List of ''Cluedo'' characters

This is a list of characters in the game of Cluedo.

Dr. Black/Mr. Boddy

Dr. Black (UK)/Mr. Boddy (US), a stock character and generic victim, is the owner of Tudor Close (later known as Tudor Manor and Tudor Hall and Boddy Mansion). In Cluedo he is the unseen host who is murdered, which inspires the quest to discover who murdered him, with what weapon, and what room did the crime occur in his mansion. Dr. Black was listed in the original patent filing as one of the 10 characters created for the game, in which one character was drawn from the suspect cards to be the new victim before the start of a game. Although the victim and the player assignments were never intended to be the same, before the publication of the first edition Dr. Black became the permanent victim in the UK and Mr. Boddy in North America. Mr. Boddy's name is a pun on the fact that the character is a dead body.

Original suspects

See caption
  • Miss Scarlett: A stock femme fatale, she is typically portrayed as young, cunning and attractive. Known as Miss Scarlet in North America after 1963, she rolls first in the game.
  • Colonel Mustard: A stock great white hunter and colonial imperialist, he is usually a dignified, dapper and dangerous military man. Originally Colonel Yellow, his name was changed before the game's first edition. He rolls second.
  • Mrs. White: Usually a frazzled servant, Mrs. White appeared in the film as a resident guest. Originally Nurse White and changed before publication of the first edition, she rolls third in the game.
  • Reverend (or Mr.) Green: Originally patented as "the Rev. Mr. Green" in Britain, Reverend Green is a hypocritical Anglican priest who wavers when the subject is murder. In North America he is Mr. Green, who has taken money-oriented roles from mobster to businessman. Parker Brothers insisted on the name change, believing that the American public would object to a parson as a murder suspect.[1] In some later UK versions of the game, he was also renamed Mr. Green. He rolls fourth.
  • Mrs. Peacock: A grande dame, an elderly, still-attractive woman who nearly always maintains her dignity and rolls fifth in the game.
  • Professor Plum: A quick-witted, young (or middle-aged) professor with a bow tie and glasses, he rolls last in the game.

Additional suspects

Parker Bros. released the Clue VCR Mystery Game in 1985, introducing the first new Cluedo characters in 36 years. The characters also appeared in a number of spin-off games and licensed products:

  • Miss Peach: A Southern belle who usually manipulates others with her charm
  • Monsieur Brunette: A con artist, M. Brunette is usually a Frenchman intent on personal gain. His name is derived from "Mr. Brown", one of the game's oldest patented player names but not previously used.
  • Madame Rose: A stock fortune-teller and Boddy's sister.
  • Sergeant Gray: A corrupt police officer. The name "Grey" was originally used as one of ten characters filed with the game's original patent. "Miss Grey" and "Mrs. Silver" are some of the oldest colour names previously unused, and "Gray" is one of the most enduring names (representing different characters) in later editions.

One-time suspects

In 1986, Super Cluedo Challenge and Super Sleuth were released in the UK, introducing the second wave of new board-game characters:

  • Captain Brown (Super Cluedo Challenge): Captain Robert Brown is a lower-class, drunk seaman who arrived at the mansion under mysterious circumstances.
  • Mr. Slate-Grey (Super Cluedo Challenge): A lawyer or accountant, Mr. Graham Slate-Grey is a middle-aged man in a grey suit.
  • Dr. Orchid: In 2016 Hasbro released a revised edition of Cluedo, with Dr. Orchid replacing Mrs. White and rolling third.

Other characters

In 2009, Electronic Arts released an iOS version of Cluedo in which the player is a reporter.

  • Inspector Grey (Super Sleuth): A non-playable character who blocks spaces
  • Hogarth (Super Sleuth): The butler, a non-playable character who blocks spaces
  • The Black Dog (Super Sleuth): A large, non-playable dog who blocks spaces
  • Editor Braunman (Cluedo iOS): Appearing only on the menu screens, he sends the reporter to gather material and solve the murder case in an allotted time. The reporter can ask Braunman for extra time and tell him the solutions to the mysteries.
  • The Reporter (Cluedo iOS): The player character

Millennial suspects

Released in 2003, Clue FX is an electronic talking version with audio voices and clues. The victim in this version is Mr. Meadow-Brook. Other new characters are:

  • Lady Lavender: An herbalist who may have poisoned her husband, Lord Lawrence Lavender, Lady Lavender is an honorable woman and occasional troublemaker at times. Her Asian heritage is reminiscent of Miss Scarlet's, and she investigates Mr. Meadow-Brook's death. In Clue Mysteries, she is known as Su Sian.
  • Mr. Meadow-Brook: The murder victim. Married to Jane Meadow-Brook, he was Dr. Black's (Mr. Boddy's) attorney and has never been seen. In Clue Mysteries, he is known as Miles and is an occasional theft victim.
  • Mrs. Meadow-Brook: Wife of the deceased Mr. Meadow-Brook, whose murder investigation is headed by Miss Peach with the aid of Lady Lavender, Prince Azure and Lord Grey. In Clue Mysteries, she is known as Jane.
  • Prince Azure: An art and arms dealer, known in Clue Mysteries as Philippe
  • Rusty Nayler: The bitter, old Tudor Mansion gardener, Rusty's surname is "Nayler" (a play on "rusty nail") in Clue Mysteries.
  • Lord Gray: Known as Alfred in Clue Mysteries, he is a former army cartographer who designs gardens.

Children's editions

Several variants of the game have been developed for children, most notably Clue and Cluedo Jr., which usually involve the disappearance of something (or someone) rather than a murder. These variants generally use the standard six surnames with different first names (or titles), often changing the gender of the original character. Typical of the first name changes, the UK edition of Cluedo Jr. introduced the first animal players or suspects: Samantha Scarlett, Mustard the Dog, Wendy White, George Green, Polly Peacock, and Peter Plum. Cluedo Junior Detective introduced Inspector Cluedo and his bloodhound Watson, who invites his eight nieces and nephews (younger versions of the standard six characters: Jake Plum, Natalie Peacock, Jessica Scarlett, Spike Mustard, Robbie Green and Megan White; Beth Peach, and investigator Tom Black).

Film

In 1985, Cluedo began expanding its character roster and was the premise of a film:[2][3]

  • The Butler: Rarely used, the butler is usually the character most connected with the audience. He has appeared anonymously and as Wadsworth, Didit, Ashe, and Hogarth.
  • The Inspector: Typically working for Scotland Yard, the inspector appears anonymously or as Pry, Brown or Gray.
  • Yvette: A young, stereotypically-dressed French maid played by Colleen Camp in Clue the Movie, she is murdered in the billiard room with the rope, by Miss Scarlett (ending A), Mrs. Peacock (ending B) or Mrs. White (ending C) but is still considered a prime suspect. In ending A, Wadsworth reveals that she was ordered by Miss Scarlett to murder Mr. Boddy and Mrs. Ho, and also her French accent is fake. She worked for Miss Scarlett's escort agency, one of her clients was Colonel Mustard and she had an affair with Mrs.White's Husband.
  • Mrs. Ho: The film's Hill House cook (played by Kellye Nakahara), who prepares shark fin soup and a Cantonese monkey-brain dish. She appears alive in two brief scenes (pointing a knife and banging the gong, which frightens Mr. Green) before being stabbed with a knife in the kitchen by Yvette (ending A) or Mrs. Peacock (endings B and C), early in the film.
  • The Motorist: The first "outsider" to arrive at Hill House in the film, an unfortunate middle-aged man (played by Jeffrey Kramer) who seeks shelter from the rain after his 1953 Chevrolet Bel Air breaks down and is murdered with the wrench in the lounge by Miss Scarlett (ending A), Mrs. Peacock (ending B), or Colonel Mustard (ending C), while he makes a telephone call
  • The Singing Telegram Girl: Played by Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's in the film, she is shot in the hall, by Miss Scarlett (ending A), Mrs. Peacock (ending B), or Wadsworth (ending C), early in the film before she finishes singing a telegram.

Television

In 1990, Cluedo inspired several television series which (in addition to the standard six characters) created additional characters – primarily victims.The most notable recurring character in the UK series was Mr. White, and the Australian series introduced Det. Sgt. Stanley Bogong (who also appeared in French, German and Swedish versions).

In episode one of the first UK series, Count Henri de Beauchamp (Oliver Tobias) is a sleazy French con man who tries to marry Mrs. Peacock for her money; she kills him with some poison in the dining room. In episode two Mr. Hall (Nicholas Ball), a developer who wants to drain the local pond to build a discothèque, is killed by Col. Mustard with a statuette in the dining room. In episode three Janet Hope (Joanna Van Gyseghem), wife and partner-in-crime of Jeremy Hope, is killed by Miss Scarlett with a bridge trophy in the study. In episode four Peregrine Talbot-Wheeler (Nickolas Grace), a smarmy antiques collector and host of a popular television show, visits to revalue Mrs. Peacock's valuables and she kills him with the antique sword in the study. In episode five David Chapman (Simon Williams), Prof. Plum's boss and a politician standing for election as MP against Col. Mustard, is killed by Professor Plum with a black tie in the billiard room. In episode six, Constable Jones (Chris Wright)—a local policeman hired to watch over the annual fete—is killed by Mrs. White with some poison in the drawing room. In the Christmas special, Ken (James Clyde) – the son of a judge who owned Arlington Garage – visits Arlington Grange, disguised as a chauffeur and is killed by Miss Scarlett with a knife in the library.

In episode one of series two Simon Charles (Malcolm Stoddard), an investment broker who dupes everyone into investing in a faulty deal which collapses, is killed by Mrs. White with a sharpening steel in the kitchen. In episode two, insurance assessor George Biddle (Mark Eden) visits to re-insure the valuables in the garage and is killed by Reverend Green with a kettle flex in the kitchen. In episode three, famous actress Marieanne Kray (Sharon Maughan) visits to film a movie on location at the garage and is killed by Colonel Mustard with a rope in the kitchen. In episode four Ben (Nick Berry), a private detective disguised as a window cleaner who is hired by Mrs. Peacock to watch the valuables in the Grange, but she kills him with a lead pipe in the billiard room. In episode five Dave (Christopher Guard), a hippie, camps with his commune next to Rev. Green's church and is killed by Miss Scarlett with a knife in the study. In episode six, Jack Peacock (Lewis Collins) – Mrs. Peacock's second husband – returns from the grave. Wanting to reclaim his property, he is killed by Professor Plum with a funeral urn in the drawing room.

In episode one of series three, activist Gordon Ferrar (Neil Morrissey) shows up beaten on the garage doorstep after a catastrophic day fox hunting and is killed by Reverend Green with a pair of scissors in the kitchen. In episode two Professor Plum hires the psychic Miss Terry (Ruth Madoc) to ease Mrs. White's paranoia about ghosts, but Terry is killed by Colonel Mustard with a dagger in the billiard room. In episode three, Mrs. Peacock sells Arlington Grange to multimillionaire Max Gold (Mike Sarne) so he plans to turn it into a theme park but later she kills him with a croquet mallet in the study. In episode four Sister Concepta (Jean Boht), Mrs. Peacock's long-lost sister-in-law, arrives claiming to be the rightful heir of Arlington Garage and hopes to make it a convent; she is killed by Mrs. White with an African spear in the drawing room. In episode five, journalist David Stringer (Dudley Sutton) arrives to write an article about country life and is a little too interested in the house's occupants; he is killed by Professor Plum with some insecticide in the library. In episode six Clive Moxton (Simon Shepherd), Miss Scarlett's new fiancé, is not whom he appears to be so she kills him with a swordstick in the billiard room.

In episode one of series four, crass handyman Jake Swithin (Ray Lonnen) strikes it rich after discovering an incredible claim for lost treasure and is killed by Professor Plum with a dagger in the billiard room. In episode two, MP Sir Nigel Hussey (Ian McNeice) plans to build a sex-theme park on the grounds surrounding Arlington Garage and is strangled by Colonel Mustard with a G-string in the kitchen. In episode three, celebrity journalist Candice Costello (Caroline Langrishe) visits Arlington Grange. Her nosy research literally lands her on ice, when she is killed by Reverend Green with an ice pick in the kitchen. In episode four the predictions of Marjory Hunt (Jean Alexander), Mrs. White's psychic friend, alarm the guests when she predicts their secrets but even predicts that she will be killed by Miss Scarlett with a desktop lighter in the drawing room. In episode five Terrence Radcliffe (Matthew Marsh), Mrs. Peacock's new financial advisor, is a little too eager for business and is killed by Mrs. White with a decanter stopper in the study. In episode six, Roger Morgan (Daniel Peacock) comes to the Grange in search of racy details for his biography of Princess Katherine and is killed by Mrs. Peacock with a microphone in the study.

Books

Clue Jr., a "Let's Read and Play" book written by Sara Miller and illustrated by Jim Talbot introduced five new suspects in 2004: a butler, a cook, a gardener, a maid, and a repairman.

Other media

In the first half of 1985, Mobil Oil joined Cluedo to introduce three new characters as part of its Mobil £5 Million Cluedo Mystery contest game: Sir Peach, Lady Oakwood and Dr. Prussian. The characters were added along with three additional murder weapons to balance the game's playing elements. Of the three, only the name "Peach" would be re-used for other characters.

Clue Chronicles: Fatal Illusion, Hasbro's short-lived interactive video-game series, added five characters to the usual six: Ian Masque, Marina Popov, Martin Urfe, Sabata and Dr. Julia Kell. In 1938, eccentric millionaire Ian invites the original Cluedo suspects and the new characters to his isolated Swiss mountain estate for a mysterious dinner party. Marina Popov is an attractive, blonde Russian psychic. Martin Urfe, a mediocre magician hired by Ian to entertain his guests, may be a fraud. Sabata is a deranged Spanish artist, and aging German psychoanalyst Julia Kell may have Nazi connections.

References

  1. ↑ The Waddingtons Story: From the Early Days to Monopoly, the Maxwell Bids and into the Next Millennium, p.81, by Victor Watson, Jeremy Mills Publishing, November 11, 2008.
  2. ↑ Jonathan Lynn (Director) (1985). Clue (Film). USA: Paramount.
  3. ↑ Landis, John; Jonathan Lynn (1985). "Clue (script)". AwesomeFilm.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
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