DARK AUTUMN

First Broadcast: September 16, 2001

Postman Dave Cutler is killed in the tiny hamlet of Goodman's land in his early morning rounds. His young assistant Holly Reid finds him dead on the green, his head merely hanging from his body after his throat was drastically cut. Barnaby and Troy are helped on this case by the WPC, Jay Nash, who helps give advice and information on the other villagers.

A faint music was heard that morning by Holly, which is Barnaby's most helpful clue, but she has no idea what it was apart from that it may have came from a radio. It doesn't take long for them to work out that Cutler delivered more than just letters to some of the female villagers, and an angry husband or jealous lover could be on the books.
That very evening, a young woman's throat is slashed while she is taking a shortcut through the woods. Debbie Shortlands' body is found not long after her husband reports her missing from their cottage. Her death is very similar - but this time they find a small knife with a significant motif on the handle. Barnaby is far from fooled that this was the weapon, and believes it was placed there deliberately.
Other villagers are questioned - like Louise and Owen August, Louise being one of Dave's affairs and Owen, an author, not minding his wife being a keen 'entertainer'. Mary Yeatman is also questioned after she saw Dave Cutler the morning he was killed. Her husband, Mike, is far from pleased and once thumped Dave twice when discovering the affair between the postman and his wife. And finally there is Simon Reason - separated from his wife - whose bloodstained papers have been found blowing around on the green, probably dropped by Debbie when she was killed. Debbie did work for Simon - and her husband says she worked for some other 'tricky' people.

Barnaby and Troy's detective work is delayed when they are asked to join the team for an Aunt Sally match. Barnaby finds it a very good event - both for the case and himself!

 

DCI Tom Barnaby

John Nettles

DS Gavin Troy

Daniel Casey

Joyce Barnaby

Jane Wymark

Dr. George Bullard

Barry Jackson

Owen August

Alan Howard

Louise August

Celia Imrie

WPC Jay Nash

Gillian McKearney

Simon Reason

Nicky Henson

Janet Reason

Kim Thomson

Debbie Shortlands

Fleur Bennett

Keith Shortlands

Adam Blackwood

Mary Yeatman

Prue Clarke

Mike Yeatman

Del Henney

John Field

Robert Glenister

Barbara Judd

Marian McLoughlin

Ben Barrow

Morris Perry

Dave Cutler

Rupert Walz

Ade Jessell

Phillip Whitchurch

Holly Reid

Kate Maberly

Dog Handler

Peter Whitear

Tammie

Rachel Woolrich

Priest

Neville Phillips

 

Screenplay by

Peter J Hammond

Directed by

Jeremy Silberston

Produced by

Brian True-May

Page Links

Out-takes -  

Dark Autumn

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