The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery

A queue of people forms outside a Paris cinema as the BBC studio is used for radio recordings. Inside, the Twenty Questions panel show is being taped in front of the audience and broadcast live. The setup establishes the dual world of on-screen mystery and real-world investigations.

The panel correctly guesses the first item, pig's ear, with no obvious difficulty. The moment demonstrates the show's smooth run and the momentum of the game. The crowd reacts as the clue sequence begins.

The second item to be guessed is Rikitikitavi, the Rudyard Kipling short story. The panel works through clues and reaches the correct answer on the final attempt. This sharp turn deepens the mystery surrounding the show.

A wife discovers her husband, Frederick Tavey, dead at home; he is hanged, and it is unclear whether the death is suicide or murder. The incident stirs mystery and presses reporters to connect it to the game’s odd clues. The discovery ripples through the press and audience.

Rival reporters Bob and Mary start digging into the strange coincidence linking the show, the murder, and the hanging. Their investigation draws them closer together, sparking a developing romance amid the intrigue. The newsroom becomes a hub of speculation and pursuit.

Twenty Questions attempts to guess the Hanging Judge on air, but the panel’s exercise coincides with the murder of the judge. The case hints at deeper connections to colonial India and sets the stakes for all involved. The investigation expands from a game into a real crime thriller.

The judge’s Indian manservant, Mohammed Ali, quickly becomes the prime suspect as investigators seek a link between the murders. Mary digs into Ali's past and his possible motives. The case grows more tangled as colonial history is probed.

While Mary investigates the judge's home, a fire rips through the property and she is locked in a room, nearly killed. Crucial evidence is burned or destroyed in the blaze, hampering the investigation. The danger intensifies as the killer remains at large.

The panel’s final 60-second quickie yields the word 'charlatan'. A note left with the panel seems to warn of danger. They interpret 'Rosemary is for Remembrance' from Hamlet as pointing to memory, and, by sound, to Maurice Emery.

In Maurice Emery's house, Ali arrives and their Hindustani conversation triggers tension. Shortly afterward, Emery is strangled in thuggee style by an unseen assailant. The murder deepens the link between the clue trail and the suspects.

The panel privately discusses the written clues 'woodcock' and 'gin', which seem to reference a general who has served in India. Police are dispatched to protect the general as he plays golf, underscoring the reach of the mystery. The clues tighten the net around potential suspects.

BBC Commissionaire Tom Harmon reveals his links to India and his Kali worship. He tries to strangle Mary with a rope, but Bob arrives just in time, and Harmon escapes by jumping out of a window. The confrontation exposes dangerous undercurrents connected to the case.

In the Twenty Questions studio, Bob and Mary hold hands in the audience as the mysteries of the day resolve. The intimate moment signals partnership and the carousel of clues finally settling. The show ends with the couple united in the face of danger.