Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, and More Join as Guest Sheriffs For WHODUNNIT [UNREHEARSED] 4

The final wave of celebrity guest sheriffs have been announced for Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4, the next instalment of its popular fundraising comedy spectacular, which returns from 11 May – 27 June 2026.

At every performance, a different celebrity will take on the central role of Sheriff – completely unrehearsed! Armed only with an earpiece feeding them lines moments before they speak, each guest must attempt to solve the murder, survive the mayhem and keep the show on track, while the audience watches events spiral in gloriously unpredictable ways.

Making their Whodunnit debuts this year will be Anne-Marie Duff, Toby Jones, Katherine Parkinson, Sara Pascoe, Simon Pegg, Iwan Rheon, Gaby Roslin, Gary Wilmot, Suzi Ruffell and Munya Chawawa. They will be joining returning but newly announced Whodunnit alumni Amanda Abbington, Clive Anderson, Gyles Brandreth, Michelle Collins, Nina Conti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, David Haig, Harry Hill, Adam Hills, Russell Kane, Matt Lucas, Gareth Malone, Gabriel Macht, Ian McKellen, Al Murray, Dermot O'Leary, Tamzin Outhwaite, Clarke Peters, Rob Rinder, Rhashan Stone, Meera Syal, Bradley Walsh, Jodie Whittaker, Olivia Williams, Marcus Brigstocke and Greg Wise.

Previously announced guest sheriffs include Gillian Anderson, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville, Adrian Dunbar and Emma Thompson, with Ian McKellen returning to lend his voice to the chaos.

Set in the lawless Wild West town of Graveside, Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 will see Park Theatre transformed into a fully immersive world – taking over the entire building for the first time, from the street outside to the bars, foyers and both auditoria as a new sheriff rides into town, tasked with solving the mystery of the missing gold.

Accompanying the celebrity guest sheriffs in the cast will be Toby Baddeley (The Rivals and Twelfth Night with The New Forest Players and Antigone with Vienna's English Theatre) as ‘Buck Steed', Caroline Deverill (Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 2 & 3 at Park Theatre, Typical Rainbow with Turbine Theatre), as ‘Dawn Frencham', Gabriel Fogarty-Graveson (The Co-op at Park Theatre and English Theatre of Hamburg, Our Little Life at the Black Box Studio, Slovenia, The Merry Wives of Windsor with OVO), as ‘Jim Ranson', Iona Fraser (The Creakers, Southbank Centre / Theatre Royal Plymouth, The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre, Dear Evan Hansen, West End), as ‘Verity Hargreaves', Edward Kaye (multi-instrumentalist making his London theatre debut) as ‘James Early', Ian Oakley (Dracapella, Park Theatre, The Color Purple, UK Tour) as Willy the Pianist, Matthew Romain (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Ambassadors Theatre, The Score, Theatre Royal Haymarket, Grapes of Wrath with National Theatre) as ‘Rev. Virgil', Susanna Wolff (Whodunnit & her one-woman show Totally Fine, Park Theatre) as ‘Meg Frencham' and ensemble roles to be played by Molly Barton and Killian Macardle.

Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 is a vital fundraiser for Park Theatre, which receives no regular public subsidy. Proceeds from the production directly support the running of the building, the development of new work, and the theatre's extensive community and education programmes – helping Park Theatre remain an accessible, creative hub for artists and audiences alike.

For 2026, audiences will step straight into Graveside the moment they arrive, with the exterior of the building reimagined as a Wild West streetscape, and both levels of the theatre's bars dressed with hay bales, whisky barrels and Old West décor. Studio space Park90 becomes The Last Chance Saloon – an exclusive immersive space for cabaret seat and Band A+ ticket holders. Here, audiences will find themed drinks, nibbles, live music, roaming characters and mock gambling, alongside a dedicated cloakroom and bar.

A fully themed food and drink offer completes the experience, with a selection of Old West-inspired cocktails available to enjoy.

Jez Bond, co-writer & director, and Park Theatre's Artistic Director said, “We are absolutely delighted to welcome these incredible new guest Sheriffs to Park Theatre; The generosity of the artists who agree to throw themselves into Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] — completely unrehearsed — never ceases to amaze me.

We never announce which celebrity is performing on which night, because the surprise is part of the fun. Book a ticket and you're guaranteed someone extraordinary — a national treasure, a comedy icon or a stage legend — stepping into the boots of the Sheriff and flying by the seat of their chaps.