Claret gets splattered round with merry abandon all the way through Dexter. It gives its lead character - blood splatter analyst and Jackson Pollock of red matter - something to do for a day job, after all. What you might not know is how exactly the special effects and set dressing teams on the show managed to create that much pretend blood. Joshua Meltzer, the show's prop master, revealed that his particular blend combines maple syrup, food colouring, peppermint oil, and dish soap. The blood is made from maple syrup, because it has a thicker texture and cleans up easier than corn syrup, he said. The peppermint oil is to ward off wasps or flies enticed by the sugary syrup. Delicious, right? Well, not always. You probably shouldn't eat soap (to get the fake blood out of clothes easier), for one thing. For another, when there are pools of blood seen on-screen they're often circles cut out of red acetate, as thin as a few sheets of paper, which can be reused, moved, and cleaned up way easier than the other stuff.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/