An Invitation to Murder: A Death in Cairo follows on from 2023’s An Invitation to Murder – which, itself, was also alternatively-titled as Invitation To A Murder – but it’s odd that they subtitle the sequel in that way, given that the US title of Murder At the Embassy, given that there’s a murder at the Embassy.
Okay, so it’s also a death in Cairo, but murder sounds better. Then again, can you put ‘murder’ twice in the same title?
Anyhoo, just as there’s an initial death in Cairo for an underling, that won’t be the first, given that Miranda Green (Mischa Barton – Neighbours: A New Chapter) is invited to a dinner while she’s in Egypt – along with a few other randoms, such as film star Betty Hathaway (Antonia Bernath – The War Between The Land And The Sea) – and states she has an ‘absolute memory’, meaning she can remember everything.
Oddly, though, it’s a dinner where I didn’t see anyone actually eating any food.
The Embassy’s Ambassador, Robert (Richard Dillane – Wild Cherry), finds his secretary, Maggie (Kathryn McGarr – Top Boy Season 3), brown bread, but as it’s 1934, the British Prime Minister is Ramsay McDonald, the Nazis are on the rise, and there are some people who think Hitler’s politics could stabilise the region.
Sadly, the acting is bland, the writing is very cookie-cutter, and the plot is full of clichés and moves at a glacial pace, such as when Miranda gets a taxi from A to B, then has to return at speed, resulting in having to seal it because driver was too sidetracked feeding a camel!
As for who did the deed, even when that was revealed, I failed to care. It’s less ‘cosy crime’ and more ‘comatose crime’. The fact there’s various alternate titles between this and the first film is more of a mystery to be solved!
I saw this drama from the US release, which was on November 14th.
An Invitation to Murder: A Death in Cairo airs on Channel 5 at 9.30pm on Boxing Day.
It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD, but when it is, it will be listed on the New DVD, Blu-ray, 3D and 4K releases UK page.
If you miss it when broadcast, you can watch it afterwardson My5.
Cert: 
Running time: 84 minutes
Release date: December 26th 2025
Studio: Lionsgate Movies
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Rating: 2/10
Director: Stephen Shimek
Producers: Sara Huxley, April Kelley, Brian Vilim, Zeus Zamani
Writers: Mark Brennan, Alexandra Davison
Music: Christian Davis
Cast:
Miranda Green: Mischa Barton
Mamoud Shoukry: Mido Hamada
Robert Murray: Richard Dillane
Betty Hathaway: Antonia Bernath
Meghan Murray: Nell Barlow
Leila Sharawi: Raha Rahbari
Walter Cunningham: Kojo Attah
Inspector Morton: Nick Harris
Cristal: Josh Burdett
Maggie Hand: Kathryn McGarr
Samir: Yassine Mkhichen
Marcus: Sherif El Sheashaei
Dandy: Mamad Heidari
Rula: Sara Diab
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.