Cream Teas, Cricket Bats & Crazed Killings
Celebrating Midsomer Murders
Midsomer may look like a sleepy rural paradise, but beware – it’s actually the murder capital of England. Down its leafy lanes and behind the net curtains, victims are bumped off at an alarming rate.
Over the years, 347 of Midsomer’s residents have died before their time, and often in grisly fashion. And as the 20th series begins this week, quite a few more unsuspecting locals are about to meet their maker.
Of course, it’s all a delightful fiction that makes up the fabric of Midsomer Murders, ITV’s frothy murder myster y series. It started in 1997 when John Nettles made his debut as DCI Tom Barnaby in The Killings At Badger’s Drift. Barnaby impressed viewers as a copper who remained unfazed by the high body count and by murder methods that stretched credulity to breaking point – death by tumble dr yer and electrocution by exercise bike, for starters.
In 2010, Barnaby handed on the mantle of chief detective to his cousin John Barnaby, played by Neil Dudgeon, who since then has investigated a murder by a booby-trapped roulette wheel and a drowning in a bowl of eggs and eels. Midsomer’s popularity – it’s been shown in almost every country in the world – comes from its contrast between grisly murder and picturepostcard prettiness – the idea that lurking just beneath the respectable English hamlet there are homicidal widows and murderous gentlefolk. We’re meeting Neil and the rest of Midsomer’s main cast ahead of the new six-part series, which starts on March 10. But it’s the second episode, entitled Death Of The Small Coppers, that will deliver a real treat to hardcore fans – in honour of the show’s 20th birthday, this special episode will feature references to previous Midsomer murders.
Neil Dudgeon refers to the clues as “Easter eggs”.
“There are little references to various things that have happened in episodes over the years, and there are 20 Easter eggs,” says Neil. “It’s like an
“Fans who know the show better than I do will love it!”
Easter egg hunt, where you go around the Midsomer garden and each Easter egg is a reference to something from a previous episode.”
Fans should look out for a returning guest star, a crossword clue that is a hint to the ver y first episode, signs behind the pub bar, a vintage car, a slogan on a T-shirt and a label on a bottle of alcohol.
“Fans who know the show better than I do will enjoy it very much,” continues Neil. “It’s a fun way for fans to go, ‘Oh yes, that’s from that episode’.”
FAMILIAR FACES AND BRAND NEW CHARACTERS!
The 20th series sees the return of Fiona Dolman as Barnaby’s wife, Sarah, and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix) as his sidekick. Annette Badland, a seasoned actress known recently as Babe Smith in EastEnders, joins as Dr Fleur Perkins, Midsomer’s new pathologist.
Fleur is a professional who clearly enjoys a bit of verbal sparring with the cops. “She doesn’t let the boys off with anything,” chuckles Annette (68). “She keeps them on their toes, keeps surprising them.”
Annette is thrilled to play the sharp-witted pathologist. “As an older woman myself, I think we’re not represented in this way very often,” she muses. “Fleur is capable and professional, and she has a love life and sense of humour and loves her life. And I don’t think that’s often seen, so I really embrace that. It was a terrific thing to do.”
Annette had a bit of a head start on the role – years ago she worked briefly as a doctor’s receptionist near her home in Tamworth, Staffordshire.
“I very much saw the gallows humour with people dying, so I used a bit of that [with Fleur].”
GREAT GUEST STARS …
With turns from Elaine Paige, Anita Harris, Ever Decreasing Circles’ Peter Egan, EastEnder Tamzin Outhwaite and comedian Bill Bailey, the 20th anniversary series is packed with talent.
Neil was particularly taken with Elaine Paige. “She’s just wonder ful and lovely,” he says. “Some of the crew were worried she might be a bit musical-theatre-star, but she was just gorgeous and hilarious and loved the show and really wanted to do it.”
Now that Neil has just finished filming his 41st full episode, putting him at exactly half of what John Nettles filmed, can he see himself continuing to investigate murder for as long as his predecessor? “I’mIm barely half way!”way! laughs Neil. “I don’t know, although I can’t really imagine not carrying on with it. There may come a point when I’m too old and physically and mentally decrepit to be able to do it!”
But Neil says Midsomer Murders itself can thrive for another 20 series.
“I can imagine the show going on and on and on, because I think it keeps reinventing itself. As a format, it’s so open – something bad happens in the countr yside somewhere and some police come, and then write whatever you want around that.
“You can get wildly different episodes and you can have all sorts of strange and bizarre and unlikely but real things going on in the Midsomer world. I think there’s endless room for the show to carry on.”
STARS & FANS
◆ The show is also famous for featuring a host of bigname guest stars, including Orlando Bloom, DrWho’s Peter Capaldi, Olivia Colman, DowntonAbbey’s Hugh Bonneville, Call the Midwife’s Jenny Agutter and Gavin& Stacey’s Larry Lamb. Love, Actually’s Martine McCutcheon played a victim who met a terrible fate, crushed by shelves of cheese in 2013.
◆ The haunting theme tune is recorded using an unusual electronic musical instrument called a Theremin, which was invented in 1919 by Russian physicist Leon Theremin.
◆ John Nettles filmed 82 episodes before bowing out on February 2, 2011. Neil Dudgeon – who had gueststarred in Midsomer as a gardener in the third series – took over in the 14th series and by the end of the 20th will have starred in exactly half as many.
◆ Detectives Tom and John Barnaby have been supported by five sidekicks between them – DS Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey, series 1-7); DS Dan Scott (John Hopkins, series 7 and 8); DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes, series 9-15); DS Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee, series 16-18) and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix, from series 19).
◆ Midsomer county is home to at least 34 (fictional) villages, all starting with the name Midsomer. These include Midsomer Cicely, Midsomer-inthe-Marsh and our all-time favourite – Midsomer Mallow.
◆ Celebrity fans of Midsomer Murders are said to include Joan Collins, Johnny Depp, Michael Caine, Sharon Stone and even the Queen!