Mysteries in the Countryside: The Best of Midsomer Murders

Image Courtesy of ITV

In innocent little villages in Midsomer County — among rolling hills, quaint neighborhoods and English pubs — there’s greed, jealousy, and of course, murder.

There’s no show on television quite like Midsomer Murders. Murder by a block of cheese? Murder doused in honey by bees? This series has so many cunning ways to die, viewers look forward to seeing how the writers one-up themselves with each new episode. And the suspects are quirky, funny and somehow believable in even the most unimaginable circumstances.

Midsomer Murders premiered in 1997 and is still running strong with its twenty-fourth series in production this year. The show is based on novels by Caroline Graham called the Inspector Barnaby series, although there were only ten mysteries written by her and adapted for television. The majority of the credit to the success of Midsomer Murders goes to Brian True-May, and writers such as Peter Hammond, Andrew Payne, and Anthony Horowitz (see OMITI 9/27/23). The show has entertained viewers for more than 25 years, so much so that the role of DCI Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles) passed to his cousin, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon).

Image Courtesy of ITV

Although the cast has changed over the years, arguably the best on-screen chemistry belongs to the current trio. In addition to Dudgeon as Barnaby, there’s Nick Hendricks as DS Winter and Annette Badland as Dr. Fleur Perkins. The dry wit and seriousness of DS Winter (with a maybe a cosplay cape hidden in his closet) plays well off DCI Barnaby’s occasional dad jokes and irreverent humor, making them the best detectives to lead the charge. British fans will recognize the excellent Annette Badland, whose range accommodates shows from Bergerac to Agatha Raisin to Doctor Who. Badland adds layers and some zing to the otherwise monotonous lines of, “I won’t know until I get the body back to the lab.”

However, diehard Midsomer Murders fans will disagree with me regarding the current cast. The long-held favorites are the OG Barnaby (John Nettles) and the very popular DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), with the character of Jones being the only transitional sidekick for the two Barnaby leads, as the baton was passed from actors John Nettles to Neil Dudgeon back in 2011.

Series 22, Episode 3 “Happy Families,” Image Courtesy of ITV

If you’re new to Midsomer Murders and don’t fancy a slow watch of all twenty-three series spanning over two decades, here’s a top ten to give you a taste of murder in the English countryside.

Series 1, Episode 1 - The Killings at Badgers Drift

Series 6, Episode 3 - Painted in Blood

Series 8, Episode 3 - Orchis Fatalis

Series 9, Episode 3 - Vixen’s Run

Series 12, Episode 5 - Small Mercies

Series 16, Episode 1 - The Christmas Haunting

Series 18, Episode 1 - Habeas Corpus

Series 20, Episode 2 - Death of the Small Coppers

Series 22, Episode 3 - Happy Families

Series 22, Episode 4 - The Scarecrow Murders

For fans of: Father Brown, Poirot, Agatha Christie’s Marple, Agatha Raisin, Columbo, Poker Face, Murder, She Wrote

After You Watch: My favorite fan site, with the definitive guide to everything Midsomer, by Joan Street — Midsomermurders.org

Song of the Day — “Country Death Song” by Violent Femmes