ORCHIS FATALIS

First Broadcast: January 9, 2005

Barnaby and Scott investigate when an illegal orchid-smuggler is poisoned in her cottage.

It's the annual flower show in Midsomer Malham, and many of the villagers have gathered their rare orchids together at Munro Hilliard's elegant Malham Manor in hope of a prize. Joyce is on the judging panel - led by Professor Margaret Winstanley, who works with some of the rare flowers. Barnaby is also working on the tombola; so he can get a glimpse at the world of jealousy and passion among the many orchid collectors. Margaret's assistant, Jonathan Makepeace, announces the good news about a rare monkey orchid growing in the village.

 The most devoted villagers are Munro Hilliard, an orchid grower, Henry Plummer who pays for rare orchids at any costs and Madeline Villiers, who illegally steals orchids from all over the world with her smuggling partner, Jimmy Fong. Madeline wins a prize at Barnaby's tom bola - a guide to
Switzerland - which is very appropriate seeing as the day after she is going to run off with her smuggling partner to get married and have their honeymoon there.
Sadly, Madeline never gets to the wedding and is found dead by her handiman, Harry Rose. It looks, as Bullard suggests, that she was killed but could have killed herself, looking at the suspicious stains on her night clothing.

Scott then uses his handy skills to break open a safe containing some diaries, sadly written in Latin. Barnaby isn't a great speaker of the language, but knows enough to learn that Madeline was writing about her sex life - and selling illegal orchids. Bullard refers them to Brother Robert, who can read Latin. Barnaby leaves the diaries with them but takes the orchid diaries with him to Margaret Winstanley and Jonathan Makepeace.
Their discoveries are shocking. Margaret tells them how Madeline has been smuggling rare orchids and selling them for vast amounts of money. One that interests the experts most is the selling of the Paphiopedilum Rothschildianum Flavum, which Madeline and Jimmy stole from Borneo; also known as the Yellow Roth. Apparently the professor had no idea they existed anymore.

Not long after Madeline is discovered, the body of Henry Plummer, hanging, is found by his wife, Deborah, who was opposed to the bank-breaking plants. Suicide is also in the question after they discover his entire orchid collection has been destroyed, but ruled out again when Bullard's test come through. Madeline was poisoned with hemlock, and Plummer was strangled before being strung up to make it look self-inflicted.

Barnaby and Scott seem rather interested in Harry Rose - but who wants to capture the rare orchid for themselves?

 

DCI Tom Barnaby

John Nettles

DS Daniel Scott

John Hopkins

Joyce Barnaby

Jane Wymark

Cully Barnaby

Laura Howard

Dr. George Bullard

Barry Jackson

Madeline Villiers

Marty Cruickshank

Jimmy Fong

Stuart Ong

Harry Rose

Matt Bardock

Henry Plummer

Richard Atlee

Deborah Plummer

Amanda Harris

Prof. Margaret Winstanley

Harriet Walter

Jonathan Makepeace

Geoffrey Streatfeild

Munro Hilliard

John Nettleton

Mrs. Hilliard

Helen Ryan

Feather

Richard Simpson

Mrs. Maitland

Victoria Lennox

Captain Tucker

Anthony Smee

James Jocelyn

Timothy Bateson

Weng Tu Ho

Choo Beh

Brother Robert

Geoffrey Chater

Boy

Mo Zainal

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Screenplay

Terry Hodgkinson

Director

Peter Smith

Producer

Brian True-May

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