A CLEVER plotline, a tonne of laughter, famous faces, and fish and chips made Harwich Museum's Hi-de-Hi! murder mystery a fantastic night out. 

From 1980 to 1988, viewers enjoyed following the antics of the employees of Maplin’s holiday camp in the BBC comedy Hi-de-Hi! which attracted as many as 20 million viewers.

And, on an April Saturday night, 120 guests at the Park Pavilion were transported back to those Halycon days with a murder mystery event which blended fan-favourites alongside new characters to create more suspects. 

Harwich Museum volunteer Helen Broom wrote the plotline of the night's murder mystery and also starred as the engaged fiancé of Joe Maplin - owner of Maplins - playing the part to perfection with a sour, snobby attitude as she went round table to table giving clues. 

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Engagement - Characters came round to the tables sparking mayhem as well as providing cluesEngagement - Characters came round to the tables sparking mayhem as well as providing clues (Image: Newsquest)

Envelopes of evidence, including photographs of a fake dead body, receipts, letters, and log books, were pored over by guests with no one I spoke to really getting anywhere. 

While I was across the room interviewing a character my table had been dying to talk to, someone else died - Peggy the cleaner who beforehand had just been gossiping to us. 

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Murder - Peggy was the second victim, found in the middle of the nightMurder - Peggy was the second victim, found in the middle of the night (Image: Newsquest)

Peggy had been pushed down the stairs - as well as strangled with her own cleaning equipment - and by chance, I got to take the first shots. 

Meanwhile, the real Peggy, the well-known and full-of-life actress Su Pollard, was sat at her table with fellow cast mates David Webb and Vince Rayner. 

Harwich and Manningtree Standard: Fight - A fight broke out between the characters of Joan and GladysFight - A fight broke out between the characters of Joan and Gladys (Image: Newsquest)

As well as dying, there was a quite a lot of fighting between characters with every head in the room swiftly turning as well as most tables bursting into laughter at the absurdity and sheer campness. 

At the end of night no one really had got the full story, but the first place team did, however, get admirably very close - a sign the highly enjoyable quiz was very well-written and well-gauged to the audience. 

People from as far as Cleethorpes and Hampshire came for the two-day event which raised £1,200 for the Harwich Museum.

The night also showed the town just how lucky Harwich is to have a link to a hit BBC sitcom and a creative museum team.