List of Sleuth 101 episodes

Sleuth 101
Created by	Anthony Watt Bruce Kane
Written by	Anthony Watt & Brendan Luno
Directed by	Jon Olb
Presented by	Cal Wilson
Country of origin	Australia
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	approx 30 minutes
Release
Original network	ABC 1
Picture format	16:9 576i
Original release	12 February – 11 April 2010

Sleuth 101 was an Australian comedy "improvisatory whodunit game show" television series, broadcast on ABC 1 in 2010. The series revolves around a murder-mystery that must be solved by a celebrity guest detective. Each episode features a guest detective (usually a comedian), four suspects, a crime scene, evidence and witness accounts - just like real detective work. The show is hosted by comedian Cal Wilson, who occasionally gives subtle hints towards the crime. Each week, the guest detective must solve the murder using his or her evidence. There are some similarities to the 1970s British series Whodunnit! and the 1990s Australian television game show Cluedo. A second series was originally being negotiated by the ABC, but later cancelled.

Sleuth 101 was created by series producer Anthony Watt and executive producer Bruce Kane, who were the team behind Spicks and Specks, for Mayhem TV. mUmBRELLA reports that they "noticed the emergence of similar programs, featuring panels and people sitting down [and] realised there was a need for something a little more ‘physical’ and decided to go beyond a traditional game show by incorporating a scripted narrative portion to its structure, as well as an element of improvisation." On this point, Watt said "I was always a fan of mystery, so a whodunit kind of show suggested itself and we thought, how can we turn that into a game show?", and Kane added "The idea of using comedians was very attractive to us, to get people that we worked with on Spicks and Specks to solve the crime...Mystery tends to appeal to older audiences as well. In the same way that Spicks and Specks has never aimed at one demographic and grandparents watch it with their children, we’re looking for a similar kind of audience here". Watt felt it was essential for the producers to find the right tone for the show; his vision was "to modernise the whodunit concept by incorporating elements of forensic science, but keeping it as a family-oriented PG program", noting "the 10-minute drama element is definitely on a comedy tone" despite dealing with "serious subjects". This tone had to match the look of the series, and be maintained through both the dramatised and studio segments. John Olb was hired to direct both aspects to help ensure continuity. Watt said "It’s a whodunit show, but not as we know it. We’ve thrown in twists, turns, clues, red herrings and the best comic talent this country has seen. It’s ruthless, cold-blooded murder with jokes. Solve the crime or just kick back and laugh. Or both". The show was described as "light entertainment" by Kane; "although shot in front of a live studio audience, it doesn’t feature audience participation and people can’t aspire to be contestants, a defining feature of the game genre. The incentive for audiences at home to watch, beyond the fantasy of participating in the show themselves, is the humour". Due to ABC's editorial policies, game shows are not allowed to give prizes away. Kane said that because of this restriction, "people have to play it just for the laugh, and there are only so many of those shows you can make".

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