Come behind the scenes of infamous murder investigations with Gary Jubelin

It’s true crime as you’ve never experienced it before: a live, first-hand account where the audience can have its most pressing questions answered.

That’s what will be delivered at the Canberra showing of I Catch Killers with former homicide detective Gary Jubelin and Silver Logie Award winner Rob Carlton.

During his time with the police force, Gary led investigations into the disappearance of William Tyrrell, the serial killing of three Aboriginal children in Bowraville and the crime scene following the Lindt Cafe siege, among many, many others.

He wrote a book about his experiences with the same title, and was soon approached about turning it into a live show.

“My first response was to laugh and say ‘no way’, it’s right outside my comfort zone,” Gary said.

“But then I suggested it to my friend, Rob Carlton, and he thought there was something there.”

The pair workshopped ideas and landed on the final product, designed to take the audience on a journey not just behind the scenes of an investigation, but into the impacts such crimes have on victims’ families and the police officers investigating them.

“That was my main concern, it’s not about glorifying the crime but the powerful impacts they have and that message,” Gary said.

The show will examine the grief, misery and horror crime brings to communities, and the lasting sense of loss that haunts families.

“You’ll be exposed to some very raw and powerful emotions,” Gary said.

“There’s a good chance you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be angry, which are all emotions one experiences [during an investigation] … it’s a reflection on the world of crime I understood.”

The horrors of the crimes Gary investigated will be balanced with the humour found while policing – a coping mechanism for many officers he said.

Audiences will be taken inside the interview room and to the end of a case, where you’ll discover sometimes all that’s left are more questions and a lingering darkness.

You’ll then be given the chance to ask your own questions, and nothing is off limits.

“Rob doesn’t go easy on me, he throws me under the bus sometimes … but it’s all done without a safety net, sometimes you get questions you just can’t anticipate,” Gary said.

“You can ask whatever you want.”

By taking the audience on this journey, Gary hoped they would gain an appreciation for the complicated world of true crime.

“It’s not black and white, there are a lot of emotions, it’s very raw,” he said.

“My stories are the stories most police have, so I hope this pays tribute to their experiences … as well as understanding what victims and their families go through, and that if something happens, we really throw everything at it.

“We’re taking you into true crime in a way many people aren’t used to, I think people will be both pleasantly surprised and shocked.”

‘I Catch Killers’ will be showing at the Playhouse in Canberra on 26 November.