Louella Michie, 25, whose father was the television actor John Michie, found dead in wooded area of festival site in Dorset

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of a 25-year-old woman at Bestival.

Louella Michie, who was found dead at the Dorset music festival after a search in the early hours of Monday, was the daughter of the Holby City, Coronation Street and Taggart star John Michie, his agent confirmed.



The body of the festivalgoer, from London, was found in a wooded area on the edge of the festival site at the Lulworth estate. Officers had been alerted just before 1am to reports of concern for her welfare. Her family has been informed and the coroner notified.

Despite the arrest, Michie told the Sun that his daughter’s death at Bestival was a “tragic accident”.



The 60-year-old said that the family had “lost an angel”, but that the death was “not murder”.

He told the paper: “We’ve lost our angel. It’s not murder - they were friends. It was just a tragic mistake, a tragic accident.

“She touched so many lives. She was so very positive, so bright, so out there. She had such energy. The tributes to her have been incredible.”

Earlier Michie’s agent said: “Sadly, I can confirm the tragic death of John Michie’s daughter, Louella, at Bestival. John and his wife Carol ask that the privacy of their family be respected at this traumatic time.”

Dorset police said a 28-year-old man from London had been arrested on suspicion of murder “to enable officers to conduct an interview under caution to help establish the full circumstances”.



DCI Sarah Derbyshire said: “Following the discovery of the woman’s body we have now launched an investigation into her death. We have specially trained officers supporting her family at this very difficult time.

“Inquiries are now under way to establish how she died. A postmortem examination will be carried out in due course and this should give us more of an indication as to the cause of her death.”

Thousands of people attended Bestival, which ran from Thursday to Sunday and was headlined by acts including Pet Shop Boys and the xx.

The organisers said: “The team at Bestival are devastated to hear about this tragic news. We continue to support the police in their ongoing investigation and our thoughts and prayers are with all the woman’s family and friends.”

The festival’s founder Rob da Bank tweeted a link to the statement, which was posted on the Bestival Facebook page. The DJ and his wife, Josie, run the festival, which moved from the Isle of Wight to the Lulworth estate for the first time this year.

Michie played Karl Munro in Coronation Street from 2011 to 2013, having previously starred as DI Robbie Ross in drama series Taggart from 1998 to 2010. He currently plays neurosurgeon Guy Self in BBC medical drama Holby City.