The British series Midsomer Murders was first broadcast in 1998. Fast forward to today, the series has gained popularity across the globe on popular streaming sites. Surviving for over twenty years is quite an accomplishment in TV land. What makes the show so special? Well, there are the over-the-top (almost comic) murders, the snappy banter between Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby and his sidekick Sergeant, and an idyllic English village setting in fictional Midsomer County.
And, oh yes, most episodes have multiple murders. The series is based on the characters in Caroline Graham’s Midsomer Murders books and the show’s tone is very much tongue-in-cheek, with a light humorous edge.
The Show Was Supposed To Be Called Barnaby
There have been two DCI Barnabys in the history of the show. John Nettles played Tom from Episode 1 until he and Tom both retired in 2011. In that year, Neil Dudgeon became DCI John Barnaby, who is, not coincidentally, Tom’s cousin.
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Before screenwriter Anthony Horowitz suggested they call it Midsomer Murders, producers had gone with the working title, Barnaby. In fact, to this day, in some jurisdictions, the show is called Barnaby. So, the plotline had to provide another DCI Barnaby to take up the job of running down homicidal maniacs in the countryside. Hence, enter John Barnaby.
The Killings At Badger’s Drift - Series 1
As one of the best episodes in Midsomer Murders, “The Killings at Badger’s Drift” was the very first episode of Midsomer Murders. It gave the television world Iris and Dennis Rainbird, an odious blackmailing mother and her creepy undertaker son.
In the episode, they are both brutally murdered because they have discovered the incestuous secret of a brother and his sister. In Graham’s book, only the mother is murdered. Some scenes in the television episode refer only to the mother’s murder and not the son’s, probably indicating that the show originally followed the book’s plotline before deciding two brutal murders were better than one.
Blood Wedding - Series 11
Tom Barnaby is happily married to housewife Joyce, played by Jane Wymark. They have a daughter named Cully, who, by the way, was conceived on their honeymoon in Cully, Switzerland. In an episode called Blood Wedding, first aired in 2008, Tom is called in to deal with the death of a bridesmaid at a posh wedding, while simultaneously dealing with Cully’s pending nuptials.
True fans will know that the congregation at the wedding was made up of 34 members of the British press pretending to be wedding guests. It was the journalistic equivalent of a field trip. A fun day out. No wonder they looked so happy. After Cully’s wedding, her husband Simon disappeared from the show. Another mystery?
The Theme Music Mystery
Die-hard fans will know that the haunting waltz tempo Midsomer Murders theme music is played on a Theremin. It’s an electronic metal instrument with two antennas invented by Russian physicist Leon Theremin in the early 20th century.
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So, why is it a big deal? It’s an instrument that isn’t touched, rather it’s “played” it by moving your hands around it and above it to control sound and volume. The sound is sent to an amplifier. What does it sound like? Probably the best description is that it resembles a human’s low whistle. It’s an eerie kind of sound on purpose.
Death Of The Small Coppers - The Pitchfork
Midsomer Murders has cast a whole lot of budding A-list actors, including a very young Orlando Bloom. In 2000, Series 3, Bloom was a womanizing thief in “Judgement Day.” In typical Midsomer Murders fashion, he was dispatched from this life by being skewered on a pitchfork, one of the most outrageous murders on Midsomer Murders.
In the 20th anniversary special “Death of the Small Coppers”, there is an Easter egg real fans will have spotted. In the foreground of one shot, there is a pitchfork innocently leaning up against a caravan. In fact, appropriately, the episode has twenty Easter eggs scattered throughout.
The Only Murderless Episode
Believe it or not, but some fans were up in arms, when in 2016, Series 18 kicked off with “Habeas Corpus.” What was the problem? There weren’t any murders. John Barnaby’s Sergeant Nelson (Gwilym Lee) took to social media to apologize to fans for the glaring omission.
It was also the episode that introduced the new (humorless) medical examiner Kam Karimore (Majinder Virk). There have been around 330 murders since the show began twenty-one years ago. On average, there are around two or three per episode. Drama, serial killing, and great scenery. What’s not to love? Midsomer Murders is truly an iconic British murder mystery you need to watch.
Death Of The Small Coppers - Series 20
British actor Henry Cavill, who later went on to fame as Superman, made his television debut as a fairly minor character in 2003’s Green Man episode. In that episode, a body from the 1960s is found in a collapsed tunnel. The episode also features the Green Man Pub, complete with echoes of eco-friendly pursuits.
So, when they did the 20th anniversary Easter egg special, they decided to have a cyclist ride by a sign for none other than the Green Man Public House. It’s a long way from 2003 to 2016 and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Garden Of Death - Series 4
Whilst there are actors you had no idea were on Midsomer Murders, long before he was DCI John Barnaby with his school teacher wife Sarah, Sykes the wonder dog and baby Betty, Neil Dudgeon appeared in Series 4’s “Garden of Death.” He was Daniel Bolt, a slightly seedy, lecherous gardener who was not only carrying on with his lady boss but who also had a brief flirtation with Tom Barnaby’s wife, Joyce. Bolt even tried something with the boss’s daughter, after the lady was poisoned with lethal pesto.
Neil Dudgeon has joked that Bolt was only a cousin of his. Dudgeon has also said that doggie Sykes’ audition for the show was the best he had ever seen, dog or human.
The Case Of The In-Joke
Midsomer Murders is full of them. Tom Barnaby’s wife Joyce is a very bad cook. When Tom is asked if he remembers when she took a Cordon Bleu cooking class, he mumbles “vividly”. Tom’s first sidekick Troy (Daniel Casey) was a careless, almost reckless driver. When Tom tells him he was on the wrong side of the road, he replies “only for a second, sir”.
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Another sidekick, Jones (Jason Hughes) is about as politically incorrect as is possible. Dedicated fans can tell stories of Troy almost running into a truck full of pine straw or Joyce’s failed attempt at making jam. The running jokes are an endearing, light-handed comic touch. It’s one of the reasons the show is so popular.
When they did the 20th-anniversary episode “Death of the Small Coppers” (coppers being butterflies), they couldn’t resist putting in an Easter egg that referred to 2015’s A Vintage Murder. That episode is set in Midsomer Vinae Winery where a vintage launch party is totally wrecked when the Midsomer Vinae is laced with slug poison.
It’s got some great murders in it. An odious, drunken wine critic dies of carbon monoxide poisoning and a love-sick hotel owner expires when he is pushed out of a window. In the anniversary episode, there is a chalkboard sign offering Midsomer Vinae at around $50, a truly exorbitant price. The joke? It wasn’t very good wine.
