Mystery of the... Cluedough

How a pianist created game in WW2 but sold foreign rights for £5K

- BY ED CHATTERTON

IF you said Cluedo’s invention was committed by a pianist, in a Birmingham kitchen, with time on his hands you would be right.

The real puzzle is why Anthony Pratt did not make a killing by creating what would become the world’s second-best-selling game after Monopoly.

Anthony devised the whodunnit game during the Second World War to make some money. He would go on to sell the foreign rights for £5,000 - and miss out on a fortune.

His daughter Marcia Lewis, 72, has just given one of the first versions of the game, letters and memorabilia to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, where they will go on show. She said her dad was content with creating the game which brought “happiness and joy” to millions.

Cluedo was originally called Murder! and was inspired by Anthony’s job performing in grand country hotels and stately homes. Marcia's mum Elva designed the board which, apart from the addition of secret passages, remained little changed.