The Makings of a Murderer at Adelphi Theatre

Here’s one for the true crime fans: David Swindle, The Scottish Detective, brings his show to the Adelphi Theatre in London as part of a national tour. 

The Makings of a Murderer is both interesting and powerful. With a deep look into the minds of serial killers and how some particularly famous ones have operated. Swindle shares his insights from his time on the force about what makes a murderer, such as common behavioural patterns and early warning signs. The detective focuses on Peter Tobin and Operation Anagram, which saw him run a large-scale national investigation into Tobin’s life movements after he was convicted of the murder of Angelika Kluk. Did Tobin really just get to age 60 and commit his first murder? Or had he killed before? If so, how many? And where were the bodies? 

Swindle is an expert speaker. He’s easy to listen to for the roughly two hours and manages to keep a lot of it light, despite the subject matter, helping to build tension at just the right moments. It’s like an extra long TED talk touching on the fields of psychology, forensics and historical police processes. And, unlike some true crime media, he is deeply respectful of the victims and does not glorify the killers in any way.  

In the first half he jumps around a bit too much and in the second part maybe not quite enough. Act One sets a scene about serial killers in general, touching on famed examples such as Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, who were behind the Moors murders, and Fred and Rose West. But just as you’re getting interested in one story, Swindle cuts to the next. Act Two is primarily about Peter Tobin, perhaps suffering from the opposite issue of occasionally feeling padded.

But despite that, The Makings of a Murderer is a good show. It’s powerful and horrible and sad and hopeful all at the same time, hitting every note that true crime fans will be familiar with.

Jim Compton-Hall

The Makings of a Murderer is at Adelphi Theatre on 18^th April 2023 for one night only. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.