Despite being set in beautiful English countryside the Midsomer villages are dangerous places to live, it seems that behind every perfectly trimmed hedge a potential murderer is lurking. It is rare that an episode features a single murder, usually there are two or three. Given the high murder rate one would expect that the local constabulary would have a large murder unit but in fact all murders are investigated by DCI Tom Barnaby and his sergeant. It is a mistake to join any club, society or organisation in the Midsomers as they are nearly all hotbeds of jealousy, rivalry and backstabbing and those that aren't will somehow offend other villagers. These feelings inevitably lead to murder, usually in a fairly imaginative way. Unusually for a TV detective Barnaby is happily married with a grown up daughter. It is surprising that wife Joyce and Daughter Cully have survived as they often found themselves in the groups where the other members were dropping like flies. While there are plenty of murders it is never overly gory so it is suitable for all but the most squeamish. The cast do a great job, as well as the regulars you can expect to see several well known British actors appearing as suspects and victims. Don't expect it to be too serious though and don't expect it to accurately portray police procedure... Barnaby rarely wastes time with trivial things like search warrants or telling a suspect their rights before questioning them.

I do prefer Inspector Morse for the complexity of the characters and the great John Thaw in the title role, but if you want an entertaining detective series, look no further than this or Touch of Frost(David Jason is fantastic in the lead). John Nettles excels as Tom Barnaby, with his dry humour and the dedication to his job. He is accompanied by Troy, Scott and Jones, and all of them played by their actors respectively bring humour, charm and intrigue in their own right. The episodes are intriguing, have a sense of fun, and the murders sometimes are so brutal you have to look away. (the Rainbirds murder in the episode the Killing at Badgers Drift is a good example)The script is fresh, and while the final solutions aren't always complicated, they do make you think deep. There are some truly memorable moments like Richard Briers throwing himself from the church tower, George Baker playing two feuding brothers, Oliver Ford-Davies and that infamously bizarre death scene and Anna Massey chasing Joanna David with an axe, or what have you, very like the Shining. All in all, an entertaining series. 9/10 Bethany Cox

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