THE white-suited investigators and “blood” spattered walls might look like something from an episode of hit TV crime drama CSI.

In fact, it is all part of the preparation for the Octagon’s next production, Stephen Sondheim’s bloodthirsty musical Sweeney Todd.

In the play, Todd’s unfortunate customers receive a closer shave than they might have hoped for, before being chopped up and put into pies by his equally dastardly neighbour, Mrs Lovett.

To help prepare for the show, forensic scientists Helen Rea and Craig Davies, from LGC Forensics, went to the theatre to show the cast and crew what a real crime scene looks like.

They showed actor Tobias Beer, who will be playing the title role, and the Octagon’s creative team photographs from real crime scenes and also held a workshop demonstrating how the splatter patterns of blood are created — using gravy as a substitute for blood.

Now the director, Elizabeth Newman, along with the stage designers, can start to build the set.

They will continue the CSI theme by using UV paint to represent blood, as forensic scientists use special UV lights at crime scenes to check for blood spots.

The actors playing the forensics will also be dressed in their trademark white all-inone outfits.

Miss Newman said: “It’s so important for me to be able to create an imaginative but also authentic world for the audience — so everything from the costumes, the lighting, and, in this case, the crime scene created by Sweeney Todd’s actions, needs to be as engaging and exciting as possible.

“By working with LGC we’re not only helping our creative team to make the visual impact of the stage really strong, but also helping the actors, especially Tobias Beer, to get into the world that their characters inhabit.”

The show opens on Thursday, June 9, and will run until Saturday, July 2.

For more information, or to book tickets, visit octagonbolton.co.uk or ring 01204 520661.