Bloody Scotland 2026 - Saturday 19 September, 2026

 

You, the Jury

Saturday 19th September - 13:15

A young man is accused of shooting his mother amid money problems. But she may have fired the weapon herself.

This enthralling courtroom drama, written by Douglas Skelton and based on a vintage case (but updated) and starring real-life lawyers Laura Thomson KC and Frances McMenamin KC, forensic experts Professors Lorna Dawson and Dr James Grieve, and chartered psychologist Professor Lara Frumkin, along with court staff, will show you how a trial really works.

Forget the histrionics and cries of objection. Forget a tetchy judge banging a gavel. This is a compelling, true-to-life theatrical experience made even more realistic by taking place in a working courtroom.

And you could be on the jury!

Sponsored by The Faculty of Advocates.

Tickets £10.75/£9.75 incl bf

Stirling Sheriff Court

This is my second time in court for a murder case. Last time, I was a witness. This time, thankfully, the case was fictional. 

After my ticket was scanned and I was handed a numbered copy of the indictment, I passed through security (a proper check, given we were in an actual courtroom) and headed upstairs. My wife couldn't attend, so I ended up chatting to the woman beside me in the gallery (that sounds bad, but I swear I'm innocent), pointing out that the person playing the accused was Callum McSorley, and that another grey-haired gentleman was Douglas Skelton, the author of the piece. She talked about Lee Child and Reacher.

The indictment

I saw some others taking photos, so I snapped this one below. It wasn't until later that the clerk of the court told us it was a crime, punishable by a fine and up to two years in prison. Whoops!

It wasn't me.

He then explained how the event would play out. Fifteen jurors would be selected at random, based on the number listed on our indictment sheet. The lady next to me was called, so we all had to shuffle along the row to let her out. While we were doing so, I thought I heard my number, but wasn't sure. I panicked for a moment, not wanting to go if I'd been wrong, but also not wanting to stay and look like a fool as the only one missing. I confirmed with another audience member that they'd heard my number and headed down to the jurors' seats, three rows of five. 

Best seats in the house, the person on my right whispered. From here, we were sworn in, and the presiding judge explained how the case would proceed. Unlike a real case, we would not be sent away to deliberate. Instead, we would raise our hand in favour of one judgement or the other.

The defence and prosecution called and questioned several witnesses and professional experts. As you might expect from a fictional case, the evidence wasn't cut-and-dried. I felt he was guilty and voted accordingly, but I was in the minority. If we had gone to deliberation, I'm sure I could have persuaded some to find him guilty, given my interpretation of the evidence and how it was presented.

Image from Douglas Skelton FB post.

A fascinating trip into the legal system, one I hope to avoid for real for a long time.

8 Out of 10 Crime Writers Do Countdown

Saturday 19th September - 21:45

There will be consonants and vowels; there will be numbers and conundrums. There will be Steve Cavanagh, Andi Osho, Mark Billingham and Liz Nugent. There will be a lot of laughs and more than a bit of chaos.

Craig Robertson will be in control (?!) of proceedings and an unruly bunch of crime writers. He will be ably assisted by Luca Veste on numbers and Elly Griffiths in Dictionary Corner. We are legally obliged to state that this event will bear no resemblance to a certain Channel 4 show with a strikingly similar format and name.

Tickets £14.75/£13.75 incl bf

Steve Cavanagh couldn't attend, so Abir Mukherjee stepped in at short notice. It became obvious during Craig Robertson's introductions (in the Jimmy Carr role, making no attempt at the idiosyncratic laugh) that Abir was not familiar with the C4 show. Abir was paired with Andi Osho, and Mark Billingham with Liz Nugent, with Elly Griffiths in Dictionary Corner and Luca Veste doing his best Rachel Riley (not in costume). He pinned the letters and numbers to a whiteboard using magnets.  

Andi and Abir

Elly

Liz and Mark

Craig Robertson

Proceedings were shambolic but in a fun way. Like the C4 show, panellists got to bring a mascot, with Mark Billingham explaining how much he loves Irn Bru, getting a crate of twenty-four delivered every fortnight. Abir's 'family heirlooms' of a plush dinosaur and a tall tartan hat were so recently purchased they still had the Sale price tag on.

Often, the audience did better than the contestants. The scoring was a mess, with points awarded when they hadn't been earned, and no one got the Countdown Conundrum. 

That said, Abir's confusion over the Carrot in a Box round got huge laughs.

I hope they don't repeat the event next year and instead spend more time coming up with something better.

Countdown Conundrum*

* Answer: Ambushed.