Midsomer Murders

This shows tongue is so far into its cheek it's a wonder there's not been a serious rupture!

From the outset back in 1997 there has never been a moment that we were meant to take too seriously - but we do! Every time a new feature length episode is announced we sit, gripped, for 2hrs stifling chuckles not because it's "so bad it's good" but because it's "so good it's wicked!".

It has inspired letters to The Times newspaper ("Joyce Barnaby - Britain's most elusive serial killer?") and made those of us that live in chocolate box villages feel like locking our back doors at night (just in case).

"Midsomer Murders" is a gleeful repost to the plethora of "gritty" and "realistic" crime shows. Long may the death toll rise....

Despite being set in beautiful English countryside the Midsomer villages are dangerous places to live, it seems that behind every perfectly trimmed hedge a potential murderer is lurking. It is rare that an episode features a single murder, usually there are two or three. Given the high murder rate one would expect that the local constabulary would have a large murder unit but in fact all murders are investigated by DCI Tom Barnaby and his sergeant.

It is a mistake to join any club, society or organisation in the Midsomers as they are nearly all hotbeds of jealousy, rivalry and backstabbing and those that aren't will somehow offend other villagers. These feelings inevitably lead to murder, usually in a fairly imaginative way. Unusually for a TV detective Barnaby is happily married with a grown up daughter. It is surprising that wife Joyce and Daughter Cully have survived as they often found themselves in the groups where the other members were dropping like flies.

While there are plenty of murders it is never overly gory so it is suitable for all but the most squeamish. The cast do a great job, as well as the regulars you can expect to see several well known British actors appearing as suspects and victims. Don't expect it to be too serious though and don't expect it to accurately portray police procedure... Barnaby rarely wastes time with trivial things like search warrants or telling a suspect their rights before questioning them.

At about the third episode, I realized that at least three murders had to be committed before Barnaby and Troy got the killer. The more I watched, it seemed that the entire series is really a subtle spoof of the English detective mystery genre, that is Country English. The series captures the beautiful countryside, these lovely villages, the wellington boots, the country architecture and interior decor, all to perfection. And underneath it all seethes the violence, greed, sexual anomalies and jealousy of a country village. Reality in rural England has got to be much different, I hope. The murder rate is astronomical in this Midsomer part of England! And poor Barnaby and Troy. They plod along until the killer just about leaps into their hands. I thoroughly enjoy it all and have my chuckles throughout the episode. The local library recently purchased 10 episodes. I still have one to watch.

Margaret, an avowed Anglophile

I discovered the "Midsomer Murders" 2 years ago. In Argentina they are shown on Hallmark Channel, and in this case I don't mind their repetitive programming, because I've become so totally addicted to the episodes that I watch them every time they are on, twice , four, five times....(middle age is creeping up on me, so sometimes I tend to forget who dunit) Wonderful entertainment, great actors down to the smallest role (remember Phyllida Law and John Nettles getting high on pot cookies??? Hilarious!!!) - which goes to show that the British are unsurpassed in the art of solid ,tasteful and funny TV crime fare. I hope we get new episodes like the ones last year and that Hallmark keeps showing them, like other British crime series, too. Malke Schmiedeberg

The series is set in idyllic English countryside with beautiful villages and archetypical inhabitants. It's fun to watch as Barnaby and Troy are amusing, the stories are fairly good and they are a pleasant break from the hard and gripping detective shows that leave a nasty taste in the mouth. The stories are not demanding, police procedure is appalling, we all know England is not like this, but if you want an enjoyable show with a detective story, I recommend it.