MIDSOMER MURDERS SEASON 01 - EPISODE 01 - "The Killings At Badger's Drift" (1998)

 Tonight's Weird Wednesday presentation is the the first episode of the long running UK TV series called "Midsomer Murders."

"Midsomer Murders" has been onTV for 22 seasons since 1998, and is still being produced today, but because it's British, many people including myself, have never ever heard of it, unless they have somebody like Lord Litter in Berlin to keep them informed.

The show's are almost two hours long, and not exactly what you call action packed, but are long complicated stories, that are intelligent and well written, and by no means boring.

"Midsomer Murders" is based on the "Chief Inspector Barnaby" series of books written by Caroline Graham, and the first one was titled "The Killings At Badger's Drift."

The show starts in the sleepy village of Badger's Drift, when an 80 year old woman is mysteriously murdered!

These are the two main guys, John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby, and Daniel Casey as Sergeant Gavin Troy. John Nettles was in 81 episodes, and his last appearance on the show was in 2011, while Daniel Casey was in 30 episodes up until 2008.

It's really a great show, but there is quite a bit of action like this.

Food also seems to be of major interest.

Barnaby's wife is always cooking him something exciting like stewed neck of lamb with mushroom dumplings!

 

In another meal, the reason the chicken is so small is that it's not a chicken.

He gets some real man food at the cafeteria, but gets called out before he has a chance to eat it!

 

They have a police manhunt in search of an orchid!

This show is a real family affair, and Badger's Drift seems to have more than it's share of odd characters like Mother Iris Rainbird and her son Dennis Rainbird.

Dennis Rainbird is a Mortician, and he and his Mother have a very close, and very especially creepy relationship!

Elizabeth (Simon and the Witch) Spriggs is the Mother, and Richard (Stan and Ollie) Cant is the son.

Besides their questionable relationship, these two were also conniving cheaters and liars, so you don't really care when they become victims themselves!

Other strange characters and ambiguous relationships are between this young gal, and this olde fart who are about to get married. This is Emily (The Pink Panther) Mortimer as Katherine Lacey, and Julian (The Empire Strikes Back) Glover as Henry Trace, the guy who raised her and her brother Michael. Julian also has 189 other credits and is still at work.

Selena (Mrs. Tishell on Doc Martin) Cadell is Phyllis Cadell, a lady who thinks she killed someone, but didn't. (Even though she tried to)

Diana (Chromophobia) Hardcastle is the Doctor's slutty wife. Actually I should give her a break since almost everybody is having an affair with somebody. She's just best at not even trying to hide it.

 

 

Barnaby has a weird dream where he's at the wedding and instead of a Bible, the Priest is reading from a book titled "Tis Pity She's A Whore," which is a play his daughter is acting in.

Katherine and Michael have a very unhealthy relationship for themselves and everybody around them. If I was ever going to describe a couple as toxic, these would be the two. Not only are they incestuous, they are also murderers and thieves. Michael Lacey was played by Jonathan (Wuthering Heights) Firth.

There was only one way for this story to end!

 

The painting that Michael was working on, and that he didn't want anyone to see, is revealed at the end!