Os Assassinatos de Midsomer

Midsommer Murders is the very definition of a guilty pleasure: it delivers a thoroughly and sustainably enjoyable and rewarding viewing experience when it shouldn't; the production value, is there, of course, as is the top notch acting and confident, if simple, directing. It is in the stories, plots and characters that the show is comically simplistic, outdated and unrealistic. And yet, it does not bother you. Contemporary rural England seems to have been frozen in time - the villages might as well be the setting for a Hercule Poirot/Sherlock Holmes murder mystery - all these butlers and manors and decadent heirs and disenfranchised servants and hunting parties and minor nobles..and still, one plays along, you suspend everything you know England is, for the illusion and the stereotype that is presented to you. And even though the crimes can be appalling and the motives quite dark and daring ( the show had episodes dealing with incest, madness and extremely violent deaths), what you are left with is a type of nostalgia and dreamlike impression, a lingering memory of country pubs and inns and stone bridges and a luscious green countryside.

I really appreciate this show.No, it's not a really serious dramatic murder mystery but it's FUN to watch. I get all comfortable in my chair and it's like a mini vacation. I settle into my chair with a nice cup of tea and I'm transported to some English village, a manor, a farm, a pub and it's a slow unravelling. By the time the shows done, I have formed bonds with the locals of the episode. I mean does it get better than this? I don't want noise and car chases and all seriousness or over the top smut. This is wry and dry and just the ticket. It's light but the characters are wonderful and although the stories aren't going to make your eyes pop when the murderer is discovered, you don't care. It's the getting there that's such a good time. I will watch this over and over.

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.

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....

This series is TV at it's best. The plots are full of twists and turns, none of the predictable formula plots of the American hour long dramas. The attention to detail is extraordinary, from the costumes, the cottage interiors to the whiskers on a character's face. One of the pleasures of watching a British drama, such as this one, is the quality of the acting. The actors are not chosen for their flawless white smiles or their silicon enhanced bodies but for their acting talents. The scenery and the quaint English villages are idyllic but underneath the seven deadly sins fester. The viewer can enjoy piecing together the clues to uncover the main villain but it is also fun to guess who is going to be the next victim. It is one of the few TV offerings that my husband and I can watch and enjoy together.