Midsomer Murders

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Midsomer Murders

The Midsomer Murders opening title.
Format Drama
Run time 102 minutes (episodes 1 - 9), 99 minutes (episodes 10 - 30), 94 minutes (episodes 31 - 52)
Creator(s) Caroline Graham
Starring John Nettles
Channel ITV1
Production company Bentley Productions
Air dates March 23, 1997 – Present
No. of series 10
IMDb profile

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, Estonia, 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)

Series 1: (filmed July – November 1997)

Series 2: (filmed May – October 1998)

Series 3: (filmed May – October 1999)

Series 4: (filmed May – November 2000)

Series 5: (filmed April – October 2001)

Series 6: (filmed May – November 2002)

Series 7: (filmed May 2003 – March 2004)

Series 8: (filmed May 2004 – March 2005)

Series 9: (filmed May 2005 – March 2006)

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.

[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

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