9pm Tuesday 20 Things to Do In Midsomer Before you Die - Drama
John Nettles (DCI Tom Barnaby from Midsomer Murders Seasons 1-13) hosts this 20th anniversary special which features stars past and present discussing the peculiar quirks of the delightful yet deadly Midsomer county.
Midsomer Murders is a fan favorite and possibly Britain's most popular TV drama export. Despite the county's seeming peaceful nature, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and his partner Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix) are kept quite busy investigating murders. Dudgeon spoke with APT about the popularity of Midsomer Murders.
Q: What do you think is the lasting appeal of Midsomer Murders, for both current and new generations of fans?
Dudgeon: I think a part of the secret of the lasting appeal of Midsomer, well, I think there are many reasons, obviously. I think the British countryside is a very important part of it. The pubs, the village greens, the churches, the beautiful houses, all those sorts of things. I think people like that very much.
And the quiz element of the whodunit. The whodunit is perennially a popular thing where people start off thinking, "Oh, it's the bloke in the hat did it. Oh, no, he's dead. He's dead. No, no, it's the woman in the green jumper - Oh, no, she's dead." I think people love to play that sort of game. It's a thing that people like to do as a family, for people to try and figure out who's done it. I think that's part of the pleasure of it.
So it's got a very loose formula to it, to the extent it has a formula at all. Most shows are a bit more tightly packed. They've got a smaller area to create ideas in. Whereas Midsomer is just something happens in the country, two coppers turn up, "Go on, tell me a story. You can do anything with it." And we have.
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