Midsomer Murders is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. A detective drama,[1] it focuses on the main character of Detective Chief Inspector John Barnaby, played by Neil Dudgeon. Prior to 2011, the chief character was DCI Tom Barnaby, older cousin of the current character, who left the series when actor John Nettles decided to give up the role. The stories revolve around Barnaby's efforts to solve the numerous crimes that take place in the fictional English county of Midsomer, assisted by successive Detective Sergeants - DS Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), DS Dan Scott (John Hopkins), and DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes). It is based on a series of crime novels by the author Caroline Graham and was previously adapted by Anthony Horowitz.
Character | Portrayed by | Actor Status | Years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCI John Barnaby | Neil Dudgeon | starring | 2010–present | |
| DCI Tom Barnaby | John Nettles | starring; former | 1997–2011 | |
| DS Ben Jones | Jason Hughes | starring | 2005–present | |
| DC Gail Stephens | Kirsty Dillon | supporting | 2007–present | |
| DS Gavin Troy | Daniel Casey | starring; former | 1997–2003, 2008 | |
| DS Dan Scott | John Hopkins | starring; former | 2004–2005 | |
| Joyce Barnaby | Jane Wymark | starring; former | 1997–2011 | |
| Sarah Barnaby | Fiona Dolman | starring | 2011–present | |
| Pathologist George Bullard | Barry Jackson | supporting | 1997–present | |
| Cully Barnaby | Laura Howard | supporting; former | 1997–2000 and 2003–2011 |
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby - A senior member of the Midsomer Constabulary's Causton CID, Barnaby handled the considerable number of murders that occur in the county. A patient, tolerant man whose style of investigation is methodical and fair. However, despite his methodical nature he is an extremely sagacious and perceptive individual, able to recognise seemingly obscure clues in order to close an investigation. He also formerly worked for MI6. Much of his social life seems to revolve around his wife and daughter. In fact, they both often provide a personal connection with the crimes that he is investigating. His other relatives are his parents, who by the episode "Blue Herrings" are both deceased. Though only his mother is referred to, he also has an aunt Alice Bly who appears only in the aforesaid episode, to whom he is devoted. In Barnaby's last appearance ("Fit for Murder") we learn that his father died on his birthday, at Tom's present age.
Joyce Barnaby - Barnaby's long-suffering wife. She is enormously tolerant of her husband, despite his being a workaholic who spent their honeymoon solving the case of the 'Pimlico Poisoner', which suggests that they met in London, where they both possibly lived and worked. Joyce is an easy-going and friendly woman who likes to get involved in community activities. She has long possessed a desire to move out of their Causton home and into one of the picturesque Midsomer villages - only to be put off by the grisly murders that occur there.
Cully Barnaby - Tom's and Joyce's only child takes her first name from a village on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where she was conceived during her parents' honeymoon. She is an inquisitive and bold young woman, who seems to have inherited many of her parents' friendly attitudes and community spirit. Early in the series she attended Cambridge University and dated a drama student, Nico. This fell through and she returned to live with her parents in Causton. She is an actress and frequently takes temporary jobs in the Midsomer area when "resting" between assignments. Like her mother, her tendency to do community work often leaves her personally involved with the murders that take place. She meets Simon in the Axeman Cometh, and marries him in Blood Wedding. Actress Laura Howard was said to have left the show after "The Magician's Nephew",[2] but Cully appeared again in "The Glitch".
Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy – Barnaby's first deputy. He is a local man and attended a local comprehensive. He is young to be a detective sergeant, a point often commented on. He is very bright and ambitious, though it is usually his boss who solves the crime, often after Troy has made the slightly wrong conclusion. In contrast to the tolerant Barnaby, Troy is one to make non-politically correct remarks. He was promoted to Inspector and transferred to Middlesbrough in the first episode of the seventh series, "The Green Man".[3] His relationship with Barnaby has always been warm and the two make a formidable pair. He makes a one off re-appearance in the Series 11 episode "Blood Wedding", to attend the wedding of Cully Barnaby.[4]
DS Dan Scott - is a lot cockier than his predecessor DS Troy; he is a Londoner who was not thrilled at being transferred from the Metropolitan Police Service to Midsomer, which he regards as the 'sticks'. His relationship with Barnaby was prickly at first but it mellowed into a slightly awkward marriage of convenience, with Barnaby still disapproving of Scott's methods and Scott grudgingly starting to respect him. In 'The Straw Woman,' Scott develops a love interest who is subsequently brutally murdered. This episode is notable for Barnaby's lack of sympathy with Scott's situation. Scott's departure from the show was also abrupt. In "The House in the Woods", Barnaby describes Scott as being ill. Barnaby invites PC Ben Jones (see below) to assist him on that case. After this incident, no more is heard from Scott and Jones becomes the new assistant.
DS Ben Jones - the third character to act as Barnaby's assistant. Unlike the his predecessors (DS Troy and DS Scott), who first appeared on the series as sergeants, Jones was a uniformed police constable when first introduced. He was first appointed as a Detective Constable (after assisting Barnaby in DS Scott's absence), and later promoted to Detective Sergeant by the end of his first series. Jones is considerably less naive than his predecessors, often possessing an insight into cases that neither Scott nor Troy would have. He is Welsh, and remarks about his love for Wales when he and Barnaby travel there in the episode "Death and Dust". He is formerly a Freemason, as revealed in "King's Crystal". In the episode "Death in Chorus" Jones exhibits a remarkable vocal talent and is recruited to sing tenor in the Midsomer Worthy choir.
Doctor George Bullard - Causton's resident pathologist. Bullard goes about his work with a professional skill and a cheery demeanour. He is a good friend of Barnaby. He has been a regular throughout the series (save for a brief spell, when his place was taken by Dr. Dan Peterson played by Toby Jones). In later episodes he has often played a greater role in the plot, even making a sterling appearance in the Midsomer Worthy Choir in "Death in Chorus". In one episode he admits to the "accidental" death of his wife while on tour at a slaughter house.
DC Gail Stephens - a colleague of Barnaby and Jones who often helps them in their cases, sometimes providing valuable insight. Stephens is cheery but emotional, breaking down in tears when, after initially serving as a uniformed Constable, she was appointed as a full-time detective. There was the brief potential for a relationship between her and Jones, but Jones made a decision which went against it on the grounds that she was a work colleague.
Other minor characters have also spanned their appearances across more than one episode. Olive Beauvoisin, the estate agent, (played by Eileen Davies) appeared in "Death's Shadow" and "Dead Man’s Eleven". She also appeared in "Hidden Depths" but in this particular episode she was credited as "Estate Agent". Charles Jennings (played by Terence Corrigan) also featured in the same two episodes. David Whitely (played by Christopher Villiers) appeared in the pilot episode "The Killings at Badger's Drift" and also in "Death's Shadow". John Lightbody has played the role of two different characters. In "Hidden Depths" he is gardener Steve Hope, but in "Death and Dust" he plays the role of Jason Slater.
Setting
Midsomer is an English fictional county. The county town is Causton, a middle-sized town where Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby lives with his wife and where the Criminal Investigation Department is located. Many of the villages and small towns of the county have the word Midsomer in their name; this is inspired in part by the real county of Somerset, and specifically the town of Midsomer Norton. The county is notable for its particularly high crime rate, the Midsomer Constabulary inundated with the number of murder cases that come their way. This has even become a running joke. When Mrs. Barnaby proposed they move out of Causton and suggested various villages, her husband countered with recollections of particularly grisly murders that occurred in each community.List of villages in Midsomer
|
|
|
|
|
Production
Initial filming of Midsomer Murders was undertaken in autumn 1996 with the first episodes transmitted in the United Kingdom in March 1997. Viewing figures for the series are healthy, and the feature-length drama attracts a number of actors from the stage and screen in guest-starring roles. The majority of the early episodes were adapted by Anthony Horowitz from the original Caroline Graham works. Horowitz and the original producers Betty Willingale and Brian True-May, created the series. Current writers include David Lawrence, Michael Aitkens and David Hoskins.In early 2009 John Nettles announced he will retire after the 13th series of 10 episodes, at the end of 2010. Neil Dudgeon will replace him in the 14th series playing Barnaby's cousin DCI John Barnaby.[7] The character is first seen in the episode 'The Sword of Guillaume'.[8]
No comments:
Post a Comment