The Murder Trial Live Reviews 1,088

Given three stars but feeling that, that’s being quite generous. Having waited months, and been very much looking forward to this event, I am disappointed to say that it has been a very deflating experience. Firstly, I have to say that myself and my friend were both expecting something quite different to what we got-is the advertising misleading? Cleverly worded, having gone back and reread the advert-I now think that the information is very vague, encouraging one to ‘imagine’ what the experience may be like……………arriving at 11.30am for a prompt 12 noon start, in reality-was a lot of hanging around with entry to the ‘Courtroom’ at noon then the case being presented to us at 12.45-3/4 of an hour of sitting waiting whilst everyone filed in…….hundreds of people, as expected, and afternoon tea trays were continually being brought for folks to have on their knee! All staff were pleasant and helpful but not overly involved in customer satisfaction-the table service for drinks seemed non existent.
We also became aware that after us going ‘all out’ a paying for ‘best seats’, twice the price of the cheapest seats, there seemed very little difference-in fact the lighting struts interupted my view, and the screens weren’t in a place easy for me to see, again, because of the ‘staged’ area. The actors were ‘good’ but it was all a bit one dimensional. Sorry, The Live Murder Trial-I won’t be attending another event, nor will I be recommending this to anyone!

I was really looking forward to this event but it did not come anywhere close to meeting expectations. On arrival the postcode took us to someone's house. Goodness knows what they thought to having a steady stream of traffic parading up their drive way. Finally stumbled upon the venue by accident which was actually just in a rugby club. Parked car in a field for the hefty price tag of £15. Calling the venue the "Crown Court Arena" when it is in fact just a ridiculously hot inflatable tent is a bit of a stretch, so is the £50 price tag for a ticket. Toilets were smelly portaloo's and drink and snack menu was extremely limited. Can't comment on the "High Tea" apart from to say how relieved I was that I hadn't parted with £25 for what looked like a naff plastic tray of plane food. Twelve people crammed around a table that would usually only seat 4. The trial itself left more questions than answers and was so boring I nearly nodded off which was no mean feat considering the fold up uncomfortable plastic chair I was sitting on. It must have been due to having to close my eyes to prevent the glare from the open doors directly opposite me blinding me whilst sat in a darkened tent. I have always wanted to sit on a jury but this has now put me off. Although on a real jury I'm sure they don't play blaring dance music as the court room fills, constantly pump out smoke from a smoke machine and have court marshalls dressed like they have just done a workout at the gym!

What I experienced left me feeling that I had been robbed of a day! First off- getting to the event...shambles! Upon arrival at the event- a tent in a field, I wish I had not successfully found it. The highlight, there were two- the defendants barrister falling off the stage on his chair (accidentally I believe) and the second... leaving!

Its very different to a theatre show and everyone takes part in this immersive experience. The sign was at the entrance to Sheffield Tigers RFC so no issue with finding it. We arrived at 11.30am (doors opened at 12pm). The pre booked parking was £10 and you just place the permit on your dash. The bar opened before 12pm. We preordered high tea £25 per person but you could get nachos, popcorn and sweets as well as drinks from the bar. Programmes were £8 each and it also contained a worksheet for you to take notes during the trial. We paid for premium Seats so we were 2nd row from the stage set up. For the money paid perhaps we should have had a programme included or at least the worksheet provided. In fact, maybe the work sheet should just be provided in the price of the ticket. Everything is on one level, but there were tv screens in each corner of the arena. The tables were very small so you were expected to eat the high tea off the tray on your lap. The high tea was nice but scones fell apart. Not entirely sure the amount was worth £25. As part of the premium package perhaps it would have been nice to have received our high tea first instead of last (we waited an hour) A disabled lady in an electric wheelchair at our table would have liked table service to order a drink. Unfortunately no one came round. As it was a very hot day, it was very warm inside. The trial itself was very good and the actors were engaging. My only criticism was sometimes I struggled to hear them clearly. The seating is hard plastic folding chairs so we took a cushion and I was glad of it! The loos are portaloos but they were fine. After the witnesses for the defence and prosecution were heard, the jury were then asked to discuss the evidence and each write down their decision before handing it in. At the end the overall result from everyone was announced. All in all I would recommend going but if I went again, I wouldn't pay for the afternoon tea. Please note, It's a cashless bar.

Too cramped
Uncomfortable chairs
Bigger tables needed to eat
£25 for afternoon tea ridiculous
Actual trial was good but made less enjoyable by all of the above!

Fantastic so far!! Glued to my seat still it sure which way I will go X x

The event has been cancelled and i am still waiting for a full refund a month later and having emailed 3 times. Do not book. Would not recommend

Birthday present from hubby. Half way through and am thoroughly enjoying the show. Actors are great. I would totally want the defence lawyer defending me. ( not that I have any plans to break the law presently) drinks are hotel prices but to be expected at an event. Only improvement would be food. Eating a high tea quickly in your knee isn’t ideal and £25 quid was a bit steep for what we got.
Would recommend event overall though

Half way through murder trial live! Very interesting, comical in parts. Defence lawyer is clearly the best defence lawyer in the world! Great fun for my birthday! Highly recommended.. Becki H

False start as had trouble finding the Sheffield event. Please add venue to address. High tea lovely. Facilities great. Just awaiting start of trial

We attended last night 5 of us , we almost never went , as We had read the reviews !!
5* - you have to have an interest in this kind of thing , you are sat watching and listening for over an hour - in silence really - quite hard for somone like me (ha)

We had the afternoon tea , very simular to the video Chole sent - although my candle was smaller - we all ate it all, we had a gluten free for one of us , she loved it too....
Drinks we served quick and cold, little pricey , pub prices really, so okay
We took seat pads, this was good advise , so take a seat pad !

The story was good, acting good, the witness with bad brummy ascent was funny, we loved the bit at the end deliberating the verdict - get involved - i think the people who gave bad revies were just not that interested in the whole idea of it - its not just a night our you need the curiosity .......

Only complaint - the smoke machine - Why!! , all it did was give me a cough this morning.

Would we go again - Yes - but matinee cos I'm tired today - ha ..xxx

Despite "the Murder Trial Live" sending out an email full of accusations of a smear campaign, I can state confidently that I am a paying customer who has honest feedback to provide about how terribly this event is managed.
Trying to blame honest cristiscm of your product on someone else rather than accepting that you are doing everything wrong, shows again how greedy this company is and unwilling to act in the best interests of their customers.
I'll begin the review by saying that "the Jury is out" on the murder trial live! Unfortunately what could have been a half decent event, was soured by some of the worst customer service that I've ever received.
We bought tickets to what was initially advertised as an "entertainment and dining experience" in Liverpool, but this became solely an entertainment experience in St Helens. (Apparently it's ok to misrepresent where an event is taking place) With no warning the company took away the advertised dining option of "Street vendors" before the show, which was then replaced with the only option for food, which was forcing everyone who'd bought a ticket before the change, to pay an extra £25 for a "high tea" which to be honest by the looks of it I'd have had to be high to eat!
This additional cost was asked for, despite everyone who bought a ticket after the change taking place, having the food included with their purchase. To top it all off they announced a half price sale shortly before the event, which meant that we sat at a tiny table big enough for 4 people, with 8 other people who'd paid half of what we had, but received free food too.
Also be aware that it's staged in a big inflatable "arena" more akin to "Sammy the Snake" than a crown court imho!
Another word of warning, is that their policy is no refunds, no matter what, so if they materially change the nature of the event that you buy tickets for (wrong location/removal of advertised food options etc) you can't get a refund and save your money, you either go or lose your money.
With this in mind, I'd suggest paying by credit card so you at least have some recourse with them if something goes wrong.
When I contacted the company to discuss my complaint before the event, they were extremely unhelpful, coming up with unimaginative excuses and then promising to call me back with an answer to my complaint that day. I waited until 3pm with no reply, so i called them back and lo and behold there was no record of my complaint.
I asked this to be escalated further and was promised that "management" would be in touch.
About 20 minutes later I received an email that basically said "sorry we aren't going to deal with this issue" to which I then replied stating that the response wasn't good enough. They then replied asking what I would like them to do to resolve the matter (at about 16:05) to which I replied with my suggestion and now 7 days later and after the event has taken place I'm yet to receive any response.
Their delaying tactics to ensure that they didn't have to deal with my complaint are obvious. And there failure to come back to me after the event, show that this is purely about making money for them, they don't care about the customers, and about ensuring that they provide what is advertised at the point of sale.
I'm sure that most of you can make up your own minds about whether or not you think it's worth enduring 4+hours of this "experience" from reading a significant number of these reviews that highlight the many flaws in both their delivery of the event and customer service failures.
If you've already bought tickets and are reading this then good luck getting any joy from "Customer Services" if you do have an issue, because they are the real criminals here.

Verdict....... 3/10. Good idea but a poor execution.

Went to Sheffield and had a great evening. Awesome customer service from Lauren and very impressive set up.

Was dubious reading some reviews but I’d highly recommend!

A unique and immersive experience!
I was a little sceptical before arriving after reading some poor reviews. However, I loved the event and would definitely go again to future trials!

The actors were amazing and from the minute it started, we felt like we were a real-life jury hearing evidence and trying to work out what the verdict should be. Everyone is arranged into tables of 12 to form individual juries. I was worried about having to talk to 'strangers' but I shouldn't have worried - everyone was lovely and we all took it seriously with interesting debates and plenty of laughs!

The staff were so friendly, the toilets were accessible (although I didn't use them so can't comment on the state of them) and there was a bar to buy drinks and some snacks. Prices were what you would expect from an enclosed venue - 2 drinks and 3 snacks (crisps, sweets, chocolates) was £14.

Parking was quite stressful and we ended up on a grass verge being blocked in but we weren't in a rush to leave at the end so it didn't matter. Seats were hard plastic fold-up ones so I'm glad I took a cushion. I also think the emails they send are a little excessive.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a unique experience, particularly if you are interested in court and trials. And I wouldn't hesitate to attend another event in the future. I just hope when all events are over, we get to find out what the actual verdict was!

This review is for the Liverpool version of this event which was delivered on 20th July 2024 in St Helen's.

A great concept but very poorly executed. The actors were very good but everything else about the experience was very poor.

When I booked the tickets I asked for the exact location of the venue in St Helen's as I was trying to establish whether driving or taking a train would be the best option. I was only advised that it was in St Helen's and that the signage on the day would be obvious (it wasn't). 3 days before the event I had an email to advise the location was St Helen's rugby club.

Shortly before the event they decided that they would no longer have 'street vendors' and supply a £25 per person Cream/high/gentleman's tea instead. Far too pricey for my pocket and from what I could see on the day it was not good value. They encourage you to 'shop' other participants, if they dare to eat their own food at the event (whilst I can understand this approach for alcohol due to licensing conditions), you are rewarded with a £50 credit at the bar. If they provided more reasonable food and drink options, people would take them up on it, but £3.50 for a can of coke and £4 for a packet of sweets is pretty extortionate and nowhere before purchasing tickets does it say you cannot have your own snacks.

The 'arena' is a blow up marquee, the noise of the generators drowned out a lot of the action on stage/court and not their fault but although it was not a sunny day, the marquee was almost unbearably hot even with the exits open for ventilation, it was very uncomfortable. This was not helped by the tiny tables and how many they had crammed in, our 'jury' had 10 people in it and it was a relief that we weren't a full set. The fold up plastic chairs are extremely uncomfortable - luckily I read reviews on here prior to going, which stated that, so took cushions which helped but it didn't stop the chair backs from digging into you.

The experience did feel like a rip off and I would absolutely not recommend it to anyone. As one reviewer has already stated save your money and wait till someone comes along who can deliver a much better customer focussed experience.

The concept of the idea was great and I fully enjoyed the jury experience as it was something different but there were some things throughout the evening that need to be improved. The seating chart that you book your tickets online bears no resemblance to the actual set up within the inflatable. Although having paid the top tier price, the table was tucked behind and some of the people on our table couldn't see. After someone else complained they did say we could move it closer which helped. The table that should have accomodated 12 people was tiny. We couldn't all fit round. People were eating their high tea on their knees. I didn't order the high tea but on viewing others I was glad as there seemed very little for £25 pounds. The chairs were very, very uncomfortable. The actors were good but the big screens difficult to see the evidence and no evidence was placed on our table for us to view which was advertised on the website. The programme was £8 which again was expensive for the little info it included. The portaloos were dire and especially difficult to use once it got dark as you couldn't see a thing. The reason I wanted to write this review is that halfway through the performance they ask you to write a review as part of a competition in order to win a bottle of fizz. Therefore nobody is going to write an honest review as they want to win. I have written this a few days after experiencing the trial to give an honest review. As I said really enjoyed the concept but the way it is organised needs definitely improving

The invasive, aggressive, and disturbing strategy of advertising. I have received at least one email a day for the last three months from this company without my consent to become a member of any mailing lists, or without showing interest in attending. This is a deplorable practice and a hostile approach to annoying uninterested people.

Stop this practice and leave me alone.

Really really well done. You get put on a table as a jury and really get immersed in the process! It’s an amazing experience!

Very well done and a fun experience for everyone to enjoy!

Unfortunately, the event was cancelled at the last minute and I have been waiting 3 weeks for a refund. I was so excited and would have happily signed up to a different date/time but I refuse until I've received my money back (over £300). Really poor customer service.