Midsomer Murders: Set 11 (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)So many of our friends and family regret the decision of A & E and the Biography channels not to renew this classic British series. It is pure escapism and deliciously photographed in the wonderful English countryside. John Nettles is everyman's hard working police inspector - cynical, darkly humourous and wholly believable. The cast and characters are comprised of true eccentrics (as only the Brits can be) and one never knows what lies around the next corner in one of the charming Midsomer Counties villages. If anyone of the powers that be in the programing offices of any network are reading this, please reconsider returning Inspector Barnaby and his confreres to their rightful place on our side of the Pond. They are sorely missed!

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What evil lurks beyond the well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer… The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Constable Ben Jones. Guest stars include George Baker, Elizabeth Spriggs, Simon Callow, Joss Ackland, Siân Phillips, Dermot Crowley, and Julia McKenzie. THE MYSTERIES The House in the Woods -- According to local legend, Winyard is haunted-and it lives up to its reputation when a young couple dies on the property in a grisly fashion. Dead Letters -- As Midsomer Barton celebrates Oak Apple Week, the mother of a former festival queen drowns herself. But is it really suicide? Vixen’s Run -- At a family gathering, thrice-married baronet Freddy Butler keels over dead, leaving an estate worth killing for.Down Among the Dead Men -- The shotgun slaying of accountant Martin Barrett leads Barnaby and Jones on a trail of blackmail. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Fascinating Facts, The Killings at Badger’s Drift connection, Caroline Graham biography, production notes, and cast filmographies.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 10 (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife, mother, and I followed these when they aired on a couple cable networks. We were all sorely disappointed when they did not continue to air them. I had already bought several sets on DVD for my mother when they ceased televising them. I am just very happy they are putting all the sets on DVD. I just ordered sets 9 and 10 for my mom's birthday. I do wish they put them in seasons rather than sets, because you end up buying sets that you aren't sure what season they were. All the sets are available in the UK, but haven't been released as Region 1 in the US. If you enjoy detective series, this is one of the best out there. I am a fan of police shows, and the change to the British countryside and culture has a nice feel to it. The stories, acting, directing, sets, and scenery are great. Each set contains four mysteries. I highly recommend this series. The DVD quality is first class and they have excellent replayability. The set is the slim case type. - C. Luster

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As seen on A&E and The Biography Channel WHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER . . . The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby with John Hopkins (Love in a Cold Climate) as his brash young assistant, Sergeant Dan Scott. Guest stars include Oliver Ford Davies, Annette Crosbie, Owen Teale, June Whitfield, Geoffrey Whitehead, and David Burke.THE MYSTERIES Second Sight -- A mysterious death brings the detectives to Midsomer Mere, where villagers claim psychic powers. Hidden Depths -- Barnaby and Scott face a bizarre crime scene when a local oenophile gets killed by a combination of catapult, croquet, and Chateau Lafite. Sauce for the Goose -- After a visitor dies while touring Plummer’s relish factory, Barnaby and Scott investigate the local food wars. Midsomer Rhapsody -- Barnaby links a long-deceased local composer with odd events that crescendo to a murderous conclusion. DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE Caroline Graham biography and cast filmographies.

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Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook (2001) Review

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(More customer reviews)Imagine Saint Mary Mead. Squared. Then add some extra blood and mayhem.
That about describes the setting of "Midsomer Murders," a morbidly witty British mystery series based on Caroline Graham's novels. And "Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook" brings together the the next round of seventeen cases in this cozy, dark little county, drawing from the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth seasons of the series. It's a great half'n'half combo of police procedural and cozy mystery.
Snotty society beauty Melissa Townsend is receiving some threatening letters, apparently because of the death of a tenant that stemmed from her neglect. Then she's found stabbed with a syringe filled with animal tranquilizers. Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) starts investigating the murder, especially the possible involvement of Melissa's best friend (and a bit more), a drunk driving case, and secret blackmail. And more murders, of course.
From there on, Barnaby and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), are forced to investigate all sorts of crimes -- a group of bell-ringers that are being bumped off, a prestigious boarding school with a deadly secret, a farmer's wife's apparent suicide, a vibrant but obnoxious widow's murder, a bizarrely complex murder tied to a mental hospital, a dead body found during an art class, an investor found dead in a river, and an old-as-dirt feud between two halves of a Midsomer town, which may hold the key to a series of deaths on the set of new movie "The House Of Satan."
Then Troy receives a promotion, and does one last case with Barnaby: a gentle recluse in the woods is implicated in the murder of his late tormentor. Enter DS Scott (John Hopkins), a rather cocky new guy who arrives just in time for a deadly class reunion, a Celtic solstice ritual that turns deadly, the death of a barman, a pagan ritual involving a dead curate, and a literary festival disrupted by some seedy goings-on... including murder. Then there's the Christmas special, "Ghosts of Christmas Past" -- Barnaby's holidays are interrupted by a string of deaths in the Villiers family, nine years after aspiring magician Ferdy Villers killed himself.
Honestly, I think Miss Marple would feel right at home in Midsomer County -- such a pretty, homey, sunshiney place, full of kindly spinsters, farmers and aristocrats of varying stripes, from skanky to down-to-earth. The whole thing is set in the various villages in this county, which is picturesque, lush, and full of farms, cute little English villages, opulent manorhouses, and little brick cottages.
So of course, there are gruesome murders, plotting and tawdry secrets hidden in every corner; several spill out in every episode, and only some of them have to do with the main murder (some are red herrings, and some are side crimes). Every now and then they have a dud episode (such as the horrendously preachy "Straw Woman"). But the writers keep a funny edge in the stories, such as Barnaby being confronted by an impending vacation ("Joyce, it looks as if these people are sitting on top of an elephant"), or and some clever dialogue ("Well, gettin' blown up's got to be a bit tragic").
And these cops are pretty believable detectives. John Nettles is absolutely wonderful as the kindly, middle-aged cop with a brain like stainless steel, whose nice sedate family is a relief from all the Midsomer weirdos. And Daniel Casey is solid as his younger, brasher assistant -- and his departure from the show is handled in a believable but touching manner. Hopkins isn't quite as likable as Scott, mainly because Scott is kind of a jerk at first, but he starts fitting in a bit better soon.
Most of the villagers are played by excellent actors as well, no matter how weird their characters are. Slightly loopy historians, crazy old ladies and nasty little schoolboys are only a few, with actors such as Lucy Punch, Hugh Bonneville, Angela Thorne, Amanda Root, and "Lost's" Henry Ian Cusick as a slimy rich boy. And Jane Wymark and Laura Howard round off the cast as Barnaby's very understanding wife and daughter.
"Midsomer Murders: Barnaby's Casebook" is a big, solidly-written chunk of British coziness, with murder and scandal in every episode, and some new transitions for the homicide division.

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As seen on A&E and The Biography ChannelWHAT EVIL LURKS BEYOND THE WELL-TRIMMED HEDGES OF MIDSOMER...The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. The smash hit series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, a dogged investigator and devoted family man, unflappable in the face of the macabre crimes and eccentric characters he encounters on the job.Inspired by the characters of novelist Caroline Graham, these 17 mysteries see the promotion of Barnaby s earnest assistant, Sergeant Troy (Daniel Casey, The Wingless Bird), and the arrival of his brash replacement, Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins, Love in a Cold Climate). Guest stars include Hugh Bonneville, Gemma Jones, Honor Blackman, John Standing, Freddie Jones, Susan Wooldridge, Phoebe Nicholls, Stella Gonet, and Henry Ian Cusick.THE MYSTERIES INCLUDE: Tainted Fruit, Ring Out Your Dead, Murder on St. Malley s Day, Market for Murder, A Worm in the Bud, A Talent for Life, Death and Dreams, Painted in Blood, A Tale of Two Hamlets, Birds of Prey, The Green Man, Bad Tidings, The Fisher King, Sins of Commission, The Maid in Splendour, The Straw Woman, Ghosts of Christmas Past, DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE John Nettles interview, essays by star John Nettles and co-creator Betty Willingale, Midsomer map, production notes, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies.Plus two exclusive bonus discs: Map of Midsomer Murders, a behind-the-scenes documentary hosted by John Nettles, and Super Sleuths, a documentary about the show s first decade. Set contains 19 discs (including bonus programs); approx. 28 hours. Mysteries previously released on DVD as Sets Four, Six, Seven, and Eight, the original U.K. broadcast order.

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DNA (2004) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've always been a fan of Tom Conti and this series reflects not only his excellent acting but the complex character he portrays. From the first episode I was hooked and only wish there had been more episodes. Conti portrays a coroner who, due to an emotional breakdown, had been encouraged to leave his post, thus becoming an author. His personal life is a mess; his wife is cheating, his son procrastinates as to his future and Conti becomes personally involved in a murder case. His illness rears its ugly head and he and those around him wonder if he is involved in this murder. If you like fast-paced complex murder mysteries, DNA should not be missed. Welcome back, Conti, please don't stop.

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Forensics expert Joe Donovan uses science to snare killers-and save himself. Award-winning actor Tom Conti (Shirley Valentine; Reuben, Reuben) stars as Joe Donovan, an accomplished but troubled criminologist who returns from a mental breakdown to lead Manchester’s crack Forensic Investigations Unit. Called in to consult on a murder case that suspiciously resembles the one that drove him into near madness years ago, Donovan redeems his reputation and rediscovers his devotion to the job. Yet his professional dedication bleeds into his personal life, alienating his wife (Samantha Bond, Die Another Day, Tomorrow Never Dies) but appealing to his son (Ryan Cartwright, The Grimleys), who wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. Packed with fascinating procedural details and wickedly captivating plot twists, every episode of DNA delivers edge-of-your-seat suspense. But with its complex characterizations, it also explores the human dimension of the scientists who solve crimes.

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Midsomer Murders: Set 12 (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)For all of us who wondered how Cabot Cove wound up with any citizens left after all those murders in Jessica's wake...take heart...the territory has been expanded into a whole British equivalent of a county (Midsomer) in the heart of Jolly Olde England, chock full of villages just simmering over with perfect villiany. This series is still going full steam in Britian. In fact a rerun of one on ITV recently out performed all original programming on the other channels. So it is just as appreciated in it's homeland as it is becoming in the colonies. It is the epitome of well thought out murder plots brimming over with those gloriously quaint characters one only encounters in England. Long time Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (played by John Nettles) and his now third Deputy Inspector are forever unraveling unsavory goings on in towns as diverse as Carsten (evidently the urban center of the county) or villages like Midsomer Mallow where the citizens busy themselves about the business of building up petty hatreds and retributions galore. The pace is never too fast. The murder or murders are always diabolique or so interpersonally convoluted as to render you entranced at it's revelation. While lacking the bitter sophistication of Morse...or the witty repartee of Poirot in another era...these murder mysteries will bequile you with their scenery, their down to earth eccentrics, and even DCI Barnaby's happy home life (gone are the psychological demons attacking modern detectives and making them as miserable as the victims they encounter). None of that in Midsomer. You get the feeling Barnaby wouldn't trade his job for a promotion to London in a million years, he's content, but constantly amazed at the capacity for murder in his elysian fields. He has a loving wife and a grown daughter who keeps moving in and out of his life. The different villages are all interesting. Nobody does this murder business better than the British...period. It's just a lark on all counts. At my house the wife, the kids, and the grandkids know that on Sunday evening it's my Midsomer Murder night and woe to those who disturb me during those 100 minutes of mayhem.

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The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby with Jason Hughes (This Life) as his earnest, efficient protégé, Detective Constable Ben Jones. Guest stars include Richard McCabe, Clare Holman, Peter Capaldi, Saskia Wickham, Dominic Jephcott, Siobhan Redmond, Juliet Aubrey, John Shrapnel, and Guy Henry.
THE MYSTERIES Four Funerals and a Wedding--Every year, the Skimmington Fayre rekindles an age-old battle of the sexes in Broughton. But this year, the bodies really start to accumulate.Country Matters--With the town of Elverton in an uproar over a new supermarket, a mysterious man turns up murdered on the store\'s proposed site.Death in Chorus--Approaching a big choral competition, the Midsomer Worthy amateur choir loses its tenor to murder. Last Year\'s Model--As Annie Woodrow goes on trial for murdering her best friend, DCI Barnaby begins to have second thoughts about her guilt.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE 50th episode production notes, text interviews with John Nettles and Jason Hughes, Caroline Graham biography, and cast filmographies.

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