Midsomer Murders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Midsomer Murders |
|---|
Midsomer Murders is a popular British television series about murders that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer. Based on a series of crime novels by the author Caroline Graham, the detective drama focuses on the main character of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby, played by actor John Nettles (of Bergerac fame). First transmitted in the United Kingdom in March 1997, filming is currently underway on the tenth series of the programme, which will bring the total number of episodes to fifty-nine. Viewing figures for the series are very healthy, and the feature-length drama attracts a number of well-known actors from the stage and screen in guest-starring roles. The majority of the early episodes were written by the writer Anthony Horowitz, who, together with the original producers Betty Willingale and Brian True-May, also created the series; and current writers include Peter J. Hammond, David Hoskins, Douglas Watkinson and Andrew Payne. Filming takes place on location in the English counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey; and, owing to its success, the series has been sold to a number of countries and territories across the world, including Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latin America, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
Contents |
[edit] Episodes
So far, fifty-two episodes have been broadcast in the United Kingdom. These are the episodes, listed in production order, and the date of their first UK broadcast.
Pilot episode: (filmed September/October 1996)
- 01. The Killings at Badger's Drift. Transmitted 23 March, 1997; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
Series 1: (filmed July – November 1997)
- 02. Written in Blood. Transmitted 22 March, 1998; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 03. Death in Disguise. Transmitted 6 May, 1998; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Baz Taylor
- 04. Death of a Hollow Man. Transmitted 29 March, 1998; Screenplay by Caroline Graham, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 05. Faithful Unto Death. Transmitted 22 April, 1998; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Baz Taylor
Series 2: (filmed May – October 1998)
- 06. Strangler's Wood. Transmitted 3 February, 1999; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 07. Blood Will Out. Transmitted 19 September, 1999; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Moira Armstrong
- 08. Death's Shadow. Transmitted 20 January, 1999; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 09. Beyond the Grave. Transmitted 5 February, 2000; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Moira Armstrong
Series 3: (filmed May – October 1999)
- 10. Dead Man's Eleven. Transmitted 12 September, 1999; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 11. Blue Herrings. Transmitted 22 January, 2000; Screenplay by Hugh Whitemore, Directed by Peter Smith
- 12. Judgement Day. Transmitted 29 January, 2000; Screenplay by Anthony Horowitz, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
- 13. Death of a Stranger. Transmitted 31 December, 1999; Screenplay by Douglas Livingstone, Directed by Peter Creegen
Series 4: (filmed May – November 2000)
- 14. Garden of Death. Transmitted 10 September, 2000; Screenplay by Christopher Russell, Directed by Peter Smith
- 15. Destroying Angel. Transmitted 26 August, 2001; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by David Tucker
- 16. The Electric Vendetta. Transmitted 2 September, 2001; Screenplay by Terry Hodgkinson, Directed by Peter Smith
- 17. Who Killed Cock Robin?. Transmitted 9 September, 2001; Screenplay by Jeremy Paul, Directed by David Tucker
- 18. Dark Autumn. Transmitted 16 September, 2001; Screenplay by Peter J. Hammond, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
Series 5: (filmed April – October 2001)
- 19. Tainted Fruit. Transmitted 23 September, 2001; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by Peter Smith
- 20. Ring out your Dead. Transmitted 15 September, 2002; Screenplay by Christopher Russell, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 21. Murder on St. Malley's Day. Transmitted 22 September, 2002; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Peter Smith
- 22. Market for Murder. Transmitted 2 June, 2002; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 23. A Worm in the Bud. Transmitted 23 June, 2002; Screenplay by Michael Russell, Directed by David Tucker
Series 6: (filmed May – November 2002)
- 24. A Talent for Life. Transmitted 3 January, 2003; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 25. Death and Dreams. Transmitted 10 January, 2003; Screenplay by Peter J. Hammond, Directed by Peter Smith
- 26. Painted in Blood. Transmitted 17 January, 2003; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 27. A Tale of Two Hamlets. Transmitted 24 January, 2003; Screenplay by Alan Plater, Directed by Peter Smith
- 28. Birds of Prey. Transmitted 31 January, 2003; Screenplay by Michael Russell, Directed by Jeremy Silberston
Series 7: (filmed May 2003 – March 2004)
- 29. The Green Man. Transmitted 2 November, 2003; Screenplay by Michael Russell, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 30. Bad Tidings. Transmitted 4 January, 2004; Screenplay by Peter J. Hammond, Directed by Peter Smith
- 31. The Fisher King. Transmitted 11 January, 2004; Screenplay by Isabelle Grey, Directed by Richard Holthouse
- 32. Sins of Commission. Transmitted 18 January, 2004; Screenplay by Elizabeth-Anne Wheal, Directed by Peter Smith
- 33. The Maid in Splendour. Transmitted 27 January, 2004; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Richard Holthouse
- 34. The Straw Woman. Transmitted 29 February, 2004; Screenplay by Jeff Dodds, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 35. Ghosts of Christmas Past. Transmitted 25 December, 2004; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by Renny Rye
Series 8: (filmed May 2004 – March 2005)
- 36. Things That Go Bump in the Night. Transmitted 10 October, 2004; Screenplay by Peter J. Hammond, Directed by Peter Smith
- 37. Dead in the Water. Transmitted 17 October 2004; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Renny Rye
- 38. Orchis Fatalis. Transmitted 9 January, 2005; Screenplay by Terry Hodgkinson, Directed by Peter Smith
- 39. Bantling Boy. Transmitted 16 January, 2005; Screenplay by Steve Trafford, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 40. Second Sight. Transmitted 23 January, 2005; Screenplay by Tony Etchells, Directed by Richard Holthouse
- 41. Hidden Depths. Transmitted 13 March, 2005; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 42. Sauce for the Goose. Transmitted 3 April, 2005; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Renny Rye
- 43. Midsomer Rhapsody. Transmitted 2 October, 2005; Screenplay by Richard Cameron, Directed by Richard Holthouse
Series 9: (filmed May 2005 – March 2006)
- 44. The House in the Woods. Transmitted 9 October, 2005; Screenplay by Barry Simner, Directed by Peter Smith
- 45. Dead Letters. Transmitted 26 February, 2006; Screenplay by Peter J. Hammond, Directed by Renny Rye
- 46. Vixen's Run. Transmitted 5 March, 2006; Screenplay by Michael Aitkens, Directed by Peter Smith
- 47. Down Among the Dead Men. Transmitted 12 March, 2006; Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Renny Rye
- 48. Four Funerals and a Wedding. Transmitted 24 September, 2006; Screenplay by Elizabeth-Anne Wheal, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 49. Country Matters. Transmitted 10 September, 2006; Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Richard Holthouse
- 50. Death In Chorus. Transmitted 3 September, 2006; Screenplay by David Harsent (as David Lawrence), Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 51. Last Year's Model. Transmitted 17 September, 2006; Screenplay by David Hoskins, Directed by Richard Holthouse
Series 10: (currently in production, filmed May 2006 – )
- 52. Dance with the Dead. Transmitted 12 November, 2006; Screenplay by Peter J Hammond, Directed by Peter Smith
- 53. The Animal Within. Directed by Renny Rye
- 54. King's Crystal. Directed by Peter Smith
- 55. The Axeman Cometh. Screenplay by Michael Aitkens, Directed by Renny Rye
- 56. Death and Dust. Screenplay by Douglas Watkinson, Directed by Sarah Hellings
- 57. A Picture of Innocence. Screenplay by Andrew Payne, Directed by Richard Holthouse
- 58.
- 59. Blood Wedding. Screenplay by David Harsent (as David Lawrence)
[edit] Cast
[edit] Main cast
The principal cast members are listed below, along with the total number of episodes in which they have appeared (out of the 52 episodes screened in the UK to date).
- John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (1996 - ?), all 52 episodes.
- Daniel Casey as Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy (1996 - 2003), 29 episodes.
- John Hopkins as Detective Sergeant Dan Scott (2003 - 2005), 14 episodes.
- Jason Hughes as Detective Sergeant Ben Jones (2005 - ?), 9 episodes.
- Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby (1996 - ?), all 52 episodes.
- Laura Howard as Cully Barnaby (1996 - 1999, 2002 - ?), 34 episodes.
- Barry Jackson as Doctor George Bullard (1996 - 1998, 2000 - ?), 43 episodes.
[edit] Guest stars
Midsomer Murders has enjoyed many famed British and international actors in its cast. Some of the more notable are listed below.
- Julian Glover, Emily Mortimer, Jonathan Firth, Elizabeth Spriggs, Rosalie Crutchley and Renée Asherson, in "The Killings at Badger's Drift"
- Anna Massey, Joanna David, Una Stubbs and David Troughton, in "Written in Blood"
- Judy Cornwell, Miles Anderson, Michael Feast and Charles Kay, in "Death in Disguise"
- Bernard Hepton, Debra Stephenson, Janine Duvitski, Angela Pleasence and Nicholas Le Prevost, in "Death of a Hollow Man"
- Michele Dotrice, Peter Jones, Rosalind Ayres, Roger Allam and Tessa Peake-Jones, in "Faithful Unto Death"
- Frank Windsor, Anne Stallybrass, Trudie Styler and Jeremy Clyde and Phyllis Logan in "Strangler's Wood"
- Honeysuckle Weeks, Phyllida Law, Elizabeth Garvie, John Duttine and Kevin McNally, in "Blood Will Out"
- Richard Briers, Judy Parfitt, Christopher Villiers, Anna Cropper, Vivian Pickles and Julian Wadham, in "Death's Shadow"
- Prunella Scales, Cheryl Campbell, Sylvestra Le Touzel, David Robb and Patricia Brake, in "Beyond the Grave"
- Robert Hardy, Imelda Staunton, Duncan Preston, Terence Rigby and Anthony Calf, in "Dead Man's Eleven"
- Phyllis Calvert, Geoffrey Bayldon, Nigel Davenport, Mary Wimbush and Gudrun Ure, in "Blue Herrings"
- Orlando Bloom, Marsha Fitzalan, Hannah Gordon, Josephine Tewson, Timothy West, Moray Watson and Maggie Steed, in "Judgement Day"
- Richard Johnson, James Bolam, Simon McBurney and Diane Fletcher, in "Death of a Stranger"
- Belinda Lang, Neil Dudgeon, Margaret Tyzack, Victoria Hamilton, Sarah Alexander and Frederick Treves, in "Garden of Death"
- Samantha Bond, Rosemary Leach, Robert Lang, Tom Ward, Jonathan Coy and Tony Haygarth, in "Destroying Angel"
- John Woodvine, Alec McCowen, Kenneth Colley, Patrick Baladi and Ursula Howells, in "The Electric Vendetta"
- Ian McNeice, Jane Lapotaire, Mick Ford, Noah Huntley, Polly Maberly, Linda Marlowe and Yolanda Vasquez, in "Who killed Cock Robin?"
- Celia Imrie, Robert Glenister, Gillian Kearney, Nicky Henson, Philip Whitchurch and Alan Howard, in "Dark Autumn"
- Ann Bell, Claire Price, Lucy Punch, Adrian Rawlins, John McGlynn, Eleanor David and Benjamin Whitrow, in "Tainted Fruit"
- Gemma Jones, Hugh Bonneville, Gwen Taylor, Graham Crowden and Carmen De Sautoy, in "Ring Out Your Dead"
- Anna Maxwell Martin, Jeremy Child and Jane How, in "Murder on St. Malley's Day"
- Jesse Birdsall, Anton Rodgers, Angela Thorne, Rupert Vansittart, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Dilys Laye, Caroline Harker, Christopher Ravenscroft and Serena Gordon, in "Market for Murder"
- Wendy Craig, Ian Hogg, Emily Joyce, Gillian Barge and Adam Kotz, in "A Worm in the Bud"
- Honor Blackman, Amanda Root, Jeff Rawle, Susan Wooldridge, James Hazeldine and Philip Franks, in "A Talent for Life"
- Isla Blair, Jan Ravens and Perdita Weeks, in "Death and Dreams"
- Leslie Phillips, John Sessions, Andrew Lancel, Clive Merrison and Denise Black, in "Painted in Blood"
- Beth Goddard, Phoebe Nicholls, Ronald Pickup and Anne Reid, in "A Tale of Two Hamlets"
- Richard Todd, Kate Buffery, David Calder, Rosalind Knight, Anton Lesser and Alexandra Gilbreath, in "Birds of Prey"
- Cherie Lunghi, Henry Cavill, David Bradley and Tim Woodward, in "The Green Man"
- John Standing, Helen Grace, Esther Hall and Ruth Jones, in "Bad Tidings"
- Lynda Bellingham, Malcolm Tierney, Jim Carter, Susannah Doyle, Henry Ian Cusick and Nicholas Rowe, in "The Fisher King"
- Stella Gonet, Rachel Bell, Susan Engel and Emma Buckley, in "Sins of Commission"
- William Gaunt, Freddie Jones, Raymond Coulthard and Frances Tomelty, in "The Maid in Splendour"
- Keith Barron, Maggie O'Neill, Jemima Rooper and Richenda Carey, in "The Straw Woman"
- Margery Mason, Mel Martin, Alice Patten, Philip Quast, Haydn Gwynne and Kevin Doyle, in "Ghosts of Christmas Past"
- Mary Jo Randle, Catherine Bradshaw, Dearbhla Molloy and Julian Curry, in "Things That Go Bump in the Night"
- Diana Quick, Emma Amos, Janet Brown and Adrian Lukis, in "Dead in the Water"
- John Nettleton, Harriet Walter, Matt Bardock and Geoffrey Chater, in "Orchis Fatalis"
- Caroline Blakiston, Anna Wilson-Jones, Julia Ford and Richard O'Callaghan, in "Bantling Boy"
- Wanda Ventham, Geoffrey Whitehead and Owen Teale, in "Second Sight"
- Oliver Ford Davies, Sara Kestelman and Robert Daws, in "Hidden Depths"
- Annette Crosbie, James Fleet, David Ross, Benedict Sandiford, Lizzy McInnerny and Geraldine Alexander, in "Sauce for the Goose"
- June Whitfield, Frank Middlemass, David Burke, Oliver Cotton, Christopher Benjamin and Trevor Peacock, in "Midsomer Rhapsody"
- George Baker, David Westhead and Ruth Gemmell, in "The House in the Woods"
- Simon Callow, David Bamber, Tom Georgeson, Caroline Goodall and Sophie Thompson, in "Dead Letters"
- Joss Ackland, Annabel Mullion, Sian Phillips, Sheila Ruskin, Leslie Schofield and Carol Macready, in "Vixen's Run"
- Paul Freeman, Sam Kelly, Julia McKenzie, Christine Kavanagh and Dermot Crowley, in "Down Among the Dead Men"
- Daphne Oxenford, Sian Thomas, Struan Rodger, Jessica Brooks and Sandra Voe, in "Four Funerals and a Wedding"
- Madeleine Potter, Juliet Aubrey, Clare Holman, Dorian Healy and Stuart Milligan, in "Country Matters"
- Peter Capaldi, John Shrapnel, Annabelle Apsion and Sara Stewart, in "Death in Chorus"
- Thelma Barlow, Guy Henry, Siobhan Redmond, Josette Simon, Saskia Wickham and Jamie Glover, in "Last Year's Model"
- Danny Webb, Harriet Thorpe, Felicity Dean and Nicola Redmond, in "Dance with the Dead"
- Suzi Quatro and Phil Grainger, in "The Axeman Cometh"
[edit] Locations
For a comprehensive list of filming locations used in the series, view the Midsomer Murders filming locations page.
[edit] References
The following list is a collection of published works connected with the series.
- Caroline Graham, "The Killing at Badger's Drift", 1987.
- Caroline Graham, "Death of a Hollow Man", 1989.
- Caroline Graham, "Death in Disguise", 1993.
- Caroline Graham, "Written in Blood", 1995.
- Caroline Graham, "Faithful unto Death", 1998.
- Caroline Graham, "A Place of Safety", 1999.
- Caroline Graham, "A Ghost in the Machine", 2004.
- Jeff Evans, "Midsomer Murders: The Making of An English Crime Classic", 2003.
In January 2006, Midsomer Murders started a DVD & Magazine Collection, available at newsagents in the UK.
[edit] External links
- itv.com - Drama - Midsomer Murders
- Midsomer Murders at the Internet Movie Database
- Midsomer Murders Fan Site 1
- Midsomer Murders Fan Site 2
- Midsomer Murders Fan Site 3
- Midsomer Murders Fan Site 4da:Kriminalkommisær Barnaby
fr:Inspecteur Barnaby it:L'ispettore Barnaby nl:Midsomer Murders sv:Morden i Midsomer


