Thursday 21 August 2014

Read in 2014 - 29: Midsomer Murders - The Making of an English Crime Classic

Written by Jeff Evans, a true fan of the series, this „Making of“ covers many different aspects of Midsomer Murders and includes a foreword by John Nettles as well as an episode guide for the first 23 episodes.


Although I have not (yet) read any of Caroline Graham’s Inspector Barnaby novels, I found it interesting to read about how – and why – the characters in the TV series partly differ from those in the books. Also, the way a story may work very well in paper but will require some tweaking for a successful transfer to a totally different medium (such as TV) is explained. The process of evolution from the first draft of a script to the finished episode is described, and if anyone has ever doubted the amount of work and effort going into each and every minute we later see on telly, they will understand a lot more after having read this book.

Details matter a lot; for instance, finding the right location can be a big challenge, and every little thing needs checking thoroughly. For example, the name of a fictitious surgeon in an episode must not correspond to any real-life counterpart of the same – or even just similar – name in the area.
While the episode guide will not be the most interesting read for everyone, it provides some background information about the impressive list of guest actors with little snippets of filming memories that I found quite entertaining.

Of course, since the book was published in 2002, long before some major changes occurred (Barnaby’s sergeant was replaced twice; eventually, Barnaby himself retired and was replaced by his “cousin”, who in turn has recently been assigned a new sergeant; Barnaby’s daughter marries, and so on), it seems strange now to read some of the statements that sound as if the main cast was set in stone. But that is natural with a series as long-going as Midsomer Murders, and does not take away from the pleasure of this book.

12 comments:

  1. I enjoy this series, though it's a miracle anyone is left alive in the Midsommer area after all these murders! But the book is not in my library and it's too expensive to buy - more than $80.00 here for used copies. I will have to check amazon UK, perhaps. It sound interesting.

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    1. They must be kidding - more than $80?! I know the book is out of print and you'll only find it used, but that does not justify such a price tag!! I paid much less, somewhere around 10 Euros.
      You are right, if Midsomer was real, the villages would be deserted!

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  2. We watched this series and enjoyed it but like Kristi above, we used to laugh at the thought of so many murders in such a short amount of time in one tiny village! .
    I loved all the place locations where they filmed Midsommer Murders, you know I love England! Sometimes we have to rewind to hear the dialogue, we will be drooling over the scenery!

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    1. Yes, some of the houses and villages are so beautiful, aren't they!
      Something the book says about the series, too, is that it should always be taken with a pinch of salt, never too seriously.

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  3. This is an excellent tv series and my dh and I enjoy watching it. The book sounds like a nice companion to the show. We like the settings, of the villages, houses of stone, farms, small churches, village fairs, vicars, etc. in addition to the mystery.

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    1. We all love it, and I was especially happy to be able to catch a view episodes in English on telly when I was in Yorkshire in June. In Germany, of course we only get to see the dubbed version with German voice-overs, but I very much prefer watching films and series in their original language.

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  4. I, too, am a great fan of Midsomer Murders and have just found many copies of the book used on Amazon for under £4. One of them will become mine!

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    1. I found mine on ebay :-)
      Now I have seen that there are many more books about Midsomer Murders, covering later episodes, or specializing on just the locations, and so on. My mother-in-law likes the series, too, so maybe that would make a nice Christmas present for her.

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  5. We're only watched Midsomer Murders once. Someone was electrocuted, and the police phoned the message:"send for rubber gloves". We couldn't take it seriously after that.

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    1. That's just it, Frances - it is not to be taken seriously. I think that is partly what makes it so successful - it is not comedy, but there is enough of the satirical element in it to lend it an almost cartoonish character.

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  6. We have watched Midsomer Murders but after watching the Sherlock series and Inspector Lewis, there's just no comparison. Just my opinion.

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    1. Lewis is another series I like a lot, but I don't think it is comparable to Midsomer Murders. They are both very different in approach, in set up and in atmosphere. Of the Sherlock series I think I have watched one or two episodes last year in England; as far as I know, it is not on German telly at the moment.

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