Press Reviews

JACK THE RIPPER –A 21ST CENTURY INVESTIGATION THEATRE SHOW

Customs House Theatre, South Shields, September 22nd 2014

Shields Gazette September 24th 2014

“FANS of whodunit Mysteries will be left spellbound by this Jack the Ripper expose.

Former murder squad detective Trevor Marriott is giving audiences around the country a new perspective on the infamous Whitechapel Murders.

Jack The Ripper – A 21st Century Investigation explores the historic murder mystery tale with a fine toothcomb, dismissing myths about the five murders committed by the killer, and bringing new facts to the fore.

Author and show producer Mr Marriott captivates the audience with his calm tone and manner – as well as the occasional snippet of humour – and is able to rifle his way through hundreds of facts with impressive ease.

The show was sold out, and those present remained glued to the informative presentation on stage.

It is clear from the attention to detail in the verbal, written and pictorial evidence he has spent a considerable amount of time in compiling this show – even penning a book of the same name.
This also demonstrated with some graphic images of a biological experiment which he organised – using a team of medics – to disprove some Ripper myths.

Marriott also shares some information gathered from the missing Ripper files belonging to the Metropolitan Police, which he was able to request access to.

Two hours and 15 minutes does perhaps seem a long time to stay glued to the presentation, however you leave feeling more informed than you could ever expect.

The effort which has gone into investigating the case gives a shocking, slightly grisly and incredible new perspective on one of the most historic serial killings in history.”

THE WORLDS WORST SERIAL KILLERS THEATRE SHOW

Customs House Theatre, South Shields, February 8th 2015

South Shields Gazette February 10th 2015

“THIS isn’t a show for the faint-hearted, but chilling theatre for those who want an insight into the warped mind of The World’s Worst Serial Killers.

More than 200 people packed out The Customs House to hear former British Murder Squad detective Trevor Marriott comb through the details of the crimes of the killers.

For more than two hours, the audience, gripped in stunned silence, was presented interview clips of murderers including notorious American killer Ted Bundy, and Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe.
Hard-hitting crime scene photographs of body remains were also shown, as well as tear-jerking courtroom clips of the victims’ families facing up to the killers.

Author Trevor, who based the show on his book The Evil Within, impressively recited the finer details of 20 serial killers from across the globe with fluidity.

Alongside his knowledge of how the murders were committed and errors made by police investigating the crimes, he incorporated gentle humour which breaks up the intense viewing.

During the second half of the show photographs from the 10 “worst of the worst” serial killers’ crimes were shown, and they were a lot harder to stomach than those in the first half.

However, Trevor had his presentation timed to a tee, and no picture was shown so long as to become uncomfortable. But those watching, as advised by the presenter, did need a strong stomach for it.

People have a fascination with serial killers, and Trevor is skilfully meeting that niche audience. He will return to The Customs House in the autumn, to present a chilling cold case investigation into Jack the Ripper.”

The Myths and Mysteries Show March 20th 2015

The Customs House Theatre South Shields

Sunderland Echo March 22nd 2015

“MYSTERIES like UFOs, Bigfoot and mermaids have perplexed and captivated the world over the decades.

The phenomena have formed the basis for many tall tale, book, film and TV show.

But what do we really believe?

Former murder squad detective, Trevor Marriott, visited the Customs House last night to discuss the myths and mysteries that have been talked about all over the world.

The evening was a fun and fascinating look at the myths, their origins and the reasonable explanations to prove them to be hoaxes or simply works of the imagination.

Trevor simply gave an unbiased account of the facts, asking us to make up our own minds.

He worked us through mysteries like mermaids, the Yeti and Bigfoot, the Mary Celeste, Lord Lucan and the Bermuda Triangle.
Each one was truly fascinating and fun to look at.

An extended look at the Apollo 11 moon landing really aroused the curiosity of the audience.

Before last night, I had never really had any reason to doubt that the Americans landed on the moon in 1969, but now I’m not so sure. In fact, I’ve been rather persuaded that they staged the whole thing.

Trevor invited us to take a closer look at the evidence; examining anomalies in pictures and shadows, the lack of stars in the sky, the seeming reflection of studio lights in the astronauts’ helmets, the absence of track marks from the lunar rover and the misplacement of footprints, and suddenly it’s very difficult to believe what NASA has been telling us all these years.

Trevor also spent a longer time looking at UFOs and the plausible explanations for the images and videos that people have captured and claim to be of alien spacecrafts.

Is there any other life out there? Can we really believe that we’re the only ones throughout the whole universe? I don’t know, and I’m not sure we ever will, but pulling the facts apart and examining them under a microscope sure is fun.

Trevor has visited the venue twice before with his shows The World’s Worst Serial Killers sand Jack The Ripper: A 21st Century Investigation.

Each visit from the retired detective has been wonderfully interesting and entertaining. I really hope we see him again soon.”

THE UK`S WORST SERIAL KILLER SHOW

Customs House Theatre, South Shields, April 14th 2016

South Shields Gazette April 17th 2016

A grisly look through the UK’s serial killer catalogue made for a thrilling evening of entertainment.

It’s a subject that many people find intriguing. Rarely a week goes by without a show detailing the horrific crimes of a cold-blooded killer hitting our TV screens.

Retired murder squad detective Trevor Marriott is on the road with his informative show The UK’s Worst Serial Killers, and called at the Customs House last night.

It’s a spin-off of his earlier show The World’s Worst Serial Killers, and the packed audience hung on his every word.
Backed up by his trusty slideshow, Trevor began in Victorian England and worked his way up to more modern times, telling us about infamous killers, and some most people probably hadn’t heard of before.

The crimes of monstrous men and women, like Peter Sutcliffe, Dennis Nilsen, Fred and Rose West, and The Moors Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, were given to us in graphic detail.

We were shown photographs of crime scenes and the victims, videos of the killers detailing their crimes in a disturbingly matter-of-fact way and found out what justice was handed to them, and where they are now – if still alive.

Trevor really knows his stuff and his macabre sense of humour made for some funny moments, with a particular stand out coming as he showed a video of the failed hanging attempts of a concentration camp worker.

The audience was very involved in the show, being asked for their opinions on the justice system and whether capital punishment should be reinstated, and people were very forthcoming with their opinions.

A grisly topic it may be, but it’s fascinating too and if it’s the kind of thing you’re interested in, you should check out Trevor’s shows.

He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of serial killers and has created a wonderfully-entertaining show from it.

AUDIENCE REVIEW


I would like to say thank you for a brilliant talk which you gave on Thursday at the Customs House, South Shields.

I am a totally blind person and was thrilled that you described and explained things which made the talk and the evening more enjoyable for me.

Thank you once again,
Dorothy Darke
April 16th 2016

THE UK`S WORST SERIAL KILLER SHOW

Derby Guildhall Theatre, March 23rd 2016

The Burton Mail April 1st 2016

I would never have guessed that a show charting the history of British serial killers would be anywhere near as successful as what I witnessed in Derby.

The Guildhall Theatre was the venue for Trevor Marriott’s show The UK’s Worst Serial Killers and, to my surprise, it was a sell-out.
I had expected to be surrounded by criminology and forensic science students, but instead I found myself seated with all ages of people, the majority being women.

The show is a two-hour audiovisual show presented by retired murder squad detective Trevor Marriott.

He has finally concluded his long and protracted cold case investigation into the most infamous British serial killer Jack the Ripper, and has now embarked on an extensive study into the cases of some of the UK’s worst serial killers.
It was a simple show but one that was going to always shock its audience.

Trevor just has his Power Point presentation. Nothing else is needed to provide you with the what, when, how, where and, most importantly, why.

He starts the show during the Victorian era with Burke and Hare – two men who killed for financial gain by murdering their neighbours and selling their bodies for medical science.

He also mentioned Amelia Elizabeth Dyer, née Hobley, who was the most prolific baby farm murderer of Victorian England. She was tried and hanged for one murder, but there is little doubt she was responsible for many more similar deaths – possibly 400 or more.

A show on British serial killers could not go by without mentioning The Moors Murderers, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, or Fred and Rose West.

With the latter, Trevor also provided little-heard audio of Fred West admitting his crimes but also framing his wife for the murder of their daughter, Heather.

The show comes bang up to date with more recent killers – Steven Wright, who murdered five prostitutes in Ipswich, in 2006, and Levi Bellfield, who murdered two women and was later convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Milly Dowler.

Trevor went through how they were caught; giving an eye-opening insight into the police work that went into catching these killers.

This show contains more than 200 photographs of not only the victims and their killers, but photographs from the original crime scenes, many of which will never have been seen in public before.
This is not for the faint-hearted but definitely not to be missed.

JACK THE RIPPER – THE REAL TRUTH

Birnam Arts Theatre, August 3rd 2017

Audience Review

When I discovered that a show covering arguably the most famous as yet unsolved ‘whodunnit’ ever in the UK was coming to Birnam Arts Theatre we booked our tickets quicker than Taggart could say “There’s been a Murder”.

‘Jack the Ripper – The Real Truth’ covers the Whitechapel Murders of 1888 committed by an unknown killer famously nicknamed Jack the Ripper, whose true identity has remained a mystery for the last 129 years.

This touring one man show is the product of Trevor Marriott, a retired British Police Murder Squad Detective who in 2002 began a lengthy cold case reinvestigation of the Jack the Ripper case which lasted several years. The blurb for the show said we’d be privy to startling new evidence and facts and as well as many original crime scene photos (not for the faint hearted!), so we settled our nerves, before heading up the A9 to Birnam in hot anticipation of what was to come.

The tales of The Ripper have had a bit of a revival in recent years through shows like Whitechapel and Ripper Street, both of which have touched on the famous murders as part of their plot. Although an enjoyable watch, sometimes series like these have reinforced elements of the story which we’ve become so familiar with we take for granted as facts. Case in point – the famous image of Jack The Ripper as a dark cloaked figure, wearing a top had, standing in a smoke filled alleyway. In 1888 Whitechapel was one of the most deprived and crime ridden areas of the UK, anyone dressed in such attire would not only have stood out like a sore thumb but have been a target themselves for every petty criminal around.

The revelations continued throughout the show, and it felt a little bit like being in a real, live version of Cluedo, with our minds working overtime questioning everything we thought we knew. Trevor examined the evidence for and against different suspects in relation to the 5 recognised Ripper victims, vesting major doubts on several of the popular theories, and dismantling the police investigations.

He highlighted differences between the methods and practices used at the time versus the infinitely more sophisticated techniques officers have been able to use today. The second half focused on the list of best known suspects one by one completely discrediting the views and reports of the police on whom they thought the Ripper could have been.

As time went on the show revealed itself to be more about clearing up who didn’t commit these crimes, rather than confirming who did.  Trevor presenting the evidence in an engaging manner, and was able to hold the attention and curiosity of the audience throughout. Sometimes you wonder what it might be like to have access to all of the available records and evidence, and time to examine them through fresh eyes for a cash such as this. You realise pretty quick that is exactly what Trevor has dedicated his life to for several years, and quite simply, there’s not much he hasn’t thought of, or doesn’t know, about this famous case.

Graeme Maxwell, August 3rd 2017

                                                 JACK THE RIPPER-THE REAL TRUTH

                                           WOLVERHAMPTON ART GALLERY FEB 3rd 2019

As literature festival events go, this talk was one of the more hard-hitting ones as former British murder detective Trevor Marriott tried to answer the elusive question: Who was Jack The Ripper?

He transported us back in time to Victorian London, in 1888, to try to solve what became known as the notorious Whitechapel Murders.

It was a gripping event. For conspiracy-theorists, his talk was packed with material to satisfy anyone’s investigative taste buds.

Trevor brilliantly took the audience through his own analysis of who could be the real Jack The Ripper, and got the audience to engage along the way.

“Does anybody have their own idea as to who Jack The Ripper was?” he asked.

Those that are familiar with the subject eagerly shouted out their own suspects.

Trevor has given a lot of time to this subject, and channelled his investigative expert skills, learnt as a detective investigating murders, brilliantly. You can see his passion for the topic and it makes an enjoyable show.

He analysed a wide range of evidence, trying to say who could be Jack The Ripper, and who couldn’t.

As an audience member, you feel as if you are working with Trevor on one of his murder investigations back in the day. He is like an old school cop from London. Black and white photographs of the victims and locations flash from a projector at the front.

Inside your head, you are going through the gears trying to follow his detailed analysis and make your own assumptions.

Jack The Ripper was brought back home,as one of his alleged victims was Catherine Eddowes, from Wolverhampton.

Trevor’s talk started with the question ‘who was Jack The Ripper?’ – but at the end we have no real suspect. It could be more than one person who committed the murders. There are discrepancies in evidence from the police all those years ago.

Instead, we have another question that is: ‘Was Jack The Ripper real or a myth?’

Trevor points out that there could be more than one suspect, in this legendary case.

He finishes his talk with an open conclusion, like a coroner looking into a mysterious death.

There is no way you can tell who Jack The Ripper was, given the lack of evidence and how long ago it was now.

It still remains a mystery.

But the interest in the case is still strong, as ever by the 100-strong crowd at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery.

Jamie Brassington – The Express and Star Feb 4th 2019