BAD TIDINGS
First Broadcast: January 4, 2004
Barnaby and Scott investigate when a busybody turns up dead in a field with a red rose in her mouth.
| The
Midsomer Mallow Residents Association have prepared yet another
theme-evening. This one doesn't last so merrily, however, when Fiona
Thompson, part of the committee, storms out during a row with her
husband about her constant money-spending. On her way home, Fiona is
stabbed with a long bladed knife and dragged to an old tree in Chenies
Field - which she hated. Another member of the committee finds her shoe
while taking their dog out for a walk, and Fiona's husband, Gary,
reports her missing straight away. At the Midsomer Constabulary, Troy's departure has been replaced with cocky Londoner DS Dan Scott. They start by going to the crime scene where Fiona's body has been found. They find her lying by the tree with a red rose in her mouth. Gary Thompson give Barnaby and Scott all the details they need, and a visit to the village hall pursues. Apparently all the members of the committee hated Fiona, who liked to argue. One member especially - Charles Rust, who has left the others to clear up last night's mess while he is tending his garden which he hopes will do well on the Open Day. |
| The other members are widow Mary Pierce; Shirley Bennett, who spends a lot of time in her doll shop, and Donald Tew, who has something interesting to tell Barnaby. He supposes that he was the last person to see Fiona alive, after keeping watch outside on the car park. Shortly after Fiona stormed out, he heard an odd squeaking noise in the distance. Charles Rust is then disrupted by the police whilst gardening. Barnaby thinks the squeaking noise from his wheelbarrow might be the same heard by Donald Tew - maybe even being the transport that took Fiona from her house to the field. |
| Meanwhile,
Cully is doing quite a bit of work in the village trying to contact her
old school friends, who she hasn't seen for ten years. She wants a
reunion with Cassie Woods, who owns the village farm; Lynn Spearman, who
is living in a luxurious house with a husband who she married for money
and has a boring lack of humour, and Rachael Rose, who apparently has a
child that nobody sees. As investigations wind up dead, and more people are killed each with objects next to the body, Barnaby becomes concerned for Cully. It looks more and more as if the group are shutting her out and have some unfinished business to sort out among themselves.
|
|
DCI
Tom Barnaby |
John
Nettles |
|
DS
Daniel Scott |
John
Hopkins |
|
Joyce
Barnaby |
Jane
Wymark |
|
Cully
Barnaby |
Laura
Howard |
|
Dr.
George Bullard |
Barry
Jackson |
|
Matthew
Spearman |
Hilton
McRae |
|
Lynn
Spearman |
Helen
Grace |
|
Cassie
Woods |
Esther
Hall |
|
Noel
Woods |
Daniel
Crowder |
|
Rachael
Rose |
Ruth
Jones |
|
Gary
Thompson |
Michael
Simkins |
|
Fiona
Thompson |
Nina
Marc |
|
Mary
Pearce |
Helen
Lindsay |
|
Dr.
Charles Rust |
John
Standing |
|
Shirley
Bennett |
Christine
Moore |
|
Donald
Tew |
John
Normington |
|
Pub
Landlord |
Chris
Barnes |
|
WPC
Julie |
Alex
Belcourt |
|
Sergeant
Gill |
Paul
Thornley |
|
--- |
--- |
|
Screenplay |
Peter
J Hammond |
|
Director |
Peter
Smith |
|
Producer |
Brian
True-May |