The Good Ship Murder has been commissioned for series two and three. It is set on a the MSC Virtuosa cruise ship and shot in Malta. The Sky Comedy Breeders s4e7 which stars Martin Freeman and also stars Laura Aikman was also shot in Malta. The movie Popeye starring Robin Williams was also shot there.
What Else is Shot in Malta?
Breeders is excellent. It is clever, well scripted, perfectly acted and the production has value. Popeye is a classic and has left a themed village in Malta best accessed by boat from Valletta. Good Ship Murder is now set to repeat for another two seasons. Although the logos don’t show, cruisers will recognise the MSC ship and ex soap actors Shayne Ward (Coronation Street) and Catherine Tyldesley.
Other cruise crime writers with book series include Stuart St Paul and Dawn Brooks.
The Good Ship Murder
In The Good Ship Murder, Cabaret singer Jack Grayling, who was previously a detective, discovers sinister elements onboard a cruise ship when a passenger is found murdered.
In The Good Ship Murder, scenes were shot in 20 different locations in Malta. The island was used to represent ports in other countries such as Casablanca. Malta is known as the Hollywood of the Mediterranean with film studios and the Popeye Village. See our Malta pages
Cruise Ship Heist – How different is it to Good Ship Murder?
Stuart St Paul’s CSCI book series was started in 2014. It recently won its first award in Los Angeles.
Who Makes Good Ship Murder?
The UK-based indie TV company Clapperboard has made HMS Murder in association with Endeavour Content. It is being billed as “Murder She Wrote meets Below Deck.”
The team is Paul Testar, Commissioning Executive, Drama for Channel 5 and Paramount+. Executive producers for Clapperboard are Mike Benson and lead writer Paul Matthew Thompson. Sandra MacIver is producing, and Gordon Anderson is directing.
Channel 5 has shown several cruise shows, not least the popular Cruising with Jane McDonald.
Paul Testar said: “I’m really happy to work once more with the talented team at Clapperboard Studios to bring HMS Murder to screens. With a variety of gloriously sunny locations added to the classic murder mystery genre, and with a splash of music on top, Channel 5 viewers are in for a treat.”
Clapperboard Managing Director Mike Benson added: “We’ve seen a lot of murder mystery shows in recent years – but not many featuring murder, mystery and a cruise ship cabaret singer solving crimes. HMS Murder is probably our most ambitious series to date, filmed across 8 different countries as well as a 6000-cabin luxury cruise liner sailing the med.”
Prentis Fraser, EVP of Television Distribution at Endeavor Content said: “As soon as we heard this pitch we were completely on board – this series is a genius combination of elements, a Murder She Wrote meets Below Deck with the perfect mix of glamour, charm and intrigue taking place in an abundance of gorgeous, glossy locations. With the accessibility of a procedural and a playlist of iconic tracks, HMS Murder is ideally designed to be a fan favourite returnable series.”
The CSCI book series can be found on the Hollywood script site INKTIP.
CRUISE SHIP HEIST – 1 CRUISE SHIP SERIAL KILLER – 2 CRUISE TRAFFIC – 3 CRUISE SHIP ART THEFT – 4 DISASTROUS CRUISE ROMANCE – 5 CRUISE BLOOD DIAMONDS – 6 RMS MURDER REUNION – 7
Where Can I Get the Cruise Crime Books?
See the CSCI Cruise Ship Crime Investigators page here on Amazon.
Cruise Crime series Amazon page
