Death in the Slow Lane

Midsomer Murders is John Nettles. Or at least 50 % of it. Replacing Nettles is like replacing Bergerac with...some other guy. It makes no sense. This changing is obviously just to milk the cow dry. "There still is some more milk and we need to get it out". Well. Don't. Put Midsomer to sleep! It's been around for 15 years. I can see why Nettles give it up. I just can't see why the producers don't see it. I hope we will see Nettles again, after a long and deserved vacation. He's been an attraction on TV all the way back from "A family at war". Now, that said, I still vote a "4". Almost all the things that we know from the "old" series is still there. but I cannot put the finger on exact what is missing, except from Nettles. It's more boring. Maybe it have been boring all the way back, that Nettles have been carrying the show on his own shoulders?

I was fairly bored with this episode, which introduces Neil Dudgeon as Barnaby's replacement, his cousin John.

I found out that the reason Barnaby's cousin John had to take over is because in some countries the show is called Barnaby.

The show begins with two schoolgirls finding a body on the grounds of a private school. It then skips to 45 years later, when a classic car competition is taking place on the grounds of the same school, run by Harriett Wingate.

Jones is busy restoring a vintage car owned by racer Duncan Palmer, the man whose body was found 45 years ago. The competition will be a fierce one, judged by Peter Fossett, Palmer's old teammate. One of the entrants is his own daughter Katie, who is there under protest by her ex-husband Jamie. He is on the board with Harriett, and in love with her daughter Jessica.

Kate wants to win badly and tries to bribe another judge, a radio D. J. named Doggy Day. Doggy Day is murdered while working on her car.

Later another man meets the same fate.

In comes Barnaby to try to sort things out. He discovers all sorts of things, some from the past, including illegitimacy and drug dealing.

Well, this Barnaby has nothing on the old Barnaby. There is something incredibly appealing about John Nettles. I always found him terribly attractive as Barnaby, sharp, with a good sense of humor and authority.

Neil Dudgeon's John Barnaby is a know-it-all, somewhat snobby and pompous. Maybe he'll change. I hope so. He's almost as dull as this episode.

Note - I did change my mind and also love his beautiful wife Sarah and the dog Sykes.

March 2011 saw Neil Dudgeon take over from John Nettles as Inspector Barnaby. Nettles (ever the gentleman and pro) had given 2 years warning to allow the producers to select a new star if they chose to continue the series, but producer Brian True May knew that Dudgeon would need all the help he could get to blunt the poison pen nibs of Nettles' many fans. And Dudgeon got it: Death in the Slow Lane is a belter of an episode - funny, genial and often very exciting, with the usual bits of MSM silliness mixed in to leaven the dish. Guests Samantha Bond and David Warner provide some star power, and there are super turns from Luke Allen Gale as local rapper/DJ Dave Doggy Day and from child stars Gwyneth Keyworth and Daisy Keeping as the "scholarship girls". Dudgeon takes up the mantle of Barnaby pretty well - perhaps playing it (or being scripted as) slightly more intellectual than Tom, and the writers give him a little tension with DS Jones and George Bullard. But there really isn't much daylight between the character of John and that of Tom. MSM carries on in its 200+ countries and territories (!) and, while not everyone will be happy (change is always difficult!), Death in the Slow Lane was a cracking start to the new era.

A classic car competition takes place at an exclusive All Girls boarding School. One of the judges, local DJ Doggy Day, is crushed by one of the cars.

Dudgeon makes a fine start, he doesn't try to copy his illustrious predecessor, instead he puts his own stamp on it. John is patient and reasoned, he's also amusing, the scenes of new neighbours popping in adds real humour, particularly the guy that invites him along to an exclusive all Male club, very funny. Hopefully he'll complete a decade in the role soon.

It's a very good episode, the story is intriguing, with some real depth. There is some real venom in the crimes, and some great, and twisted characters. They went for a terrific case for John's first case, Susan Engel, David Warner, Samantha Bond, all of whom are wonderful, but the first episode for the marvellous Sykes.

A slightly above average story. But, an even flow to it. No Tom, Joyce, and Cully will be a tall task to overcome. I hope John has a family to spice his home life up. The dog isn't enough. Lots of holes in the apparent suicide was puzzling. Didn't feel I wasted my time though. Definitely will give episode number two of the 14th season a try.