WHO can sincerely say they’ve never fancied themselves a detective? Looking for clues to solve a mystery; evaluating the evidence in front of you; deciding who to trust and who’s unreliable; deciding if things are really as they seem; predicting what’s going to happen next...

But did you know that every time you go to the theatre you are taking on the role of detective? From the moment the curtains fall back and the stage lights switch on, your “little grey cells” spring into action. “Who are these people?” “What’s going to happen next?” “What’s their motivation for doing that?” Far from just seeking entertainment, it’s the theatre-goer’s job to uncover the drama, pain, mystery, love and friendship hidden beneath the action on stage.

Detective work is something you have in common with one of the protagonists in Murder, Margaret and Me, one Agatha Christie. Playwright Philip Meeks has created a world where a fictionalised Christie and Margaret Rutherford, who famously took on the role of Miss Marple on-screen, each have a mystery to solve about the other. Real-life personal issues contribute an additional dimension of intrigue. Christie believed Rutherford was unsuitable for her role as Miss Marple, while Rutherford considered the part woefully beneath her.

Meeks, whose CV includes – among many other things – a stint as a writer for Emmerdale, has eclectic tastes. He’s interested in ghost tales and the paranormal, but also comedy and pantomimes. As a result, this isn’t an easy play to pigeonhole – Meeks himself described it as “comic entertainment with a mystery at its heart... a Jeeves and Wooster-type heightened reality”. One thing it certain, it will be a joy and a thrill to watch.

So grab your spy glass, don your deer stalker or dust off your knitting, and join us at the Playhouse from Wednesday, November 1 to Saturday, November 11 for Murder, Margaret and Me.

Finally, another perfect fit for an autumn day: take shelter from the wind in the warmth of the Playhouse, and grab a vintage bargain to boot! The bi-annual Alfie Robot Retro vintage fair comes to the Playhouse on Saturday, October 28.

The fair will feature 20 stalls, brimming with vintage fashion, homeware and furniture, as well as the popular tearoom, supplying wearying shoppers with tempting cakes to provide the sugar rush needed to fuel their return to the retail therapy.

Vintage Fair: Saturday, October 28 from 10am to 4pm.

Murder, Margaret and Me is at the Playhouse from November 1 to 11.

Tickets available at ilkleyplayhouse.co.uk or call 01943 609 539.