Review: Former undercover detective and star of Hunted talks at Harrogate Theatre

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Lauren Crisp is a book editor, writer and keen follower of arts and culture. She reviews theatre and cultural events in and around the district in her spare time.

You can contact Lauren on laurencrispwriter@gmail.com. 

Audiences’ appetite for the true crime genre is apparently unwavering, and the sheer number of tour dates on former Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley’s call sheet is testament to this.

Running throughout 2026, Bleksley’s The Makings of a Murderer: Undercover Detective promises to reveal ‘the harrowing reality behind solving murders and battling the criminal underworld’.

Perhaps a little less arresting than its emphatic synopsis might suggest, it was nonetheless a thrilling prospect (and I’m talking as a true crime aficionado) to be in the same room as someone who has investigated gruesome murders, witnessed the worst of humanity, and worked undercover in an underworld few of us will ever understand.

You may recognise Bleksley from Channel 4’s Hunted, where, for six series, he was ‘The Chief’. He’s therefore no stranger to the media world, having written books and featured on radio shows and podcasts since his early medical retirement from the police force, and he’s a natural orator.

With just a microphone, a screen and some decorative props on stage to accompany him, the no-nonsense south-east Londoner recounts the trajectory of his career, from training through to detective work, to eventually going undercover.

His decade of covert operations entailed all sorts, from posing as a drug dealer with bags of cash, to a brief stint as a faux hitman, as well as surviving an assassination plot on his own life.

One day, however, when Bleksley is 40, this all comes toppling down. The show’s second half shifts in tone, as Bleksley explains how, when his career is unexpectedly cut short for reasons beyond his control, he must work out what to do next. A career in media follows, but he also begins to dedicate much of his time to investigating cold cases.

Most notably, Bleksley talks of his ongoing, passionate investigation into the unsolved murder of Scottish banker Alistair Wilson, who was shot to death on his own doorstep some 20 years ago. The former copper talks vehemently about the inadequacies of the investigation at the time of the murder, touts his theories and even makes a plea to his viewers that they might contact him with any ideas or clues of their own.

The pacing of this second half feels a little slow compared to what came before the interval, but if you’re after an evening of grisly tales from someone who saw it all, and for a little slice of true crime away from the television, catch Bleksley on one of his many upcoming tour dates.

The Makings of a Murderer: Undercover Detective is on tour until November 2026. Watch it in Leeds on 1 September 2026 and in York on 17 November 2026.