Lyceum, Sheffield – until November 29th 2025
Reviewed by Sharon Farley
4****
Midsomer Murders has been a household name and one of ITV’s biggest hits for decades, demonstrating how much people enjoy both the intricate puzzle of a whodunnit and a giggle provoked by subtle – and not so subtle – tongue-in-cheek humour. Albeit a rather twee take on village life set in the eternal summer of the English countryside, it has carved out a seemingly immovable spot in TV viewing since 1997.
Now, writer and director Guy Unsworth (Joyride, Bring It on, Sweet Smell of Success) has chosen the pilot episode of this long- running series to adapt for the stage. ‘The Killings at Badger’s Drift’ is brimming over with eccentric characters, all dripping with received pronunciation and afternoon teas. Over the course of this two hour production, the audience is blasted with a vast number of characters and plot lines that are almost too much to keep track of. Fortunately, the well designed set provides various methods of invoking snapshots from the past to help refresh your memory.
The cast are excellent, most of them showcase their talents by taking on multiple roles, keeping track of who each of them play is a formidable challenge. Stand out performances include those from John Dougall (The Girl on the Train, The Wars of the Roses, Waking the Dead) and Rupert Sadler (The Deep Blue Sea, Jekyll and Hyde, My Phone Genie) as iris and Dennis Rainbird, the peculiar mother and son duo who take curtain twitching to a professional level, and Chandrika Chevli as Dr Lessiter’s flirty wife, Barbara; between them, these three provide some of the most comic moments of the performance.
Though the cherry on the Bakewell Tart has to be the premium credentials of the leading man, Daniel Casey. The role of the quietly watchful Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, originally made famous by John Nettles, is perfectly inhabited by Casey (Cluedo, Abigail’s Party, Steel River Blues), as well it might be. Back in 1997, it was Casey who starred alongside Nettles as Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy, and he spent six years in the role. Here, that mantle is bravely taken up by James Bradwell (The Beautiful Future, Bridgerton, Victoria) who very much makes the part of Troy his own. Between them, Barnaby and Troy wade through the twisted mass of interviews and evidence, and piece by piece uncover various murders and the many sordid secrets obscured beneath the thin veil of respectability donned by the residents of Badger’s Drift.
Overall, this is an excellent production, with a brilliantly mobile set, marvellous performances, and enough intrigue to satisfy any murder mystery fan. But where Midsomer Murders proves itself exceptional in the genre is through its caricatures of stereotypical British eccentricity and that, despite the gruesome storylines, it never takes itself too seriously. One wonders if this stage tour is just the start of something as enduring as the TV series.