Sexy Murder is a British mockumentary television miniseries created by Andy Kinnear and Céin McGillicuddy. Produced by Roughcut TV for BBC Three, the series is a spoof of the true crime documentary genre, parodying the style and tropes of hits such as Making a Murderer, the Serial podcast, and The Jinx.
The series stars Rich Fulcher as Christoph Spinelli, an unethical American documentary filmmaker who travels to the United Kingdom to document the case of a missing woman, hoping to exonerate the primary suspect and create "sexiness" where there is none.
It premiered as a series of six short episodes on 31 October 2016 on BBC Three (online), followed by a broadcast of the full story as a single 30-minute special on BBC iPlayer on 13 December 2016.
Premise Christoph Spinelli (Rich Fulcher), a self-described "televisionary" and "truth crusader", arrives in the UK to investigate the disappearance of Polly Worcester. The prime suspect is Tom Jessop (James Gordon), a socially awkward man whom Spinelli is determined to prove innocent, believing him to be the victim of a miscarriage of justice simply because it fits the narrative of a "sexy" crime documentary.
Throughout the series, Spinelli manipulates evidence, reconstructs events with wild inaccuracies and exploits Tom's desperate parents, Susan (Maggie O'Neill) and Brian (Shaun Williamson). Despite clear signs of Tom's potential guilt—or at least his lack of an alibi—Spinelli proceeds to disrupt the legal process, culminating in a chaotic trial.
Cast
Rich Fulcher as Christoph Spinelli, an American documentary filmmaker who prioritises entertainment and "sexiness" over facts. Maggie O'Neill as Susan Jessop, Tom's long-suffering mother. Shaun Williamson as Brian Jessop, Tom's father. James Gordon as Tom Jessop, the accused. Nick Mohammed as Simon Schinwold, Spinelli's assistant. Lolly Adefope as Jessica Arkwright, a lawyer. Marcia Warren as Barbara Wilcox. Ewan Bailey as Andrew Reynolds. Phil Wang as Clive the Pizza Boy. Daniel Barker as Laurence The Gamer.
Episodes The series was originally released as six shorts on 31 October 2016. No.TitleOriginal release date1"Pretty Polly"31 October 20162"A Nice Body of Evidence"31 October 20163"The Feline Touch"31 October 20164"The Flames of Innocence"31 October 20165"The Sound of Justice"31 October 20166"Judgement Day"31 October 2016
Production Sexy Murder was created by the comedy duo Andy Kinnear and Céin McGillicuddy, who had previously collaborated on the BBC cop-show comedy Top Coppers. It was produced by Roughcut TV, the production company founded by Ash Atalla.
Filming utilised the tropes of the genre it satirised, including dramatic aerial shots, manipulative editing and stylized re-enactments. Rich Fulcher described the show's philosophy by saying, "This show is so sexy that I want to have sex with it."
Reception The series received positive attention for its timely parody of the true crime boom. Chortle noted that the show effectively spoofs the "speculate to the point of insanity" style of American documentaries. Digital Spy highlighted the show's "unique twist" on the genre favourites like Making a Murderer.
References
External links
Sexy Murder at British Comedy Guide