow about obvious errors in police procedure or evidence handling. This became a plot point in [[spoiler: "Fly me, I'm dead", when his knowledge of prisoner transport helped him work out that the police detective was actually a criminal who'd killed his police escort in order to temporarily steal his identity and escape.]]

* ExactWords: in "Fly me, I'm dead", the last words of the ShowWithinAShow are the police detective saying outright "I know who did it!" [[spoiler: Ror very good reason - it was him! He was actually a criminal who'd killed his police escort in order to switch identities long enough to escape.]]

* PsychicLink: Played for laughs in the epsiode "Fly me, I'm dead". Patrick pretended to have one of these to Anoushka (who was out sick), and received messages from her.[[note]] probably also a reference to ''Zodiac'', the paranormal crime series she'd starred in right before Whodunnit?[[/note]] He did pick the correct murderer and most of the clues...

* RunningGag: Patrick Mower, who at the time of filming had either just come off starring in a police procedural tv show (''Special Branch''), or was currently starring in one (''Target'')calling out actors playing the police in the ShowWithinAShow about obvious errors in police procedure or evidence handling. This became a plot point in [[spoiler: "Fly me, I'm dead", when his knowledge of prisoner transport helped him work out that the police detective was actually the prisoner being transported who'd killed his police escort in order to temporarily steal his identity and escape.]]

** In "Too Many Cooks", the VictimOfTheWeek attempts to scratch the killer's name into a block of ice after he has been LockedInAFreezer. Unfortunately, he only gets as far as the first letter--'B'--which is not helpful as every suspect's name starts with B. [[spoiler: Though not entirely - the two other chefs are cleared, as one is alibied by two other characters, and the second has a 'B' initialled surname, where the dead chef would have used his first name as they worked together. In fact, the killer was someone who the chef knew only by their surname.]]

** In "Too Many Cooks", the VictimOfTheWeek attempts to scratch the killer's name into a block of ice after he has been LockedInAFreezer. Unfortunately, he only gets as far as the first letter--'B'--which is not helpful as every suspect's name starts with B.

* DrillSergeantNasty: Sergeant Morris, the VictimOfTheWeek in "Goodbye Sarge".

* RepulsiveRingmaster: Jack Brandon, the [[AssholeVictim asshole]] VictimOfTheWeek in "Final Trumpet". On inheriting sole control of the circus when his half-brother dies, he immediately the gathers performers and gloats of his intention to sell the circus rather than divide it equally among the performers as his brother had wanted. When being interviewed the performers say that Brandon was a [[TheGamblingAddict compulsive gambler]] who was up to his ears in debt, and Aerolita and Nola indicate that he was constantly leching after the female performers.

* SexyCoatFlashing: In "Final Trump", Aerolita claims to have seen (accompanied by a flashback), Nola seducing the RepulsiveRingmaster by knocking on his caravan door wearing a plastic mac and then throwing it open to reveal her LovelyAssistant costume--a spangly bikini--underneath.

* ThePenIsMighter: In [[spoiler:"Instant Coffee"]], the murderer uses a fountain pen to inject poison into the orange juice of the VictimOfTheWeek.

* ArabOilSheik: The VictimOfTheWeek in "Instant Coffee" is the ruler of a [[{{Qurac}} tiny, oil-rich Arab kingdom on the Persian Gulf]] who is in London to negotiate an oil contract with a British firm. He, his son, and his brother are all dressed in Arabian robes and keffiyeh.