MIDSOMER MURDERS SERIES 21

TX: ITV 2020

Press contact: Lisa Vanoli - lisavanolipublicity@gmail.com/ Tel: 07899 060230 Hannah Douglas – lvp.hannah@gmail.com

Contents:

Key Cast Interviews: Neil Dudgeon Nick Hendrix Annette Badland Fiona Dolman Episode 1 – ‘The Point of Balance’ Synopsis Guest Star Interview - Christopher Timothy Cast and Crew List Episode 2 – ‘The Miniature Murders’ Synopsis Guest Star Interviews - Karl Collins and Rosalie Craig Cast and Crew List

Neil Dudgeon is DCI Barnaby Returning for the 21st series of the popular detective drama, Midsomer Murders, Neil Dudgeon admits it is a joy to return to the English countryside and some familiar faces. ‘The first day of filming is usually spent with Fiona (Dolman) and Paddy the dog in the Barnaby’s house, which is ideal as we are in a location we know with people we love and have got used to working with for years. It was especially nice to return this year as it was a while since we filmed last and so it was wonderful to catch up with and see everyone. ‘When you are an actor you are always doing different jobs. You may have a job that lasts you a day – for my first film job I was only in for one morning - and if you are fortunate the following week you’re doing another job. So you are constantly in a new environment with a new crew and cast but for me, I have been coming back to pretty much the same crew and familiar locations for nine years. It can be hard to come in just for one day with an unfamiliar crew and surroundings so it is nice to get back to an environment and with people you know and feel relaxed with. We try to cultivate that for the guests who come in.’ As usual, this series of Midsomer Murders boasts some fabulous guest star appearances including Christopher Timothy who plays Ned Barnaby, John’s father. Neil discusses the characters' difficult relationship and reveals other exciting guests. ‘When the writers told me they were introducing my dad in an episode and then told me who it would be I immediately thought he couldn’t possibly be old enough to play my dad! I think of him as the bright, young thing on the TV in All Creatures Great and Small. I do have a terrible soft spot for the older artists who come in because of their gossip. They have wonderful stories and they tell you extraordinary things about incredible people they have crossed paths with. Christopher was terrific and we had a great time together. ‘As a detective, Barnaby tends not to get personally involved with the cases but then his dad turns up and there is a complicated history between them and so you see a different side to Barnaby, one we haven’t seen before, a more personal side of him. You see underneath the rather charismatic exterior there is a heart and a man with his own unresolved issues. There has been an impression of him as this person who knows all and is very much in control of himself and his own life so this was very interesting, to get his dad in who presses his buttons. They have an interesting and combustible relationship. ‘Also in that episode we have some marvellous stars, including some from Strictly Come Dancing. I am an enormous fan so seeing this table full of people I had seen on Strictly, people who I have admired and voted for, all there, in the show was incredibly exciting. I also got to watch them dance and they’re seriously brilliant. Nigel Havers didn’t dance but it was great to have him guest

star. Again, he is another mature artist with some fabulous and hilarious stories to tell.’ Would Neil ever consider being a contestant on Strictly? ‘I am a terrible dancer so I might spoil it for everyone. I am really bad at being told what to do or taught to do anything. I had an awful time learning to drive because when they would say ‘mirror, signal, manoeuvre’ I would think ‘but what happens if I don’t…’ and what happens is I nearly hit a bus. Whenever someone tells me to do something in a specific way my instinctive reaction is to think ‘but what if I did it like this…’ I always had a terrible time taking direction in the theatre for this reason. I would get bored and think ‘ok, I’m going to do it like this now’ which obviously you cannot do when you are ballroom dancing because you’ve got to rely on your feet. I’d be the worst contestant they’ve ever had.’ Whilst dancing may not be his forte, Neil reveals he is quite the yogi… ‘Sting of Death is an episode all about bee keeping, honey production and yoga. I love doing yoga and I am a big fan of bees so I felt very much in my element. The Barnaby’s practice some yoga at home with Paddy who is better than either of them. They had done yoga about nine years ago and I didn’t know anything about it but since then, about two years ago, I took yoga up and so I was very excited to show my stuff. However I had to pretend that Barnaby didn’t know how to do it, when actually I am a bit of a dab hand. I had to hide my yoga light under a bushel...One day, whilst the cameras were being set up, the yoga teacher got the actors who would be involved in the class all rolling around doing yoga at 8am. I was sitting around have a cup of tea and I saw this impromptu, alfresco yoga class and I ran over, threw myself down and joined in. It is a fantastic way to start the day. I thought I’d like to do this every day; maybe we’ll introduce it on set.’ Neil talks about the joy of working with so many talented women on the show... ‘Minature Murders is largely set in a museum, involving dolls houses and a toyshop owned by the very lovely Eleanor Bron who was in one of my earliest episodes. I was thrilled to have her in then and even more thrilled to have her back in again now. She was every bit as fun and joyful as ever. She has worked with everyone from Peter Cook to The Beatles so naturally, she really does have the best stories. A brilliant and clever woman. Working with Eleanor is a bit of a dream for me. Also in this episode we have Katy Brand, Rosalie Craig, Joanna Page and Claire Holman, so it was a great pleasure to film because whatever part of the story you were filming you were working with hilarious, wonderful and brilliant women.’ One of the brilliant women Neil gets to work alongside is Annette Badland who plays pathologist, Fleur Perkins.

‘Fleur Perkins (Annette Badland) coming in has been a breath of fresh air. Obviously Annette is a brilliant actor but she is also a wonderful person to have on set. Having an older character coming into the pathologist role is interesting. She is a woman who knows her own mind, who is great at her job and has a very strong sense of her domain so will not be second guessed or pushed around. She is not going to take any nonsense from anyone. She is a little feisty and Barnaby and she clearly like and respect each other – it is a relationship that is fun for them both because it is a little more combative than they might get with other people and they enjoy sparring and jousting with each other. Fleur is such a marvellous creation and because she is of a certain age it means she can have a history so in every episode there are revelations about things that have gone on in her life that are surprising and hilarious and Barnaby and Winter have more and more reason to share a few sideways glances trying to figure out if what they discover can possibly be true…’ Neil talks about his on and off screen relationship with his friend and second half of Midsomer’s detective duo, Nick Hendrix aka DS Jamie Winter. ‘I have been so lucky with all three of the actors who have taken on this role. You are often getting in at 7am and leaving at 7pm and almost all of that time you can be with that actor. I am spending a lot more of my waking hours with Nick then I am with any member of my family during the months we are filming. He is brilliant in that you need to be able to rely on each other with the lines, that you are on top of it and you come in having thought about it all and he always does. He is a marvellous giggler too, if you can get him to corpse that’s always good because he just goes and he is not one of those who can hide it. We’ve had to start scenes four or five times, he sets me off giggling too. ‘The other area he is great is for the guests. I am so thrilled that so many guests always say what a great time they have had on the show because of the lovely atmosphere on set which is due, in large part, to the amazing crew but it is a whole ecology of everyone working together. Nick is a great part of that, he is lovely and chatty and very personable. The two things he always does when we go to a new location is find the Wi-Fi and find out the entire history of the building we are in which always amuses me. He is a very nice companion and a great person to spend so much time with.’ Returning for his 8th year to film this drama, Neil explains why each episode feels like a new and exciting project. ‘The brilliant thing about Midsomer for the four of us, who are in every episode, is you will get to the end of an episode and then you’re back to the studio for the read through of the next episode and there are about 15 new people all coming in who are all excited. New director, script, stories, actors – it is a great new injection of life and fun and excitement every four weeks and it really gives the show a lot of life. It is their show really. We are there but usually the show is about what is going on in the lives of these eccentric and brilliant characters. The audience see it all through our eyes but what they’re seeing is the richness of these people who inhabit these villages.’

Neil reveals his personal favourite guest from the entire series, a man he won’t forget anytime soon whose life story moved Neil considerably. ‘Cassidy Little is an actor who plays an amputee veteran and he is an extraordinary young man and not someone you meet every day. We had a very chatty time, he was a lovely fella with an incredible story. We sat down in his living room, in character and went through the lines from the scene and his character talks about his experience of being a soldier and losing his leg and after we had finished we went and had a cup of tea outside and he starts telling us about his experiences as a soldier and how he lost his leg! It was exactly what he had just told us in the scene. He hadn’t even told anyone that this character’s story was exactly the same as his own; he got the part without anyone even knowing. He told us stories about his life and about his time in the army. He is an astonishing person. Cassidy was definitely the stand out person for me from this series.’

Nick Hendrix is DS Jamie Winter Nick Hendrix returns to play DS Jamie Winter in the 21st series of the UK’s longest running contemporary detective drama, Midsomer Murders. An excited Nick discusses the upcoming series, revealing some storylines and surprise guest stars. ‘The storylines this series are full of top notch Midsomer eccentricity and our characters are still developing which is pretty amazing considering how long it has been on for. Audiences will get to learn more about us this series as each of the episodes focuses on one of the lead characters a little more. The Point of Balance focuses slightly more on Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and we have Christopher Timothy playing his dad. It is a fun episode, especially for the Strictly Come Dancing fans out there as it was based around a Strictly style dance competition that comes to Midsomer. We even have a few people who have previously competed in Strictly joining the cast, some of whom were finalists and one person who even won it. Also in this episode is Nigel Havers whose performance people will definitely enjoy, he is a legend. ‘The episode is nicely mirrored with an opposing second theme about bio-robotics and the development prosthetics for veterans, or anyone who needs one for any reason. So we have the big modern company and this old school, strictly style dance competition. Cassidy Little is this fascinating actor who plays a character who is an Afghanistan veteran, who had stepped on an IED and had his leg blown up. Neil and I were talking to him off set and he starts telling us about when he was back in Kabul and Afghan and it turns out he served in the Royal Marines and the character’s story is also his story; he stepped on an IED and had his leg blown off, he lost his sight in one of his eyes. He is an amazing person who used to be a stand up comedian in Canada and originally joined the Royal Marines just to prove to someone that he could pass the fitness test and then he ended up coming top of his class, being awarded a special medal, doing three tours and has now became an actor.! So all of the speeches he makes in the episode about his experiences in Afghanistan are literally his life’s story.’ Nick reveals a few additional guest actors this series who he was thrilled to work alongside. ‘Miniature Murders is an episode that surrounds the exhibition of an incredible collection of vintage dolls houses. Eleanor Bron plays the most wonderful, eccentric lady who restores and owns dolls houses and having her on set was very exciting for both Neil and I. Eleanor is one of those people Neil and I like to sit down and interview off set, that’s really all we do, we film scenes in between interviewing actors. She went to Cambridge with Dudley Moore and she was in Help! the Beatles movie that I watched as a kid and so I couldn’t help but ask her about hanging out with John Lennon. I have been working on a film about my grandmother for ages and I was sat there thinking Eleanor Bron should play my grandma.

‘Katy Brand was also in this episode and I had a hilarious scene with her where she is at her soft play centre that her character runs and she was wearing this huge purple bird costume, like Big Bird, and I am interviewing her but we are sat on these tiny children’s chairs across this tiny table trying to have a very serious conversation and keep straight faces. I was asking her where she was between 5-7pm whilst sat at a toddler’s table covered in dolls. Only in Midsomer! ‘I also had a good friend guest star in this episode, Rosalie Craig. Rosie and I did a play together at the National Theatre, directed by Marion Elliot, called The Light Princess and she was playing the princess and I was the prince, it was huge for us. It was an amazing experience and we have stayed in touch. Recently she was playing the lead in Company in the West End and Neil took his daughter to see it and she became obsessed with Rosie so he went back three more times and he brought his daughter on set to meet her and she was very excited. We were terrible corpsers when we did the play and filming was no different; there is a scene where she has to cry and I just couldn’t stop laughing...’ Whilst the guest stars on Midsomer Murders always generate great excitement Nick discusses being a part of the core cast and working alongside Neil Dudgeon and Annette Badland. ‘In the two weeks leading up to filming I was genuinely really excited to see everyone again. They are people, for the last few years, I have spent five days a week with so it was nice and I know not everyone has that when returning to their jobs. On my first day back Neil and I were sat chatting in a pub both in front of and behind the camera, nothing had changed, which was lovely. ‘Neil and I get on really well and I think the writers are slowly incorporating that banter we share into the episodes, which is great. Neil has this real untapped wit, which he is letting come out a bit more. He might suggest something to me and I convince him to try it or to ask the director if we can and a lot of the time we can’t get away with it as it is still a drama, not a comedy but the thing you can always do as an actor is try out a joke at the end of a scene because they can always cut it. So we’ll add a little line or joke at the end of scenes, whilst we are walking away. ‘What is great about the addition of Annette’s character, Fleur Perkins, is that when we are in the lab or mortuary Neil and I are scolded school boys and she is matron telling us off which is a fun dynamic for us all. She is in charge, she is the smart one and we are just asking her for help while she is very much slapping wrists, which is really funny and Annette plays it so well. Miniature Murders focuses on her a little more and we see where she lives and we find out a shocking and brilliant obsession of hers that shows a little more of her own, unique eccentricity. Annette brings fun and class to set and has a great comedy eye on the situation as well which you have to have with Midsomer. I am so pleased she is a part of the show and long may it continue.’

For Nick, being involved in his first Midsomer Murders fist fight was a highlight from filming this series, despite the end result. ‘DS Jamie Winter got to punch someone for the first time this series. Usually in the script there is something written and we make less of it in reality but this went the other way around. Thomas Dominique is this man mountain who has muscles in places I didn’t think you were even meant to have them and he plays a very suspicious character, who lives out in the woods and Winter follows him out there to confront him and it comes to blows. But because he is so large he basically ends up picking me up and just throwing me into the bushes like a rag doll, which was brilliant. I love working with the stage combat advisor, I am always trying to figure out ways to make those moments drag on longer. It’s my own fault really because I may have told people I like the gym and am into exercise so they naturally think it’s very funny to make Winter look anything but tough...’

Fiona Dolman is Sarah Barnaby Fiona Dolman was incredibly touched by the outpouring of support from Midsomer Murders fans all over the world when she decided to run the London marathon after losing her father. ‘We have the most amazing fans. Last year I was running the marathon, raising money for Hospice UK as my dad had hospice care throughout the past five years of his life. I am on Twitter and I was using it to update people on my runs each week and gradually more and more people, all of whom were Midsomer fans, started to join in and I got this overwhelming sea of support that just got bigger and bigger. People started sending me encouraging messages and people from all over the world sponsored me and we raised £7,500. It was such a gorgeous community and a nice way for me to get to know some of those fans, as it was the same names regularly coming up and checking in and sharing some of their stories. I really enjoyed communicating with the fans in that way, they are lovely, supportive people.’ Fiona reveals that ballroom dancing with an exciting co-star this series was one of her highlights. ‘The first episode this series was a really funny one for me because my dad passed away about eight weeks before we started filming and I got the script and, having not mentioned dads for nine years, typically it was all about dads. Sarah spends time in the episode trying to talk to John about his dad, about him appreciating him and I just thought ‘oh no I am going to ball my eyes out and not be able to get through it’ and then I found out it was Christopher Timothy who was cast and I was very excited because I grew up watching him on All Creatures Great and Small. I was a big fan and he was an absolute joy, on and off the screen. In the episode there is a Strictly Come Dancing style competition, so we all got glammed up in beautiful frocks and the cast was joined by some fantastic celebrities who have competed and even won Strictly. Christopher and I had great fun together, we had a little dance choreographed that we got to do and had we been given more time I believe we would have gone on to win the dance competition...’ ‘Neil Dudgeon is a huge Strictly Come Dancing fan; he watches it with his family and loves the dancing. Neil gets excited by the guest actors we have on but he always plays it very cool unlike Nick and myself who will be walking around asking for selfies. I have never seen Neil do that in nine years but in this episode he was like a big kid, going around trying to snap pictures with people and get them to tell him about Strictly. In the episode John doesn’t want to go to this dance competition because his dad, Ned (Christopher Timothy) is a trained dancer and felt he was second best to the dancing when growing up so poor Neil had to sit there looking terribly bored when he was secretly having the time of his life.’ From wonderful guest stars to fabulous co-stars, Fiona discusses Midsomer’s somewhat surprising pathologist, Dr. Fleur Perkins played by Annette Badland.

‘Annette is brilliant; she is so funny and has brought her own stamp to this role. In real life she is fantastically warm, very supportive and incredibly kind so she is a great person to have around and she’s a tremendous actress so it is super having her. Sarah has always been the only person who gets to talk to John on a level, for nine years. So for her it is an absolute delight to watch John being utterly fazed and thrown by the comments Fleur makes. It is an endless source of amusement for Sarah. I have watched a few of the latest episodes and she makes me laugh like a drain.’ Fiona discusses why she loves stepping back into Sarah Barnaby’s shoes every year. ‘Sarah is an intelligent, fun character to play, she has a lovely husband and Neil is a wonderful actor to work with. We are nine years in and our relationship is very strong. It is a really fun job. We get as excited about the guest actors as the viewers do and every episode is something different. With Midsomer you have a different writer and scenarios every episode from circuses to dolls houses to psycho cross-country runs. We have a different set of actors each time and it is wonderful to turn up and have people telling us they’ve always wanted to do a Midsomer. ‘We have had some amazing guest stars and in this series alone we had people like Ben Starr who was really funny as a yoga guru. I remember at some points being in that yoga hall when we were filming just thinking ‘this is a ridiculous job. I get paid to try and keep a straight face for three hours’ and every time they say cut I laugh and laugh, what a privilege. We are all extremely lucky and I feel incredibly grateful. Long may it continue.’

Annette Badland is Dr Fleur Perkins Annette Badland returns to Midsomer as pathologist, Dr Fleur Perkins and relishes the chance to play a vibrant middle-aged woman on mainstream television. ‘It is wonderful to play a woman who is not young, who has a mind, who has lovers and a sex life and who has interesting hobbies and can give the boys as good as they get! When I first joined people referred to Fleur as a ‘battle-axe’ but Neil (Dudgeon) said ‘if she were a man people would just say she is good at her job.’ So in an elegant and non-aggressive way we are reminding people that believe it or not, there are quite a few of us women around. People have responded well to Fleur, they like that she can put the men in their place and they relish her dry wit. I have noticed on Twitter I am getting a few more male followers… I can only image it is Fleur.’ Annette gives us the scoop on what to expect in the new series. ‘This series each of the four returning characters have more of a footprint in an episode. Miniature Murders is the episode that slightly focuses a little more on Fleur. Karl Collins guest stars, which was wonderful for me, as we hadn’t seen each other since we did Shane Meadow’s TwentyFourSeven in 1997. We didn’t really get to work together as he was practically a boy but we spent a lot of time together hanging out on set and he is a really nice man. We decided it would be great if he could become one of Fleur’s boyfriends. One of many, of course. ‘In this episode Fleur moves to the area, closer to the Barnaby’s, which is a lot of fun. Fleur has even managed to convince Barnaby to help her unpack and put up shelves, so he has to get set to with a screwdriver. He is not too good at flat pack assemblage but she is surrounded by it and needs help. He looks like he is dancing rather than DIY’ing. I hope someone puts that to some funny music.’ ‘Also in this series is an episode that centres on a Strictly Come Dancing style ballroom competition. Whilst I don’t dance in the episode it reminded me of how astounded I was when I first saw my parents do the Foxtrot, as I had no idea they could even do it. Prancing around the floor they went and it was such a beautiful dance - I loved Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers so that is a dance I love watching. I was born in the 1950s so I am a bit more hippie and free-form, a little bit John Travolta.’ Annette discusses another wonderful guest star she was particularly excited to have on the show this series. ‘I have admired Eleanor Bron since I was a little girl, as she is just that bit older than I am, she is this intelligent, witty, satirical, and beautiful woman. She always had amazing and witty theories on life that fascinated me. I didn’t have scenes with her unfortunately but by our trailers we had time to have a laugh and she is just terrific. She is still very inquisitive and knowledgeable about the world, her references are wide ranging and she is fantastic to be around.’

When asked for a dream guest star, Annette didn’t have to think too hard… ‘Tom Hardy. Why not? I haven’t worked with him but I would like to and I would certainly like him on the slab. He is top of my list. Most people are dead by the time I meet them so we don’t get to play that much. This year, in a few episodes, you see Fleur in action doing her autopsy work and I enjoy doing that despite the very long medical terminology.’ Annette reveals we can expect more cheekiness from Fleur this series. ‘There are a few more moments of Fleur’s naughtiness that occur, including the moment we see her on a Harley Davidson. The way that episode ends is so fabulous. I think sitting on a powerful motorbike might be a bit of a personal, sexual thrill for Fleur. When I was much younger I was a motorbike passenger regularly when I was at drama school because there was a boy with a bike. Now I have my own…. Well I have two, one for myself and one to share.’ Annette reveals the best part about being a member of the Midsomer Murders family. ‘Being in something that fans continue to enjoy, the camaraderie on set and the generosity within the whole group. I think that comes from the top, you have a great guy in Neil and there is an enormous kindness on set which is so important. The world is getting tougher and Midsomer, for all its deaths, is a very kind place to live. They have values about people and how they’re treated, there is a great deal of humanity on set. Sometimes it can be more about product than anything else but Midsomer has heart. Midsomer knows who it is and there is a strength in that and a lot of that comes from the fact it has always held good values and I guess the audience sense that, it has to be inherent in the programme.’

Episode One ‘The Point of Balance’

Midsomer is buzzing with excitement at the arrival of the annual ‘Paramount Dance Extravaganza’. But behind the sequins and smiles are deep running feuds and passions, and when the stakes are high, the desire to win can outweigh just about anything. ________________________________________________________________________

DCI Barnaby’s Dad NED (Christopher Timothy) has come to town. An avid ballroom dancer in his heyday, Ned is delighted to learn that his trip to Midsomer coincides with the annual ‘Paramount Dance Extravaganza’; a challenging ballroom dancing competition taking place over 4 nights. This year, the event is sponsored by Andrew Wilder (Nigel Havers) and ‘The Wilder Institute’ – an impressive research facility that develops exoskeletons and prosthetics for amputees, the disabled and elderly… as well as developing robotic aids for construction workers and manufacturing industries. Andrew made his fortune as a high street mogul, but decided to develop The Wilder Institute when he was diagnosed with a degenerative brain condition, with the aim of helping people like him live a more comfortable life. With time running out for Andrew, he now has to decide who to leave his impressive empire to; his ambitious and power hungry daughter HEATHER (Caroline Main), or his desperate to please son RAY (Tom Chambers), who seems more at home on the dance floor than in a boardroom, despite his latest business venture with business partner and Heather’s fiancé, JAKE (Jack Hawkins). The dance show gets off to an impressive start, but behind the sequins and smiles it’s clear to see that the dancers are harbouring deep seated jealousies that go back years. And none harbour more resentment than dancer ROSA CORRIGAN (Faye Tozer), who is boiling over with anger after her dance partner happened to be detained the day before the competition at immigration. Sick of watching her competitors sashay across the dance floor, Rosa storms off home… only to be later found murdered, choked with the tulle from her flamboyant dance costume. Looking into her background, Barnaby and Winter discover that Rosa was in fact a journalist, mostly focused on low level local news stories… had she started to investigate something that someone would rather keep hidden? Or could this all really be about ancient grudges from the dance floor?

Christopher Timothy is Ned Barnaby in ‘The Point of Balance’ An avid Midsomer Murders fan, Christopher Timothy reveals his excitement when he landed the role of DCI Barnaby's father on the show. ‘I am a fairly serious Midsomer Murders fan and so when I was asked to be a guest in the series I was over the moon. I assumed I’d be playing a dastardly villain but when they told me the role was actually Barnaby’s (Neil Dudgeon) dad, Ned, I have to say that was even more exciting.’ ‘Working on Midsomer was as near to the ideal job as is possible. So much so that there isn’t a best part for me, the whole experience was the best part. I was working on something that had been well written, was being well directed and involved brilliant actors, so it was a treat. It was evident from the minute I arrived that everyone enjoys what he or she does there at Midsomer. Neil and Fiona (Dolman) were 100% welcoming and made the work feel effortless. They’re actors who know what they’re doing and have consideration for other people. It was a huge and fantastic learning experience.’ Christopher tells us a little about Barnaby’s father, Ned and the relationship between this father and son. ‘Ned Barnaby is a child of the 1940s so his formative years are between 1945-55, which is just pre rock ‘n’, roll, and post war. Ned is an amateur ballroom dancer and when Barnaby was young Ned would be off at weekends dancing in competitions, without his wife. So I played him with the understanding that when he was a young man and when Barnaby was growing up, he was not around very much because he was ballroom dancing and what the boys saw was their mum left on her own a lot. So the relationship between Ned and Barnaby is not fantastic. Ned is not a saint but he is definitely not a bad person, he just got some of it wrong when Barnaby was a young boy but eventually he’ll get some of it right.’ Just as his character is a keen ballroom dancer, Christopher too reveals his love of dance, specifically that of jive. ‘Despite getting on a little Ned is still pretty spry. At one point in the episode I sweep Fiona, who plays Sarah Barnaby, across the dance floor. I can jive although I am not quite as good now as I used to be. I was a teenager in the 1950s when it was all about raw rock and roll and the jive you see in war time that was based on jitter-bugging, the dance the Americans would do to swing music. It was very cool dancing. I remember seeing people dancing in dance halls and the guys would be so laid back they’re practically asleep with a cigarette hanging out their mouths and the girls would dance and look bored, that was part of it, looking slightly blasé about it all. Nowadays I am very impressed with the proper ballroom jive, it is hugely energetic but deep down I still prefer the rawness of what it was when I was a teenager.’

Guest starring on Midsomer Murders not only gave Christopher the chance to jive again but also to work with an old friend for the very first time. ‘I had a vague memory of Nigel Havers interviewing me once, a very long time ago. Nigel used to work as a researcher on a radio show that Brian Matthews hosted, in the evenings where he would interview actors doing West End plays. Very often you would finish your show and instead of going home you would go straight to Broadcasting House and do Brian’s show. So when Brian interviewed me on the radio, he was looking at notes that were supplied by Nigel. This was all about 40 years ago and Midsomer Murders was the first time since then that Nigel and I have been in the same place, doing the same job. He is a really great guy; I like him a lot.’ Christopher explains why he is such a big fan of Midsomer Murders. ‘What I love about Midsomer is there is the tiniest element of 'nudge nudge wink wink' and any minute I half expect Barnaby to look at the camera and wink, especially when he’s thinking there is something missing. The show is full of humour and suspense and whilst it is reality and focuses on real people it does have that slightly knowing element. It is about greed, envy, perpetrators and victims, black deeds and red herrings and it is incredibly entertaining; I love it and clearly so do many others.’

Cast and Crew List ‘The Point of Balance’

Director Audrey Cooke Writer Nick Hicks-Beach Executive Producer Michele Buck Producer Guy Hescott Co-Producer Ian Strachan Composer Evan Jolly Script Editor Abi Arthur Casting Director Louise Cross Based on the novels created by Caroline Graham Cast List DCI John Barnaby Neil Dudgeon Ds Jamie Winter Nick Hendrix Sarah Barnaby Fiona Dolman Fleur Perkins Annette Badland Ned Barnaby Christopher Timothy Andrew Wilder Nigel Havers Lily Wilder Jaye Griffiths Heather Wilder Carolina Main Ray Wilder Tom Chambers Jake Hannity Jack Hawkins Rosa Corrigan Faye Tozer Duncan Corrigan Cassidy Little Rachel Stevenson Natalie Gumede Tanya Brzezinski Kazia Pelka Warren Cunningham Luke Pierre Anton Walsh Danny Mac Betty Barnaby Isabel Shaw

Episode 2 ‘The Miniature Murders’

The worlds of miniature dolls houses and real houses collide when prolific real estate agent ALEXANDER BEAUVOISIN (Roger Barclay) is murdered in front of a crowd at the unveiling of a new dolls house Collection at Midsomer Museum of the family. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ There is a packed audience in the Midsomer Museum of the Family for the much anticipated arrival of the new miniature dolls house collection, donated by wealthy owner of Beauvoisin Estates, Alexander Beauvoisin. But as the real estate mogul makes his grand speech on stage, the audience is horrified when he is shot dead. As soon as Barnaby and Winter begin to investigate, it doesn’t take long to discover that Alexander wasn’t as well thought of as he may have had them believe. In fact, far from it; despite his wealth and success he was actually an incredibly careless landlord who let conditions in his rental properties fall into complete disrepair. Cutting corners on repairing a boiler even led to one young tenant LARA losing her life. Boiler technician WESLEY (Thomas Dominique) was imprisoned for the death, but had forever maintained his innocence, instead blaming cheap odd jobs man NICCO for the accident, who ran off shortly after the death. Barnaby meets even more of his enemies when he goes to see another of Alexander’s tenants; dolls house and miniatures creator MAXINE (Eleanor Bron) and her assistant and children’s entertainer CARYS (Rosalie Craig) in their toyshop. Barnaby can’t help but be blown away by her attention to detail, especially on her current project – a remarkable exact replica of the toyshop; a copy of one that Barnaby has always admired on display in the museum. Maxine tells him how Alexander had been increasingly threatening towards her, even placing one of his heavies outside of the toyshop whilst demanding more rent money. Whilst there, Barnaby also learns of Carys’ on-going feud with fellow children’s entertainer JEMIMA (Katy Brand)– who also happens to be Alexander’s one and only fan. Working with a seemingly endless list of people who are happy to see Alexander dead, Barnaby and Winter have their work cut out to whittle down the list and find the real killer, before they have a chance to strike again.

Karl Collins is Samuel Wokoma in ‘The Miniature Murders’ When Karl Collins landed a guest role in this series of Midsomer Murders he looked forward to filming in the beautiful British countryside. Karl reveals his Midsomer setting wasn’t exactly what he was expecting... ‘It is Midsomer Murders, which is all about the quaint, rural British country life and yet incredibly unfortunately all my scenes took place in a stinky back lot in a muddy corner of a farmyard. There was this hellish smell of rotting meat, it was almost the opposite of what I expected of Midsomer. It was ironic and hilarious especially as I know that some of the scenes in this episode were shot in some very picturesque places. Whilst some people got to enjoy the sunshine, I was in a pair of Timberlands and overall most of the time.’ Karl tells us about his character, Samuel Wokoma, and reveals a few details about the eventful storyline. ‘The episode centres around a man who is suddenly and fatally shot at a museum opening for a dolls house exhibition. This person who is murdered turns out to be a sleazy landlord and so it is a little ironic that he may have a love for dolls houses but he is rather neglectful when it comes to the houses he rents out.’ ‘My character, Samuel, runs and owns a removal and storage company and he is tasked with helping to remove some of the dolls houses for this exhibition where the murder takes place. What we learn about him is that he has a son, Finn (Rohan Nedd), and he had a daughter who tragically passed away a few years ago. Samuel is a very attentive father who brought up his two children by himself after losing his wife and he is very close to his son. He is very emotionally engaged with his children and it would have been obviously incredibly heart wrenching when he lost his daughter. As the events of the episode develop we come to discover the cause of his daughter’s death and because of this Samuel soon becomes a key suspect in this murder as it is revealed that he has a clear motive for wanting this man dead.’ Samuel has been a friend of Midsomer’s pathologist, Fleur Perkins (Annette Badland), for a long time and coincidentally Karl reveals he too has known Annette for several years. ‘Fleur and Samuel met a long time ago because when his wife died, Fleur had been involved and she also did the autopsy on his daughter. Through that relationship Fleur discovered that Samuel has a storage unit and so she entrusted her much loved Harley Davidsons to his storage facility and every now and then she’ll call Samuel to ask him how her babies are. Over time they have formed a kind and jovial friendship.’ ‘Funny enough, Annette and I worked together a few years ago when we did Shane Meadows’s first feature film, TwentyFourSeven. We hadn’t seen each other for many years and Midsomer Murders gave us the chance to reignite our friendship which was great. Annette recently came to see the play I was in and

on my first day working with her on set of Midsomer she brought me a nice bottle of wine to say thank you for the ticket and we got to properly catch up.’ Karl describes what a wonderful time he had filming Midsomer Murders and what a treat it was working alongside the show’s leading man, Neil Dudgeon. ‘It feels like a return to old school TV making where people took their time; the director talks to you about your character and about the arc of the story, you get a chance to discuss things with your cast mates about the way certain things are played out and then you all get to shoot it. For something that is long running like his there is a lot of time taken to make sure the story is right which was really refreshing.’ ‘What is always really great when you guest on a long running show is that it is a genuine reminder of how good an industry you work in when the lead actor, who has been in the role for a long time, still has time, energy and generosity towards the guest actors coming in. I really felt like I was part of everything and it wasn’t about anyone in particular but rather about the creative process. It felt ego free which is always a pleasure just sets you at ease instantly.’

Rosalie Craig is Carys Nicholson in ‘The Minature Murders’ Guest starring in Midsomer Murders was not only exciting for Rosalie Craig as a fan of the drama but also because it meant getting to work alongside a good friend of hers. ‘I will confess I am a little bit of a Midsomer Murders fan. It has been running for so long and when I was a little younger I used to sit down and watch it with my family. Also, I know Nick Hendrix really well because we played opposite each other in the musical called The Light Princess at the National Theatre a few years ago. I tune in regularly to support and watch Nick, so it was a real thrill and an utter delight to work on Midsomer. Nick and I have stayed good friends and have always gone to support each other in shows so it was quite something to do his regular TV show with him.’ Whilst working with Nick was a treat for Rosalie, it was another co-star who had her a little star struck. ‘I have a major, major girl crush on Eleanor Bron. Before I got to the read through I was so excited as I knew she was in this episode and was going to be there. What a woman she is. She is 81 and is not only a phenomenal actress but person too. I can’t get over how witty and dextrous she is, and not only is she a delight to be around but I learned so much from her. It is quite an intense situation when you’re filming, you spend on and off five weeks together and so you tend to get to know people on a closer level and much quicker than you usually would. I loved sitting down together and picking her brain about her life and career, she was so generous and lovely. It was a real honour to cross paths with Eleanor.’ Rosalie gives us a little detail on what this episode is about and the intricate relationship between her character, Carys, and Eleanor’s role, Maxine. ‘Carys works with Maxine, in a toyshop, which she has worked at for a number of years. She is actually Maxine’s lodger but has started helping out. Ultimately Carys is a children’s entertainer, putting on sensory classes for kids. She used to run the business with Jemima, the character Katy Brand is playing but things went slightly awry between them so Carys broke off and started her own business. ‘Maxine is of an age where she needs a little more help so Carys has started helping her out but she is a little troubled. Before she met Maxine her mother passed away whilst she was in Carys’ care and her passing has affected her deeply. She is not functioning so well when she meets Maxine, who saves her. She is the one person in Carys’ life who doesn’t ask her too many questions; she just took her in, gave her a home and is the motherly figure Carys is missing. ‘Maxine makes these amazing miniature dolls houses which are being exhibited at a museum and during this exhibition mine and Maxine’s wealthy landlord is suddenly murdered. Carys happens to be in the same space, running a children’s class when everything kicks off. You follow Maxine’s story and you soon find out

that this landlord is actually a bit of a snake. So the episode centres on trying to discover why this man was murdered so brutally in this idyllic setting.’ Rosalie reveals what it was like to go to work in some of the most picturesque locations in the country. ‘We filmed in this beautiful little village called Haddenham which looked like a chocolate box post card. I found it extraordinary that these places exist and people actually live there. When you see these kinds of places on TV you don’t think they’re real, you assume they must all be sets but they are real villages, populated by real people. These lovely people are so generous, letting us use their houses and sitting in their back gardens drinking tea, you really do feel like you are fully in Midsomer.’ Rosalie had a wonderful time on set of Midsomer but reveals there was a specific day that was very challenging for her. ‘It was a very hot day in the Barnaby house and it was also a very long and emotional day as I had to shoot a nine page monologue. It is a long interrogation scene that is woven together through lots of flashbacks and I assumed I would film the flashback sequences at a later date but Neil (Dudgeon) brilliantly pointed out to me the night before that in Midsomer you film them all as continuous thoughts, which was a lot to film in a day but we got it all done and more!’ Rosalie explains what she considers to be the charm of this popular and long running crime drama. ‘With Midsomer Murders you think you’re getting a nice, quaint drama about this lovely village but there is so much suspense. What is so fantastic about the show is its ability to have a laugh and to be a little more out there, rather than it simply being just a very serious crime drama, which it does have to be in places as there are lives at stake, but they have this ability to keep a foot firmly planted in the world of fun and I don’t think any other show about investigative crime or murder does that. I think that’s its charm and why it attracts so many people. It is almost black comedy in a way. It is also incredible how they keep coming up with these insane ways of killing people!’

Cast and Crew List ‘The Miniature Murders’

Director Toby Frow Writer Helen Jenkins Executive Producer Michele Buck Producer Guy Hescott Co-Producer Ian Strachan Composer Evan Jolly Script Editor Abi Arthur Casting Director Louise Cross Based on the novels created by Caroline Graham Cast List DCI John Barnaby Neil Dudgeon Ds Jamie Winter Nick Hendrix Sarah Barnaby Fiona Dolman Dr Fleur Perkins Annette Badland Alexander Beauvoisin Roger Barclay Fiona Beauviosin Clare Holman Carys Nicholson Rosalie Craig Jemima Starling Katy Brand Maxine Dobson Eleanor Bron Holly Ackroyd Joanna Page Wesley Peters Thomas Dominique Finn Wokoma Rohan Nedd Samuel Wokoma Karl Collins Erin Turner Ami Okumura Jones Forensic Officer Tom Anderson Betty Barnaby Isabel Shaw