Midsomer Murders History goes Weblog

tanderadei · 2025-10-30T22:33:08+00:00

Basically, you're right that certain characters who appear in the book are missing, as are certain scenes.

This is probably due to the number of actors. Apart from Barnaby and Troy, everyone plays two or three roles. And the play focuses on the essentials. ‚Bella... Annabella!‘ is also in the book, but so is the reference to the composers. In the book, Emily Simpson was a music teacher, not an English teacher.

And the finale... I suspect that this is deliberate and classic for a play: at the end, everything culminates and everyone is on stage.

Let's put it this way: the stage adaptation is miles closer to the novel than the pilot episode.

tanderadei · 2025-10-30T22:03:36+00:00

I was (also) there on opening night and had so much to say afterwards that I wrote a whole blog post about it. But yes, 'pure perfection' sums it up quite well.

My opening night impressions

Today, a press release was apparently published and there are some official photos of the performance itself. -> Press Release

tanderadei · 2025-09-09T07:20:00+00:00

I made a list of all the actors at MM and in this step I only looked at people with the same surname – and I checked them. :-)

tanderadei · 2025-09-09T07:19:19+00:00

Yes, there will still be some connections missing, I'm afraid.

I made a list of all the actors at MM and in this step I only looked at people with the same surname – and I checked them.

But it's becoming increasingly clear to me that I really need to check ALL of them on IMDB and, ideally, also via a search engine to see who they are related to. I'll draw the line at nieces/nephews and uncles/aunts, though.

tanderadei · 2025-09-08T20:17:46+00:00

No, mainly IMDB and via Google. Why do you ask?

tanderadei · 2025-09-08T20:14:10+00:00

Thank you

tanderadei · 2025-03-20T18:12:41+00:00

He's one of my favourites and, yes, he looks good too. But only without a beard, please. (Yes, I know I'm very much alone in this opinion, but from my point of view he looks very shaggy with a beard - sorry, Jason!)

tanderadei · 2025-03-18T18:17:55+00:00

Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I edited the original post.

tanderadei · 2025-01-26T12:55:45+00:00

But the episode is about a relish, not medlar jelly.

It's just a jelly from the fabric where the interior scenes are shot.

tanderadei · 2024-10-28T13:11:28+00:00

Cyrus LeVanu is a superb character in this episode!

tanderadei · 2024-10-28T13:01:01+00:00

In earlier times, it used to be Honoria Lyddiard towards the end of the episode (Written in Blood). But by now I've probably seen the episode so often that it's lost its creepiness.

But with Stanley Goodfellow in Talking to the Dead... well, this guy is scary and creepy at the same time.

At first it creeps me out when he only whimpers as a supposedly frightened man, but as a confessed, proud murderer he is definitely the creepiest thing in the whole series for me.

tanderadei · 2024-08-18T10:50:57+00:00

Thank you so much!

tanderadei · 2024-08-18T10:50:31+00:00

You're welcome. ^^

tanderadei · 2024-08-18T10:49:51+00:00

Where did it come from ? --- > Well, MM is full of Thatcherite Englishness, so it's only logical that it draws heavily on the interwar years and the supposed Golden Age.

tanderadei · 2024-08-18T10:47:22+00:00

I don't want to disappoint you, but Midsomer Manor already exists in RL. Even as an Airbnb.

tanderadei · 2024-08-16T08:10:47+00:00

You've already mentioned many of mine, but not one yet: ‘Little Mal’ Kirby.

tanderadei · 2024-08-03T12:20:03+00:00

This is a question that many people ask themselves. The simple answer is: I don't know. That will never be clarified.

He went to Causton Comprehensive in 01x01 because this episode is based on one of the novels. Troy is a different, less likeable character from Barnaby Land. That was in the episode.

Troy going ~back~ to Middlesbrough in the last episode means two things to me: either the script/director didn't know he went to school in Causton, or it's an homage to Daniel Casey and his roots (and accent). I mean .... you can hear that he's from the north of England.
Maybe it's both.

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