I have put off writing this review because most people who visit the Cozy Mystery Site are already aware of this deliciously fun, long-running BBC mystery series: Midsomer Murders. The episodes are based on (inspired by) Caroline Graham's Inspector Barnaby Mystery Series.
Nope, it is not "mid-summer murders">>> the Midsomer in the title refers to the county area in which DCI Barnaby (John Nettles) and his loyal sidekick sergeant (Daniel Casey in the first several seasons, John Hopkins in the middle seasons, and Jason Hughes in the last few seasons to date) are charged with keeping the peace and solving the crimes. And, lucky for us, we get to meet Barnaby's wife (Jane Wymark) and daughter (Laura Howard) and watch as they both evolve.
The scenery is phenomenal>>> I love all of the different cozy village settings they show in the episodes. Since Midsomer is a county made up of several villages, we are treated to many quaint villages with the traditional cozy mystery characters— including a few totally eccentric busybodies! And, even luckier for us, Barnaby has a civic duty to perform, so we see him officiating/participating in several fêtes>>> More cozy village ambiance for us to enjoy!
Midsomer Murders is now in its eleventh season (I think!) although we (in the USA) are no longer having the privilege of watching this truly cozy mystery show. (A&E stopped showing the series several years ago.) I wish A&E hadn't decided to change its line-up years ago. It was truly one of my favorite television channels back when they showed us shows like Sherlock Holmes with Jeremy Brett, Miss Marple with Joan Hickson, and Poirot with David Suchet.
If you're looking for the ambiance of a truly cozy British mystery setting… you might want to introduce yourself to Midsomer Murders. That is, if you aren't one of its many fans already!
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Oh, man, do NOT get me started on A&E/Biography’s decision to stop airing British mystery shows. I’ve been holding a grudge about that for what seems like eons!
Hi Tori!
I wonder how many more of us anglophiles are out there who are not happy about A&E’s decision to become the official “repeats only” channel… CSI (from any major USA city!), Crossing Jordan, The Sopranos (with all the adult content cut out… leaving what? … the credits?), The Dog…
Now that you mention it… I guess I’ve been “holding a grudge!” (I actually was going to blog about the new and improved A&E but thought I was the one of the few who was so disappointed… So, I guess it’s a green light on that particular blog!)
Hi Danna I too was an A&E tv watcher then as well but not anymore. Luckily I recorded all those shows so I can watch them when I want to watch. Would love to get the Midsomer Murder shows on DVD but they are a little pricy for me and with only 4 movies per set not too good. One good thing for me right now is my PBS station out of Sacramento is carrying the Hercule Poirot mysteries on Saturday night from 9 to 11 barring pledge drive so I can watch them again. TV sure isn’t what it used to be. I have select shows I watch and then there is not that much I want to see anyway like you. Well take care ok.
I have pretty much stopped watching A&E lately. They took all of my favorite shows off the air, Nero Wolf, Midsomer Murders, etc. I love a show and it gets yanked. Thank goodness for BBCAmerica and DVD!!! I plan to one day get each season on DVD. I love and miss Midsomer Murders.
Hi Alfred and V,
I don’t understand why A&E became the rerun channel for other shows and stopped showing the quality British mysteries. What a shame!
Hi Vickie,
I just checked BBCAmerica hoping that they had reverted to their old scheduling which included some good mystery shows. All I could find was shows like Bargain Hunters, How Clean is Your House?, Cash in the Attic, ETC. They seem to have gone the way of A & E.
hi all
Does anyone know a way to get seasons 9-11?? Buying the DVDs is a bit too expensive…..I have seasons 1-8 on DVD currently
I really miss my Sundays with A & E what are they thinking??…
thanks
Hi Diane,
The only thing that I can suggest is trying Blockbusters or Netflix. Does anyone else have any ideas?
I dropped cable when they stopped showing Midsomer Murders. With the money I save I buy the DVDs. It’s still less than $10 per 90 minute episode which is cheaper than most movies on DVD.
Hi Karen,
Shame on the networks when they stopped showing Midsomer Murders, Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock Holmes, and the rest of the shows we all loved! I guess that the reality shows are so cheap to produce that the networks figure they can cut costs and (probably) raise their audience numbers.
I love cozy mysteries!! Since it is not on cable anymore I try the local library here in NY. I have so far finished 9 out of the 11 season DVDs. Your local library is the best place to look for these.
I agree with all of you on A&E–and have also observed that BBC America is also getting pretty crummy in it’s programming. I also agree that Midsomer Murders is an absolute delight. Because I love watching my favorite BBC mysteries over and over and over again, “Midsomer” is another series that I’m compiling in my library–over time. (Thank heaven for the Amazon wishlist!)
It will be a sad day for all of us when John Nettles (Tom Barnaby) retires–although he certainly has earned the right to relax. I understand they do intend to continue the series after that event occurs. I suspect the character (and actor) who will replace the Tom Barnaby character will itself remain a mystery until the eleventh hour! Until then, let’s all continue to enjoy this quirky and unique series, WHEN we can get it!
I can’t wait to see the “new” (to us in the States who have to wait until they release the DVDs) Midsomer Murder shows. Drat A & E! And – Double Drat BBCA!!!
I found an online site that has all the 12-13 seasons of Midsomer Murders!!! It’s free for the first 4000mb (which translates to 4-7 episodes!). Then they charge but not really too much actually, I’m just too cheap so I’ll wait till my next month’s worth of 4000 mb! It’s called graboid. They have every episode available!! Even if you choose to pay, like Karen pointed out, still pretty cheap per episode.
Thanks, Leslie, for telling us about it…
I have to totally agree with everyone here that I was so disappointed when A&E/Biography took off Midsomer Murder, Poirot, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes. That channel hasn’t been the same for me since. I would love to see BBCAmerica broadcasting some of these plus some of their classic shows (Are You Being Served, AbFab, Keeping Up Appearances, etc….) instead of so much Gordon Ramsey, Top Gear, You Are What You Eat. I do love Antiques Roadshow though! They have a huge catalog of shows that they are always trying to sell to all of us, broadcast some of them on a “Classic” or “Mystery” night then maybe we would all buy some of their dvd’s.
I agree with all of you. I used to look forward to every episode of Midsommer. Now I do get them on netflix but they are about 3 years behind. Better than nothing. What happened to a good old fashioned murder? The brits are great at doing this and yet we can’t get them. I also hold a grudge against A&E.
I started buying Midsomer on Amazon as well. They’re not cheap but we enjoy them so much. I got 2 sets for Christmas and the latest set that they just released this month is on the way. Next season is released June 1.
I agree with everybody that we used to spend every Sunday watching the British mysteries on the biography channel. I know we haven’t watched bio or A&E since then. Our local PBS shows the same 4-5 1hr episodes of Poirot over and over but nothing else. They used to show Rosemary & Thyme, but not anymore. I love the new Inspector Lewis but found Wallender a bit slow.
We love watching the Midsomer shows… Truly “Cozy” atmosphere…
Lately, I am finding that PBS airs the same shows over and over, changing the actual production companies and actors. I mean, how many different ways can they do “Emma”?!? And this latest “39 Steps”!!! I have to be honest and say upfront that I didn’t watch it, but can it possibly top the Alfred Hitchcock classic?!?
As for A & E… What can I say!?!
For several years now I have been wondering why lovely British programs like Midsomer Murders stopped airing on A&E. For some reason those responsible for programming decided that A&E needed to “dumb-down”a bit for the sake of popularity? There are a few new shows that I can deal with, but the quality is lacking greatly. I do hope that someone will again air Midsomer Episodes and other Brit Mysteries again, to include more from PBS.
Missing quality from A&E and Brit Mysteries…
I don’t think that there are any shows that I watch on A & E, Jocelyn. It really is a change and a shame!
It certainly isn’t Art and definitely not Entertainment. So sad…
I couldn’t have said it better, Anne!
Hi there – can anyone help with this crazy notion? In the Hidden Depths Episode near the beginning, two women are having morning coffee when one of the husbands appears to have jumped off the roof.
Never mind the murder, does anyone know the name of the exquisite tea set? The pot appears to be yellow with willows on it and the teacups blue with a bird on it.
The same set I think appears in the last scene of “Down Among the Dead Men.”
Ideas appreciated!
Carolyn
I’m with everyone else, I used to watch BBC-America and Bio Channel all the time and now I never turn them on. I get the DVDs from my local library, but they are several years behind..but I love to watch them over and over again. These new “detective” shows are too graphic and violent for me. My local PBS station is airing 4 new episodes (new as to actors) each of Poirot and Miss Marple this summer and I am making a point of watching them.
Darlene,
Your library sounds like a great resource!
Hello there all! I became disgusted with BBCAmerica about 3 years ago when they started playing all the junk reality shows-I never turn it on now-The only thing they have is Dr. Who that I might watch occasionally. I started years ago watching Are You Being Served? and Keeping Up Appearances. I eventually took 2 trips to England and Scotland just because of the shows! Then they all just went to heck-even my PBS station, in Columbia,SC only shows Brit. shows on Saturday night. I can’t figure who the demographic is that they are attempting to appeal to!
One more thing- you can watch many UK films on YouTube, although you have to watch them in 10 minute sections! It’s not bad though. You get used to it. There is a site put together by someone termed The Victorian Lady. She has compiled the greatest 30 films,etc. She has a wealth of things to watch. The only problem is where to start! This is a great website that I just stumbled onto. I read most all the mysteries on the list and find it to be the highlight of my day. I can’t believe there are other eccentrics out there like me! I have a degree in Lit. from SUNY.
Jane,
It really is a shame for all of us in the USA who relied on BBC America to bring us our favorite British shows… only to have that channel become a reality show network.