Practice those Scottish accents as, say it with me now, there’s been a murder at the Natural History Museum!
But is it worth the £59 ticket price? Here’s my review of Crime Scene Live at the Natural History Museum.
Maggots or fingerprints?
Maggots or fingerprints is the first decision you’ll have to make. This decides which activities you participate in.
That means you won’t be able to learn how maggots and fingerprints are used in forensic science.
However, the event starts at 7.20 and ends at 10.30 (this was on a Friday night). Sounds like a lot of time, but it surprisingly flies by. It feels a little frantic as you cover all sides and levels of the Natural History Museum, so it would have to be a six hour event if the organisers let you do both.
The time limit does help to create urgency as DC Arnott and DI would feel in Line of Duty. You’re also encouraged to collaborate with your fellow detectives in other groups (different coloured lanyards), otherwise you won’t be able to solve the crime).
We (my girlfriend, the lead detective) choose fingerprints.
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Briefing at 19:20
Next you’ll collect your info pack featuring a map and a suspect list which you can make notes of the intel you pick up along the way. There’s also a badge where you can draw yourself…
There isn’t much time before your briefing in the main hall.
Gathering information: The activities
Once briefed, you need to keep an eye on time as you’re designated activities. In between those time slots, there are other activities around the building which will help you gather more information including listening to police interviews with the suspects.
For the timed activities, we learned all about fingerprints, how to analyse them, studying for them and even taking samples of our own.
We also learned about blood spatter, getting to wear white suits in the process, analysing the crime scene and testing for blood samples.
Discussing theories
Once you’ve completed the activities, it’s time to talk to fellow detectives about what evidence they found (useful as those who choose maggots received new and vital information).
There isn’t a lot of time to come up with theories before all is revealed. We got it right but it went down to the wire!
Debriefing
Overall it was a great night of fun activities whilst learning lots too. The whole event felt realistic.
I think Crime Scene Live is worthy of the £59 ticket price and would recommend the event to anyone.
>>> For more detective fun, read my reviews of the best scavenger hunts in London <<<
Tips for Crime Scene Live
- You’re encouraged to dress the part, cue the most deerstalker hats, pipes and trench coats seen in one place).
- Your ticket includes one drink from the bar. I’d also recommend bringing snacks too. It cost £6 for a slice of cold pizza and the start time might make grabbing dinner before cutting it close.
- We also made use of a small notepad to scribble in.
Check out the next dates for Crime Scene Live at NHM and book tickets!
Looking for more (legal) crime related activities in London? Read my reviews of the best scavenger hunts in London!
