The Killings at Badger's Drift was the very first episode of Midsomer Murders. It had it all. Beautiful countryside, multiple murders, incest, and suicide. Elizabeth Spriggs (who went on to be the Fat Lady in Harry Potter) plays Iris Rainbird and Richard Cant is wonderful as Dennis, her icky undertaker son.
Midsomer Murders is a British detective drama that began in 1997. It’s based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby book series. It’s set in several villages within the fictional English county of Midsomer and is known for it’s occasional lightheaded jokes and moments of dark humor.
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on Caroline Graham's Chief Inspector Barnaby book series, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The current lead character is DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), who works for Causton CID.
Barnaby's partner, DS Gavin Troy, portrayed by Daniel Casey, also made his debut in the pilot. In February 2009, it was announced that Nettles had decided to leave Midsomer Murders after two further series were to be made. By his final appearance in series 13 on 2 February 2011 in "Fit for Murder", Nettles had appeared in 81 episodes.
Fit For Murder is the eighth episode of the thirteenth series of the popular British crime drama Midsomer Murders and was first aired on 2nd February 2011. It is the final episode featuring John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby.
The episode in question, Habeas Corpus, kicked off the 18th series of the show when it aired on ITV on Wednesday night, as DCI Barnaby was drawn in to a case involving body-snatching in Little Malton.
During the filming of Midsomer Murders' series 18 (2015), Sykes' trainer, Gill Raddings, called the Executive producer and said it was time to retire Sykes at the end of the year. She had noticed that he had started to go deaf.
Filming took place at the Bulstrode Estate in Gerrard's Cross, Buckinghamshire. The Victorian mansion we see on screen in Midsomer Murders sits in the beautiful grounds of Bulstrode Park, which is renowned for its beautiful trees from around the world.
However, the highest death count in a single episode was seen in series nine's Four Funerals and a Wedding, which first aired in September, 2006. It included a total of 15 murders and 12 other deaths - although most of those characters were killed years before the “present day” setting of the episode.
Best Midsomer Murders EpisodesMidsomer Murders (1997– ) "Death's Shadow" (1999) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) "The Killings at Badger's Drift" (1997) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– ) ... Midsomer Murders (1997– )More items...
The show has faced a number of setbacks in recent years due to restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, the show began airing in January, before the series was halted half way through – meaning the fans didn't get the remaining episodes of series 21 until March 2021.
' A production source explained this week that he'd decided to leave to take up other opportunities. 'I think the young actors on the show only want to do a couple of series before they move on,' she said.
It's lovely.” After seven years though, Daniel decided the time was right to try new things. Having secured a promotion for Troy – “he made inspector against all the odds,” laughs Daniel, “he couldn't even identify a piece of fruit in one episode!” – he decided to leave Midsomer behind and try new things.
The fictional town of Causton is filmed across three main South Oxfordshire market towns - Wallingford, Thame and Henley-on-Thames. Wallingford's market square features in the series and its Corn Exchange doubles as Causton theatre which often provides extras for episodes of Midsomer Murders.
Actress Laura Howard was said to have left the show after The Magician's Nephew, but Cully appeared again in The Glitch and The Silent Land. She made her final appearance in Fit For Murder.
Thankfully, the Midsomer Murders solved by DCI Barnaby are fictional, but the villages and market towns seen in each episode are not. These South Oxfordshire locations are the real stars of the show and you can easily explore them by following self-guide trails, or by taking a chauffeur driven guided tour.