NEIL DUDGEON AND JASON HUGHES RETURN IN A NEW SERIES OF THE TOP-RATING DRAMA
A BENTLEY PRODUCTION
TX: PRIMETIME WINTER on ITV1
Introduction ...... Page 1
Death and the Divas Synopsis ...... Page 2 Characters ...... Page 3 Guest Stars ...... Page 4 Cast List and Production Credits ...... Page 8
The Sicilian Defence Synopsis ...... Page 9 Characters ...... Page 10 Guest Stars ...... Page 11 Cast List and Production Credits ...... Page 15
Schooled in Murder Synopsis ...... Page 16 Characters ...... Page 17 Guest Stars ...... Page 18 Cast List and Production Credits ...... Page 21
Production Biographies ...... Page 22
For further information contact: Shelagh Pymm – 020 8892 1292 / 07831 665023 For pictures please contact: [email protected] For DVD preview copies contact: Ready to Air at ITV Find MIDSOMER MURDERS on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OfficialMidsomer MIDSOMER MURDERS
Cult 1960s horror films which spill over into everyday life, murderous moves on a chess board and a bizarre series of deaths linked to the world-famous Midsomer Blue cheese are the latest cases facing Barnaby and Jones in top ITV1 drama MIDSOMER MURDERS.
Neil Dudgeon and Jason Hughes return in a new series of three two-hour episodes of Britain’s best-loved detective series, made by Bentley Productions.
Joining Neil as DCI John Barnaby and Jason as DS Ben Hughes are a stellar array of guest stars including Cheryl Campbell, Sinead Cusack, Julie Graham, Henry Goodman, Con O’Neill, Fay Ripley, Martine McCutcheon, Patrick Robinson, Maggie Steed and Harriet Walter.
The drama also features two well-known faces from the Hammer House of Horror Studios – Caroline Munro and John Carson – who play actors in classic films from the 1960s and 70s.
Fiona Dolman also returns as Barnaby’s wife Sarah and Tamzin Malleson plays pathologist Dr Kate Wilding.
Hollywood comes to Midsomer in “Death and the Divas, as the murder of a journalist has chilling echoes of a 1960s horror film starring Midsomer’s own Stella Harris (Sinead Cusack). When Stella’s more famous sister Diana (Harriet Walter) returns after a 40- year family rift, the killings escalate, each reminiscent of a movie plot. Is life – and death – imitating art?
In “The Sicilian Defence”, Harriet Farmer (Jo Woodcock) wakes up after being in a coma since the night she tried to elope. Soon afterwards, a killer strikes members of a chess club. Could the attack which left Harriet for dead a year ago be linked to moves on a chess board?
And in “Schooled in Murder”, Barnaby and Jones investigate the home of the world- famous Midsomer Blue when a woman is crushed to death with a giant round of cheese. Secret and controversial plans to modernise the dairy are revealed while rumours about private lives of the parents cause a row at the prestigious local prep school. As other people linked to the dairy meet agonising deaths, long-held secrets start to emerge...
MIDSOMER MURDERS attracts top viewing figures on ITV1 and is one of the UK’s best programming exports with sales to 230 territories, from Afghanistan to Zambia. It is also a hit on Facebook, where the official page has nearly 100,000 fans.
The new episodes are written by Rachel Cuperman, Sally Griffiths, Paul Logue and Lisa Holdsworth, directed by Nick Laughland, Alex Pillai and Andy Hay and produced by Jo Wright. The drama is made by Bentley Productions, part of the All3Media Group, for ITV1. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 2 -
Synopsis - Death and the Divas
The murder of a journalist has chilling echoes of a 1960s horror film starring Midsomer’s own Stella Harris. When Stella’s more famous sister returns after a 40-year family rift, the killings escalate, each reminiscent of a movie plot. Is life – and death – imitating art?
Journalist Eve Lomax is murdered as she watches a cult 60s horror film starring Midsomer’s own Stella Harris. Colin Yule opens the inaugural Midsomer Langley film festival by showing the same film. But Stella’s evening is eclipsed by the dramatic arrival of her sister Diana Davenport, a Hollywood superstar. Diana and her producer husband Cy are reunited with their son Scott, who fled the family home to live in Midsomer. He is not pleased to see them.
Eve’s landlord Patrick Tilman tells Barnaby that Eve was writing a book on the sisters. Barnaby is suspicious of Patrick, as is his wife Juliet, who runs an organic vegetable delivery business. Meanwhile Kate discovers Eve had two puncture wounds in her neck, as if she was killed by a vampire, just like the film.
Stella’s daughter Emma is having a relationship with toyboy Perry Stevens, a delivery driver for Juliet. Emma’s unimpressed by Diana’s arrival, unlike her own star-struck daughter Rosie. Meanwhile Diana begs Stella to end their 40-year rift. Colin reveals that he’d helped Emma with her book but things turned sour when she refused his request for a consultancy fee and a treasured rare photograph from his collection went missing.
As Cy and Diana prepare to host a party, Scott fights with his father about leaving home. Then Barnaby discovers Cy had taken out an injunction to prevent publication of Eve’s book. He’d also been calling Eve and his leased Jaguar was seen at her house.
At the party, Cy falls from the stairs and crashes to the floor. It looks like a stunt but there’s a dagger in his back – chillingly reminiscent of another film, produced by and co-starring Cy. Stella admits she longed for revenge when Diana stole her part in a film, a move that ended her career.
Jones finds a pair of Diana’s knickers at Colin’s house, and he admits stealing them at the party. Then the detectives discover Perry has form for supplying drugs. Are his veg deliveries a cover?
Colin plans to take over writing Eve’s book but Stella warns him it could be dangerous. That night, he becomes the next victim, swathed in bandages like a mummy, replicating a scene from Stella’s film The Mummy Rises. The last person he phoned was Perry.
Meanwhile, the missing photograph turns up at Eve’s house. Stella admits it was from a film which was never completed but seems very hazy about the date. Jones follows Perry on his rounds and finds he is offering extra ‘services’ to his female customers. His next stop is the Barnabys’ house!
Emma crashes her Land Rover. The brakes have been tampered with, just as in Stella’s film The Torment about evil twins. But she’s alive. Barnaby guesses that Diana is Emma’s real mother and that Eve, like him, worked it out from the photograph and was planning to reveal all in her book.
Stella tells her daughter the truth, then Emma leaves the hospital mysteriously with Diana. Barnaby fears another murder will be committed, but the only remaining film is the one Diana ‘stole’. The detectives head to the church to confront Emma, Diana and Stella. But which of them is the killer? MIDSOMER MURDERS - 3 -
Characters
Stella Harris - Sinead Cusack (Young Stella - Georgina Beedle) In her 60s, Stella is an elegant former actress, famous for her roles in cult 1960s British horror movies. She’s Midsomer’s favourite daughter, but never quite made the big time.
Diana Davenport - Harriet Walter (Young Diana - Thomasin Rand) A Hollywood star and Stella’s younger sister, Diana left Midsomer 40 years ago after finding fame and a rich husband.
Cy Davenport - Henry Goodman Cy is Diana’s bullish American producer husband and former stuntman.
Emma Harris - Anna Wilson-Jones Stella’s daughter, in her 40s, who is attractive in an outdoorsy way. She has her own gardening business and is unimpressed by fame.
Rosie Harris - Alice Sykes Rosie is Emma’s 16-year-old daughter and is into everything her mother isn’t – make-up, fashion, pop music, celebrity gossip...
Scott Davenport - Joseph Beattie Diana and Cy’s son. Scott is a handsome drifter, living in Midsomer to avoid the temptations of Tinseltown, having fallen out with his parents.
Patrick Tilman - David Bark-Jones A philandering property developer who rents a cottage to Eve Lomax and who is desperately hoping to sell Langley Hall to Cy and Diana.
Juliet Tilman - Pandora Clifford Juliet is Patrick’s ice queen wife. She runs an organic vegetable box business.
Colin Yule - Pearce Quigley A local film buff and founder of the Stella Harris Film Festival. He’s also an avid collector.
Perry Stevens - Samuel Anderson Emma’s boyfriend and delivery man for Juliet’s business who’s long on looks and charm.
Eve Lomax - Sasha Waddell A journalist friend of Emma Harris, who’s writing a book on Stella Harris.
Older Gentleman - John Carson A smooth, aristocratic predator who features in one of Stella’s films.
Evil Priestess - Caroline Munro A figure of glamorous evil in a Stella Harris movie.
Roderick Usher - Alexander Owen Decadent scion of an ancient family in the cult films. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 4 -
Guest Stars
Sinead Cusack plays Stella Harris
Sinead Cusack drew on her own experience as one of four acting sisters to play Stella Harris in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“Stella’s relationship with her actress sister is one of competitive sibling rivalry which I understand as I have so many sisters of my own. All three of them are actresses so I know what it is like and I drew on our vocabulary.
“Luckily for me, my sisters are my closest friends. We were in Three Sisters together at the Royal Court and it was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my personal and professional life. I found it fraught, but hugely rewarding.”
While Diana has become a Hollywood star, married to a rich American producer, Stella is still living in Midsomer, her career only a memory.
“When you first meet them, they haven’t seen each other for 40 years because of Diana’s ambition. Diana won the prizes and Stella lost the game,” explains Sinead. “Stella is a disappointed woman whose career was stopped in mid-flow so she is bitter and angry. Actors are like the rest of humanity – they have their flaws and strengths, the same as the rest of the world.
“She’s a human being and she reacts naturally and the relationship with her daughter is very strong. I liked her, and she also dresses a bit like I do – nicely but not a showy dresser like Diana, who dresses for effect.”
Sinead enjoyed working with Harriet Walter, who plays Diana.
“I hadn’t worked with Harriet before, although I’d known her, and it was heaven to play with her for the first time. She is such a great woman and a great actress.”
The MIDSOMER MURDERS role was a rare TV appearance for Sinead. “I have been in the theatre for the last six years, although I recently did Wrath of the Titans which was a huge movie with all the paraphernalia that goes with it in terms of budgets, crew and sets. But it wasn’t nearly as appealing as Midsomer Murders.
“My son Sam thought it was great that I was in Midsomer and he described it as retro chic so I think that’s a compliment! I had great scenes with Neil and Jason and found them both very funny, hospitable and fantastic ambassadors.”
Sinead is married to the actor Jeremy Irons and her credits include V for Vendetta, Stealing Beauty, Camelot, The Deep, North & South, I Capture The Castle, Have Your Cake and Eat It, Eastern Promises and Scoop. She picked up several awards for her performance of Our Lady of Sligo at the Royal National Theatre. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 5 -
Harriet Walter plays Diana Davenport
Harriet Walter grew up with the Hammer House of Horror films which form the backdrop to her MIDSOMER MURDERS episode.
“My uncle is Christopher Lee and he would always entertain us when we were tucked up in bed by imitating the Dracula walk standing in the shadows. He was extremely tall and looked quite scary but we always knew it was our uncle and loved it.
“We went to Bray Studios and watched him filming and we were allowed to rush around Dracula’s castle. It was very exciting as a child. We also went on the set of The Pirates of Blood River and there was a mocked-up Cornish smugglers’ village and all the houses were just fronts. We realised quite early on that it was all make believe but it was still magical.
“When I was younger, my grandmother also took me to some of the Hammer films because, even though I was underage, she knew I wouldn’t be scared. I put high heels on and dressed up a bit. I’ve loved scary films ever since.”
Adds Harriet: “My uncle is still around and still working even though he’s 90 this year. Now we know lots of actors in common and it’s great to get together and have a gossip.”
Harriet plays Diana Davenport, an actress who made her name is the 1960s, but who left Midsomer for Hollywood 40 years ago.
“Diana has a dysfunctional relationship with her older sister Stella. She wants everything to be golden and lovely so she avoids all the dirty and unpleasant parts of family life by taking off to Hollywood. Stella resents her for not coming back, even for her own mother’s funeral.
“She seems like a flighty and spoilt woman but I found there was more to her than that. It was interesting to probe the family dynamic, which reveals things are much more complicated than first seems.
“I don’t know if I liked her at the beginning but by the end I did a bit more. It was shot back to front, so all the tricky bits were first, then all the glossy scenes. She is described as over-dressed and Hollywood, so we went for the Joan Collins look which was really fun, doing all the things I wouldn’t normally do.”
The role meant a return to Midsomer for Harriet, who played a professor of botany in the episode “Orchis Fatalis”.
“I was delighted to come back and I’ve now worked with both Barnabys. They have very different personalities but both know how to keep a set happy. It was great and I felt very much at home. It was also lovely to work with Sinead Cusack and have such strong female characters in a film.” MIDSOMER MURDERS - 6 -
Harriet Walter plays Diana Davenport (cont)
Adds Harriet: “Another reason I love being on Midsomer is getting to see such beautiful parts of England. I don’t think it stopped raining the whole time but it was delightful to see round the villages. By the time it is edited, it will doubtless look sunny and perfect!”
Harriet was made a Dame last year and her other credits include Law & Order: UK, The Men’s Room, Little Dorrit, Five Days, Babel, My Uncle Silas, Unfinished Business, Hard Times, Sense and Sensibility, Atonement and new films The Wedding Video and The Domino Effect.
Caroline Munro plays Evil Priestess
Caroline Munro enjoyed reliving her time as a star of the Hammer House of Horror films in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“I have watched the show for years and years and I love Neil Dudgeon as the new Barnaby so to be asked to do a little bit was a great honour. I flew in from the States the day before we started.
“I play an evil priestess complete with false eyelashes which I hadn’t worn since the 60s and I felt particularly evil in my scene, which is a flashback sequence of a typical Hammer Horror film.”
The role of the Evil Priestess in MIDSOMER MURDERS reunited her with fellow Hammer Studios star John Carson.
“I had worked with John in 1972 on Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter. He is a great man and it was lovely to see him again as the Dracula figure in our flashback sequences. I’ve also been in films with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee and feel really blessed to have worked with such icons in the horror genre.
“I started as an extra on the original Casino Royale and would love watching all the actors and the crew. One of my first jobs was A Talent for Loving with Richard Widmark playing my father and Cesar Romero and Topol were in the film too. I was very young but I have some amazing memories.”
Caroline still gets recognised. “It’s either for the Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me or The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. It was such a privilege to do a small bit on the Bond films, as it’s such a legacy and Cubby Broccoli had built a real family feel within the crew – a bit like Midsomer Murders.
“I also get recognised for the Lamb’s Navy Rum adverts which ran for 12 years and I went all over the world to wonderful locations with fantastic photographers. I still travel a lot to big conventions, which I love doing and I think it’s a way of giving something back.”
Caroline’s other credits include At the Earth’s Core, The New Avengers, Starcrash, Slaughter High, Maniac and the forthcoming Crying Wolf. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 7 -
John Carson plays Older Gentleman (Dracula)
John Carson was delighted to have a role celebrating his involvement in the Hammer House of Horror films.
“It was great fun and a wonderful way to revisit my past. It was a small role but wonderful to be part of Midsomer Murders. It’s extraordinary how the prosthetics have advanced since my early days in horror films – vampires are technically quite different now, but I still had a big black coat and fangs!”
In his early career, John appeared in many of the cult films of the 1960s and 70s including Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter, Taste the Blood of Dracula and The Plague of the Zombies.
“I have been working in South Africa for a long time, and it was nice coming back and finding people are still enjoying all the old horror movies. The director Nick Laughland gave the young actress Georgina Beedle a copy of Captain Kronos to help her understand the period feeling of Hammer. She loved it and couldn’t believe that it was me in the role – it was 40 years ago and I think we have all changed a bit!
“It was very exciting when Hammer was at the height of its fame. The word celebrity wasn’t invented but we had lots of work and much more fun. We had to hide the films when the children were small but they managed to get hold of Captain Kronos and saw me as a vampire getting hung and a stake driven through my heart. It became a cult scene but the kids wouldn’t speak to me for about a week!”
Adds John: “I’ve got all the films on box sets and occasionally we’ll watch them and get reminded of those days. Christopher Lee and I were very good friends and I bought a car from him, an Armstrong Siddeley which had a red cushion with Dracula embroidered on it that he had left in there. It always reminded me of him.”
John also has a souvenir of his time on MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“I had some prosthetic fangs especially made for me and I kept them as a memory. They are amazing and a great souvenir from my lovely time on the show.”
He adds: “I still love working and I always say ‘lead me to it’, although there are naturally not that many parts for 85-year-olds. To my family, I’m always a dad, not an actor and that keeps me busy as I’ve got 13 grandchildren at the last count.”
John’s career spans more than 50 years and his other credits include The Night Caller, The Baron, Dombey and Son, The Troubleshooters, Emma, The Children of the New Forest, Oppenheimer, Doctor Who, Rhodes, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, The Deal and, most recently, Silent Witness. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 8 -
Cast List – Death and the Divas
DCI John Barnaby ...... Neil Dudgeon DS Ben Jones ...... Jason Hughes Sarah Barnaby ...... Fiona Dolman Kate Wilding ...... Tamzin Malleson
Stella Harris ...... Sinead Cusack Diana Davenport ...... Harriet Walter Cy Davenport ...... Henry Goodman Emma Harris ...... Anna Wilson-Jones Rosie Harris ...... Alice Sykes Scott Davenport ...... Joseph Beattie Patrick Tilman ...... David Bark-Jones Juliet Tilman ...... Pandora Clifford Colin Yule ...... Pearce Quigley Perry Stevens ...... Samuel Anderson Eve Lomax ...... Sasha Waddell Young Stella ...... Georgina Beedle Older Gentleman ...... John Carson Young Diana ...... Thomasin Rand Woman ...... Laura Girling Nurse ...... Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty Evil Priestess ...... Caroline Munro Roderick Usher ...... Alexander Owen
Production Credits
Producer ...... Jo Wright Director ...... Nick Laughland Writers ...... Rachel Cuperman Sally Griffiths Composer ...... Jim Parker Consultant ...... Betty Willingale Based on characters created by ...... Caroline Graham
A Bentley Production for ITV1 MIDSOMER MURDERS - 9 -
The Sicilian Defence - Synopsis
Harriet Farmer wakes up after being in a coma since the night she tried to elope. Soon afterwards, a killer strikes members of a chess club. Could the attack which left Harriet for dead a year ago be linked to moves on a chess board? And where is her boyfriend Finn?
Coma victim Harriet Farmer, who was attacked on the night she planned to elope, wakes up. Her father David hears the news in the middle of a chess tournament. Harriet’s boyfriend Finn Robson has been missing since the couple tried to run away together a year before.
At the chess tournament, hosted by hotelier Arthur Potts, Olivia Carr is putting pressure on her son Jamie to win. The 13-year-old has already beaten Finn’s father Alan, a software boss and fitness fanatic, who made millions from a computer game, ‘Chess King’.
Hotel owner Arthur berates his wife Caroline for spending their meagre income on charity work, while hoping to win backing for his business from writer and chess society president Edward Stannington. Later that day, Stannington is found dead in a lake with an ice axe in his back. His damaged car is nearby and Kate finds a clue in his mouth – a chess notation known as the ‘Sicilian Defence’.
Olivia admits she met Stannington and rammed his car when he refused to help Jamie get to the top in chess – divulging that he’s the boy’s father. David Farmer begs Caroline to come to supper, although Arthur has also booked to take her out for an anniversary meal. Meanwhile Jamie is being scared by loud noises at his house, when he is alone.
Jones finds that Stannington was digging into Alan’s chess software company Black Knight and received a letter from a disgruntled ex-coder on the day he died. Stannington’s aunt Vivian wants to celebrate her inheritance with Arthur – but he’s only interested in business.
Caroline angrily leaves Arthur at the restaurant while Farmer prepares supper for her. But when he goes out to fetch a gift he’s strangled. The killer leaves another chess code. Arthur gives Caroline an alibi, but – after the death of an elderly resident - Vivian tells Jones she suspects Caroline is poisoning the old people with her meals on wheels.
A lip-reader reveals that Finn’s mother Wendy knew that her son and Harriet planned to elope. Alan followed them that night and now he’s gone suddenly to London. Barnaby suspects his chess company has secrets. Then Jones finds Arthur with a cat in his freezer.
Harriet comes home from hospital but Caroline barges in, attacks Harriet’s neurologist Laura Parr and drags Harriet away. Under questioning, Arthur reveals that Caroline may have unwittingly poisoned the villagers with food from the hotel. Meanwhile Caroline is forcing Harriet through the woods, pleading for information about Finn. The police find them and it’s apparent that Caroline is obsessed.
Alan returns to Midsomer tight-lipped. Then he recognises the chess notation in the incident room – it was written by another programmer, Jason Winters, who committed suicide soon after beating a world champion at chess. But why is the killer using his code now?
Realising Finn’s disappearance is key, Barnaby takes Harriet back to the woods. She calls out Jamie’s name - but he’s not the only one involved. As the truth about Jason Winters is uncovered, danger lurks at the hospital. Jones makes an astonishing discovery but the killer is one move ahead. Can Barnaby’s psychological skills save the day? MIDSOMER MURDERS - 10 -
Characters Harriet Farmer - Jo Woodcock A beautiful and innocent May Queen who fell into a coma after being attacked on the night she was due to elope with her boyfriend Finn Robson.
David Farmer - Richard Lumsden Harriet’s mild-mannered and devoted father who has been waiting for a year for her to wake up. Shabby and crumpled, David is obsessed by chess and secretly in love.
Alan Robson - Cal Macaninch Narcissistic, controlling and resolute, Robson is a successful computer games developer and fitness fanatic. He has a tense relationship with his wife and his son Finn is missing.
Wendy Robson - Rowena King A once elegant and formidable woman, Wendy has become a shadow of her former self. Now needy and careworn, she needs tranquilisers to cope with her son’s disappearance.
Finn Robson - Royce Pierreson Handsome, charismatic Finn was a ladies’ man before falling in love and going missing.
Arthur Potts - John Henshaw The rough and ready manager of a failing hotel, Arthur is a bit of a chancer but has a big heart. However, he’s made some bad choices in life including his marriage to Caroline.
Caroline Potts - Fay Ripley A cold and repressed woman, Caroline uses Arthur’s profits to indulge in her charity work, delivering food to the needy. Despite her pious exterior, she has a dark secret.
Jamie Carr - John Bell A strange and awkward boy, Jamie is a chess prodigy but lives in his mother’s shadow.
Olivia Carr - Julie Cox Olivia may look like a doting earth mother but she has a core of steel. She lives her life through her son Jamie and has obsessive ambitions for his chess career.
Edward Stannington - Nicholas Rowe A self-centred and unlikeable man, Edward is a chess expert who likes to win and brag about it. He shares a home with his aunt Vivian but treats her as a subordinate.
Vivian Stannington - Cheryl Campbell A scatty, bubbly ‘aristo-hippy’, Vivian is a born optimist despite being brow-beaten by her nephew Edward. She carries a torch for Arthur and is deeply suspicious of Caroline.
Dr Laura Parr - Julie Graham Cool and professional, Laura is the neurologist who has been caring for Harriet since she fell into a coma. An incomer from Scotland, she is friends with Wendy Robson.
Fay Bell - Sophie Stone A feisty teacher at the deaf school who the police call upon for her lip-reading skills. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 11 -
Guest Stars
Julie Graham plays Dr Laura Parr
Julie Graham is enjoying a busy year in ITV murder-mysteries. Following her role as a code-breaker turned unofficial investigator in The Bletchley Circle, she plays a doctor with a secret in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
Explains Julie: “Dr Laura Parr is a neurologist in charge of the care of a young girl called Harriet who has been unconscious for several months following an attack.
“At the start of the episode she wakes up, which brings a new energy to the police investigation. But Harriet’s recovery seems to spark a series of murders.
“We don’t know much about Laura – she’s not an eccentric character like we sometimes see in Midsomer Murders. But she comes across as someone who is very good at her job and is very caring and protective towards Harriet.
“I didn’t base her on anyone, I went with my intuition. She has a past and she comes from Scotland so I play her with my own accent.”
Julie enjoyed becoming part of the MIDSOMER MURDERS ‘family’.
“It was a lovely job to work on, as Neil and I had worked together before on Dirty Tricks and it was good to see him again. I’d also met Jason and knew the director, and everyone was very relaxing and welcoming.
“I was also popular at home because my husband and eldest child Edie love the series and her teacher got very excited that I was in it! It was also a complete contrast to my character in The Bletchley Circle.”
Since filming MIDSOMER MURDERS, Julie has also filmed a six-part series for BBC based on the film Lapland, in which she starred with Sue Johnston, about a family who go on a package tour to Lapland but get more than they bargain for.
Her other many credits include Doc Martin, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Survivors, Bonekickers, William and Mary, At Home with the Braithwaites, Between the Sheets, Life Support, Some Voices, Bedrooms and Hallways, Harry, Casualty and Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story.
Says Julie: “I just enjoy good scripts and I have been very fortunate. It’s been a busy year and I have children, so I look after them when I’m not working which means I don’t have time for any hobbies!” MIDSOMER MURDERS - 12 -
Fay Ripley plays Caroline Potts
Fay Ripley finally impressed her Australian in-laws with her role in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“My husband is from Australia and I have relatives there and they are all going completely bonkers about Midsomer. They are over the moon that I am in it. They’ve never noticed anything before that I’ve done career-wise but they never miss the series. I’m not allowed to tell them any plotlines so I don’t ruin it for them!”
Fay plays Caroline Potts, a deeply-religious woman who is married to down-at-heel hotelier Arthur (John Henshaw).
“Caroline is a woman who is driven by her faith,” explains Fay. “She has her eye on the missions in Africa and she also wants to save people’s souls and make the world a better place. The way she has decided to do this is to live in Midsomer and marry a man who could help her financially to do what she wanted.
“She runs her meals-on-wheels and does her do-gooding. But for somebody who is such a do-gooder she appears very cold and detached. She is mysterious and can be quite rude. She doesn’t appear to have a huge number of friends in Midsomer – she’s not close to anyone and doesn’t appear to like her husband even! Something is motivating her, but we’re not quite sure what it is.”
Fay enjoyed her time in ‘Midsomer County’. “I loved it and I have now realised how beautiful Oxfordshire is and I’m going to book a holiday there. Although I don’t want to get murdered!”
Acting is just one of Fay’s passions – she is also a best-selling cookery writer.
“It’s my other job – my last cookbook won Mumsnet book of the year. It’s a big arm of my life, and what is so hilarious is that in Midsomer, my character cooks food that turns out to be poisonous!
“Although I still love to act, the cookbooks are a big part of my life and I’m never out of that role. It’s grown to become the love of my life and it’s what I get up in the morning to do. I won’t be buried with my acting DVDs, but I will be buried with my cookbooks! I am totally passionate about it.”
Fay’s cookbooks feature her children Parker and Sonny. “They eat all the food I cook, which is easy family food. Other chefs have lots of people prepping for them but I just have my kids and they are my hardest critics too. I know when I get it right.”
Fay’s many credits include I Saw You, The Broker’s Man, Karaoke, The Stretford Wives, Green Eyed Monster, Dead Gorgeous. Monday Monday and Reggie Perrin.
But she is probably still best known as Jenny from ITV drama Cold Feet, which ran for six years. “I don’t think the connection will ever go away but I don’t mind as it was very well loved and I am proud to be part of a groundbreaking series.” MIDSOMER MURDERS - 13 -
John Henshaw plays Arthur Potts
John Henshaw enjoyed living the life of a hotelier in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“I play Arthur Potts, who runs the King’s Gambit hotel in Bishopwood. He’s trying to make a living and struggling a bit, so the hotel is hosting a big chess competition. All is going well until the murders start.
“Arthur is a decent enough guy, he’s not a baddie, but he just gets led astray from time to time. He loves his wife Caroline and wants to make her happy, which leads to some bad decisions.”
Arthur and Caroline come under the scrutiny of DCI Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) after a spate of killings in Bishopwood are linked to the game of chess. But it’s not immediately clear if they are involved in the murders – or just village eccentrics.
Says John: “I like murder-mysteries, they are good fun. It’s fun guessing who the murderer is and we always try to work out who did it in Midsomer.
“As an actor, it’s great to do a bit of everything. I enjoy playing a policeman and I’ve been in some good police drama before like Coppers, which was groundbreaking in its day and The Cops, which was a great baptism and a springboard for me. Police apparently use it in training as how not to do it!
“Midsomer Murders was also a great experience with a smashing cast and crew. Sometimes it’s hard to walk into a long-running series but even though Midsomer has its own little community, everyone was very welcoming from the director down. My missus also loves it; she watches it time after time and wanted to come to the set!”
John also enjoyed filming on location.
“I knew the countryside around Midsomer a bit as I did four series of Born and Bred at Bray Studios which is nearby. It was good to go back there. I love the countryside as I live near the moors and go walking out there with my dog.”
John is combines acting with writing. “I’m doing a drama with a couple of other people and I enjoy that creative side. I’m also doing a spit and a cough in the Christmas episode of Downton Abbey. My character is a visitor to the house and it’s only a brief appearance but it was great to be in the series and the cast are all so lovely.”
His other credits include The Grand, Nice Guy Eddie, The Second Coming, Early Doors, See No Evil: The Moors Murders, Starter for Ten, The Visit, Red Riding, Ruddy Hell! It’s Harry and Paul, Candy Cabs, South Riding, Looking for Eric and the latest Ken Loach feature film, The Angels’ Share, set in Glasgow. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 14 -
Cheryl Campbell plays Vivian Stannington
Appearing in MIDSOMER MURDERS meant a complete change of personality for Cheryl Campbell.
“Up until two days before filming started, I was doing a long and really quite exhausting tour in Steel Magnolias, playing a very loud American character. I then had to turn into Vivian, who was a very quiet character who keeps her emotions to herself. In Steel Magnolias I have to be very upfront and loud, whereas Vivian is just twittering in the background. But it’s good to go into something so different.”
Vivian lives in the shadow of her overbearing nephew Edward (Nicholas Rowe).
“She comes from a well-heeled family which inherited money down the line, but which for some reason always passed her by. The death of her unpleasant nephew allows her to release something she has never been allowed to tap into before which is her good instinct and common sense.
“Until that point, she’s been unfulfilled, but she is a good soul and my feeling is that she gains a complete new lease of life. So her story begins as the film’s story ends.”
It’s Cheryl’s second appearance in MIDSOMER MURDERS.
“I played a victim in my previous episode ‘Beyond The Grave’ and I was drugged and my husband was trying to kill me. I remember getting the giggles a lot. I have survived two episodes now, which is good – I wouldn’t be looking forward to lying face down in the mud.
“My previous episode was with John Nettles so now I’ve worked with both Barnabys and both of them were very pleasant experiences and good jobs to do.”
Adds Cheryl: “I’ve also worked with consultant Betty Willingale who’s been involved in Midsomer Murders for many years. I did Testament of Youth with her when I was quite young. In those days we had long rehearsals whereas today things have changed so much and you just have to get on with it.”
Cheryl made her name as a young actress in Pennies From Heaven and her many other credits include Malice Aforethought, McVicar, Chariots of Fire, Greystoke, The Shooting Party, The Murder at the Vicarage, The Mill on the Floss, The Way We Live Now, William and Mary, Funland, Casualty and Call The Midwife.
“I do work across film, TV and theatre and I love working. I also go through phases of reading and I’m very creative – I use my hands a lot and make presents for people as well as gardening, as I love the natural world.” MIDSOMER MURDERS - 15 -
The Sicilian Defence - Cast List
DCI John Barnaby ...... Neil Dudgeon DS Ben Jones ...... Jason Hughes Sarah Barnaby ...... Fiona Dolman Kate Wilding ...... Tamzin Malleson
David Farmer ...... Richard Lumsden Harriet Farmer ...... Jo Woodcock Dr Laura Parr ...... Julie Graham Jamie Carr ...... John Bell Olivia Carr ...... Julie Cox Edward Stannington ...... Nicholas Rowe Alan Robson ...... Cal Macaninch Arthur Potts...... John Henshaw Caroline Potts ...... Fay Ripley Vivian Stannington ...... Cheryl Campbell Wendy Robson ...... Rowena King Fay Bell ...... Sophie Stone Finn Robson ...... Royce Pierreson
Production Credits
Producer ...... Jo Wright Director ...... Alex Pillai Writer ...... Paul Logue Composer ...... Jim Parker Consultant ...... Betty Willingale Based on characters created by ...... Caroline Graham
A Bentley Production for ITV1 MIDSOMER MURDERS - 16 -
Schooled in Murder - Synopsis
A woman is crushed to death with a giant round of cheese at the home of the world- famous Midsomer Blue. Secret and controversial plans to modernise the dairy are revealed while rumours about private lives of the parents cause a row at the prestigious local prep school. As other people linked to the dairy meet agonising deaths, long-held secrets start to emerge...
Debbie Moffett is crushed to death by a giant round of cheese just hours after an argument at a Parents’ Council meeting at Midsomer Pastures Prep School. Debbie worked at the dairy which produces the world-famous Midsomer Blue and was found by her colleague Jim Caxton. Jim seems more anxious about his precious cheese than the death of Debbie.
Barnaby and Jones break the news to Debbie’s daughter Holly and headmistress Sylvia Mountford. Former England rugby player turned dairy owner Gregory Brantner comes home from a night at a hotel. Gregory’s wife Hayley, Oliver Ordish’s wife Beatrix and Jim’s sister-in-law Helen were all at prep school together and the Brantners recently returned to Midsomer to take over Hayley’s family business.
Detectives are suspicious when no-one has a bad word to say about Debbie. Then Kate discovers Holly was being expelled. She’s on a dairy scholarship which carries strict rules – which Debbie was breaking by allegedly having an affair. Debbie’s phone leads police to Oliver, who works for the cheese board. He admits they were sleeping together.
Gregory explains that Debbie was helping him with his business – despite winning awards, its cheese-making is labour-intensive and loss-making. Just then, Helen arrives and empties her milk delivery over the yard, angry that Gregory has cancelled her order.
Beatrix and Oliver argue and he storms off. When he returns from the pub, he is garrotted and the next morning Kate finds his mouth full of unusual maggots.
The dairy appears to be crucial to the case. Helen’s husband killed himself because his farm was struggling and Jim suspects she may be taking revenge. Then Beatrix’s daughter Poppy disappears. Gregory admits he was due to meet Debbie the night she died to celebrate a new controversial deal, making Midsomer Blue for a national supermarket chain. Meanwhile, as Hayley tries to comfort Beatrix, Jones finds her missing daughter.
Jim is sacked as Kate suspects Oliver was killed with cheese wire and covered with cheese fly larvae and Jones discovers Gregory was paying the dead man a consultancy fee. Gregory tries to reassure Hayley that the dairy has a future, but that night he goes to investigate an alarm at the dairy and is stabbed through the heart with a cheese needle. Hayley tries to talk to Helen but her old school friend is not interested.
Then Jones discovers Beatrix had a child as a teenager – Jake, now an animal rights activist. Helen is hit with a wrench as she tends her cattle. Jim finds her and they declare their love before being trampled to death. Nearby, Jim’s car is full of maggot-laden cheese.
Sylvia tells Beatrix and Hayley things have got out of hand. They deny any involvement but on the way home Beatrix collapses. Help comes from an unexpected source and the police rush back to their school. Can they stop the killer before the bitterness of the past leads to yet more deaths? MIDSOMER MURDERS - 17 -
Characters
Debbie Moffett - Martine McCutcheon Feisty single mum Debbie grew up in Midsomer and attended the local prep school. She works at the dairy and her daughter Holly attends the school on a dairy scholarship.
Sylvia Mountford - Maggie Steed Headmistress of Midsomer Pasture Prep, Sylvia is in her 60s, icy and proper. She has been there for 40 years and rules children and parents alike with a rod of iron.
Beatrix Ordish - Lucy Liemann Former pupil Beatrix is now chairperson of the Parents’ Council at the prep school and enjoys holding court. Pretty and prim, she’s unhappily married to Oliver.
Oliver Ordish - Richard Dillane Oliver works for a quango promoting UK cheese and is an advisor to Gregory. He’s married to Beatrix but their outwardly devotion hides rifts and secrets on both sides.
Poppy Ordish - Eloise Webb Poppy is Beatrix and Oliver’s precocious and bright eight-year-old daughter.
Hayley Brantner - Hattie Morahan Hayley, an aspiring writer, grew up in Midsomer where her father ran the dairy. She gladly left to marry Gregory, but her father’s death brought her back and she hates it.
Gregory Brantner - Patrick Robinson Former England rugby player Gregory Brantner arrived in Midsomer to take over the dairy after the death of his father-in-law. He’s a fish out of water but wants to succeed.
Jim Caxton - Con O’Neill Jim works at the dairy and has devoted his life to the production of the perfect Midsomer Blue cheese. As a result, he’s socially inept and unable to express his emotions.
Helen Caxton - Kate Ashfield Helen was recently widowed after the suicide of her husband, Jim’s brother. She farms dairy cattle but faces an uncertain future as her herd is threatened by cuts at the dairy.
Jake Yapley - Jesse Fox A young man with a secret past, Jake is intense and damaged and has turned his anger into animal rights activism.
Holly - Isabella Blake-Thomas Debbie’s sweet-natured daughter, aged eight, a pupil at Midsomer Pastures Prep. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 18 -
Guest Stars
Patrick Robinson plays Gregory Brantner
Patrick Robinson enjoyed spending time in the MIDSOMER MURDERS countryside for the episode “Schooled in Murder”.
“I play Gregory Brantner, a former well-known rugby player turned businessman. Gregory means well and is quite straightforward and genuine, which is quite unusual in Midsomer I think! He has recently arrived in the countryside to take over his wife’s father’s dairy business after he dies.
“The dairy produces a famous cheese called Midsomer Blue, but the production methods are very old-fashioned and labour-intensive, so Gregory wants to make changes to help it become profitable. But he doesn’t meet with much success and risks alienating the local community.
“He’s also very loyal to his wife, who is a struggling writer, and he wants to make her happy. But their relationship is rather tense.”
Adds Patrick: “It was a great experience coming into Midsomer - everyone was very welcoming, and I enjoyed filming in and around Oxfordshire and Berkshire. I knew Maggie Steed, who plays the headmistress, from before so that was good too.”
The actor is perhaps best known as Ash in Casualty, a role he played between 1990 and 1998.
Says Patrick: “Even though I left all those years ago I still get recognised as Ash and it’s all part of the legacy of being in such a high-rated series. It was one of my favourite roles and I’m always grateful for it.”
Patrick’s other credits include: Harper and Iles, Driven, Pig Heart Boy, A Many Splintered Thing, Shadow Play, Headless, Belly of the Beast and The Bill.
He says: “Since I left Casualty I’ve been involved in different roles and they have all been interesting so I feel very privileged. I’ve been in War Horse on the stage and I also like to write and a few years ago I wrote and directed my own short play. I intend to fulfil more of my own projects one day.” MIDSOMER MURDERS - 19 -
Con O’Neill plays Jim Caxton
Con O’Neill shared his days on MIDSOMER MURDERS with herds of cattle and giant wheels of cheese.
“I play Jim Caxton who works at a dairy producing the famous Midsomer Blue cheese. He’s passionate about cheese and his job but he’s excruciatingly uncomfortable around women and has the social skills of a brick. I like a bit of cheese but I’m not obsessed like Jim is.
“We had to work with real cheese, huge wheels of them, and I had to eat some of it – but that wasn’t the worst of it. In one scene, my character is surrounded by great herds of milking cows. When we filmed the scene, there were a lot of nervous cows around, and I was nervous about them in a very confined space.
“There was a strong smell of cattle and when a cow gets nervous they tend to do one of two things to ease the tension or pressure. It seemed to me that they were doing either of these two things throughout the whole day! I was glad to get home and into a hot bath to get rid of the smell.”
Despite the beastly encounter, Con enjoyed the experience.
“It was good playing Jim - because he is so awkward there is some comedic value. I also find damaged characters quite compelling to play. He deals with a murder at the dairy by concentrating on his work. He may appear callous but he doesn’t really mean to, he just doesn’t have any social graces.
“It was a great experience, as everyone in the cast is totally charming and so established and at ease. I’ve been a fan of Neil Dudgeon’s for years so it was good to work with him. It feels like we are all cohabiting in the same arena, not fighting egos.”
Adds Con: “My family are all delighted I got the part and will be watching!”
Con has had a busy year with a range of projects.
“I’m in the feature film G.B.H. playing a disabled ex-policeman, and I’ve just finished an American TV mini-series called The Bible, retelling well-known Bible stories. I play St Paul, and we filmed that in Morocco.
“St Paul is interesting because he didn’t believe at first, but when he had a vision of Christ he became completely convinced that he was the Messiah and devoted his life to God. Sometimes I can’t even decide what socks to wear so it was compelling and challenging to play someone who was so committed. It’s one of my favourite roles to date, along with Telstar and playing Mickey in Blood Brothers.”
Con’s other credits include Dancin’ Through The Dark, Moving Story, 3 Steps to Heaven, Cider With Rosie, Bedrooms and Hallways, Waking The Dead, In Deep, Criminal Justice, Bash Street and Frank. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 20 -
Martine McCutcheon plays Debbie Moffett
Martine McCutcheon rounds off a busy year with a guest appearance in MIDSOMER MURDERS: “Schooled in Murder”.
She explains: “I’m a troublemaker in the episode which is set around a posh prep school. My character is well to do and feisty, she’s not Tiffany from Albert Square.”
The former soap queen plays Debbie Moffett, who argues with the Midsomer Pastures prep school over plans to expel her daughter Holly – because Debbie, not Holly, has broken a strict code of conduct.
Debbie also works at the nearby dairy which produces world-famous Midsomer Blue cheese, where events take a nasty turn.
“It’s great to do something I wouldn’t normally do, as she’s not a nice piece of work,” says Martine.
The episode comes shortly after Martine tied the knot with her fiancé, singer-songwriter Jack McManus in September in a romantic ceremony on the shores of Italy’s Lake Como.
Says Martine: “We are best friends as well as lovers and totally supportive of one another. We feel that we can conquer anything the world throws at us as long as we have each other, and that’s a rare thing.”
The new bride admitted it was her mother Jenny who knew Jack was ‘the one’ from the word go. ‘Mum adores Jack and could not wait for him to become my husband,” she says.
Martine studied at the renowned Italia Conti stage school in London from the age of 10 before winning a part in the BBC children's series Bluebirds in 1989. At 15 she was picked to front the all-girl band Milan. Her big break was winning the role of Tiffany in EastEnders and she appeared in more than 350 episodes over four years.
After leaving the soap, Martine appeared in the film Love Actually and her other credits include Kiss Kiss (Bang Bang), The Knock, The English Harem, Jump! and Echo Beach. She also starred as Eliza in the West End revival of My Fair Lady and has released three albums. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 21 -
Schooled in Murder - Cast List
DCI John Barnaby ...... Neil Dudgeon DS Ben Jones ...... Jason Hughes Sarah Barnaby ...... Fiona Dolman Kate Wilding ...... Tamzin Malleson
Hayley Brantner ...... Hattie Morahan Gregory Brantner ...... Patrick Robinson Beatrix Ordish ...... Lucy Liemann Oliver Ordish ...... Richard Dillane Poppy Ordish ...... Eloise Webb Debbie Moffett ...... Martine McCutcheon Sylvia Mountford ...... Maggie Steed Jim Caxton ...... Con O’Neill Helen Caxton ...... Kate Ashfield Jake Yapley ...... Jesse Fox Holly ...... Isabella Blake-Thomas PC Milton ...... Sian Clifford
Production Credits
Producer ...... Jo Wright Director ...... Andy Hay Writer ...... Lisa Holdsworth Composer ...... Jim Parker Consultant ...... Betty Willingale Based on characters created by ...... Caroline Graham
A Bentley Production for ITV1 MIDSOMER MURDERS - 22 -
Producer – Jo Wright
Jo Wright was part of the small team that launched Channel 4. From there she went to Thames TV to work as an assistant producer on the award-winning British Cinema documentary series with directors Richard Attenborough, Alan Parker and Lindsay Anderson.
Richard Attenborough asked her to produce and direct a documentary for the BBC about his film set in South Africa, Cry Freedom. She later joined Select to produce Tracey Ullman: A Class Act for HBO and Lovejoy for the BBC. After producing the first series of the police drama Out of the Blue, she became an executive producer in BBC Drama Serials where she worked on various projects, including the Doctor Who TV movie (made with Fox in the US) and the award winning The Sculptress.
She was then made Head of Drama Series at the BBC where she was responsible for over 200 hours of popular drama a year, including EastEnders, Casualty, This Life, Silent Witness and City Central.
For three years she was Controller of Drama, London Weekend Television, where she looked after programmes which included London’s Burning, The Knock, Hero of the Hour, Blonde Bombshell, Forgotten, Buried Treasure and the multi award-winning Othello. (Shown on PBS and winner of the Peabody award).
Jo then produced the drama series 55 Degrees North for BBC1. She has since worked as a consultant to Lifetime TV in Los Angeles, where she developed their Emmy award winning mini-series Human Trafficking.
She then made a film, in South Africa, written by John Fortune, for the BBC about the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea, COUP!, starring Jared Harris and Robert Bathurst. She returned to South Africa to produce a drama pilot called Life is Wild for the CW network in the US, which was picked up as a series.
Writers
Rachel Cuperman & Sally Griffiths – Death and the Divas
Rachel Cuperman has been an assistant on the film Arlington Road and an associate producer for the films Wilde and The Gathering. Sally Griffiths was assistant producer on fifteen episodes of 10 O’Clock Live and script consultant for the film Gabriel & Me. Their joint writing credits include the episode of MIDSOMER MURDERS entitled “A Secret Trust” (series 14).
Paul Logue – The Sicilian Defence
Paul Logue’s credits date back to 2006. He has written episodes for various television series including Sea of Souls (2006), The Whistleblowers (2007) and The Innocence Project (2007). He then became a regular writer on Taggart (2007-2008), Casualty (2008-2012) and Waterloo Road (2009-2012). “The Sicilian Defence” is Paul’s first episode of MIDSOMER MURDERS. MIDSOMER MURDERS - 23 -
Writers (cont)
Lisa Holdsworth – Schooled in Murder
Lisa Holdsworth has written for a wide scope of television. She wrote an episode of Fat Friends in 2002 and then moved onto soaps as a regular writer for Emmerdale (2003- 2006). In 2006 Lisa then moved onto New Tricks and also wrote two episodes for the BBC television series Robin Hood, as well as regular episodes for Waterloo Road. “Schooled in Murder” is Lisa’s first episode of MIDSOMER MURDERS.
Directors
Nick Laughland – Death and the Divas
Director Nick Laughland is a hugely experienced television drama director. He began his career in television as an assistant floor manager on Dr Who in the early 1980s. Nick began his directing career on the Channel 4 long running soap Brookside before moving on to the popular BBC1 show Lovejoy in 1993.
Other credits to his name include Peak Practice, Silent Witness, Where the Heart Is, The Bill, Playing the Field, Always and Everyone, Black Cab, the Vice, Wire in the Blood, William and Mary, Under the Greenwood Tree, New Tricks and most recently, Wild At Heart, to name a few.
Alex Pillai – The Sicilian Defence
In 1995 Alex directed the TV movie Flight. Later he went on to direct a plethora of television episodes for various series, including The Last Train, Blue Murder, Silent Witness and Trial and Retribution. He also directed two episodes of the television series Robin Hood.
In 2011 Alex directed the production Victim. Before working for Bentley Productions, he also directed three episodes of the television series Merlin. “The Sicilian Defence” is Alex’s second episode of MIDSOMER MURDERS, having directed “The Dark Rider”, which aired in January 2012.
Andy Hay – Schooled in Murder
Andy has an eclectic range of directing work including EastEnders, where he directed 6 episodes from 2000-2002, and Casualty in the same year. He then went onto a broad scope of television dramas with Judge John Deed, Spooks, Trial and Retribution, Hotel Babylon, and Waking the Dead (2003-2011). His work also includes the TV movie Marple: the Pale Horse (2010) and most recently Silent Witness. “Schooled in Murder” is Andy’s first directing credit for MIDSOMER MURDERS.