Case file · Series 7, Episode 2
Bad Tidings
Dan Scott's first case begins with an unwelcome transfer, Cully's school reunion and a string of personal attacks.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
A prickly new partnership gives the familiar village machinery a useful jolt.
- Best for
- Scott's first case · School friends · Reunion
- Archive category
- Landmark
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DS Dan Scott
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
A prickly new partnership gives the familiar village machinery a useful jolt.
Dan Scott's first case begins with an unwelcome transfer, Cully's school reunion and a string of personal attacks.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The modern murders grow from what happened within Cully's old friendship group and from a grievance protected for years.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 7
- Episode number
- Episode 2
- Written by
- Peter J. Hammond
- Directed by
- Peter Smith
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 4 January 2004
- Reported filming period
- June–July 2003
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Dan Scott
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Mallow
- Casebook tone
- Landmark
Check the credits, then follow the source trail for production and filming details. Counts below describe this archive’s records.
The fictional setting and the real filming sites are separate pieces of information. The location desk currently connects it to 3 broader filming areas and 1 exact on-screen site identity.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger10 episodes credited to Peter J. Hammond
- Director ledger22 episodes directed by Peter Smith
- Release positionCase 30 of 144
- Story characterLandmark · Scott's first case · School friends
- Location evidence1 exact screen-use match
Sources for the production file
Published episode chronology and credits ↗Official ITV programme page ↗Filming-location reference index ↗The chronology is the reference for the credits shown here. A programme homepage does not independently verify a filming date or every production detail. Where multiple transmission dates are listed, territory attribution needs checking. Story, teleplay and adaptation distinctions require the original credit wording; links to external synopses may reveal plot details.
Selected episode credits
Guest cast on file
Selected profiles and published cast-list entries. Database records are linked individually; this is not a full transcription or an independent check against the end credits.
The performers behind this case
Core cast
Actor profiles for the detective, investigating partner and pathologist credited to this episode.
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John Nettles
Tom Barnaby · Detective Chief InspectorAn English actor, author and narrator who was already a household name as Jersey detective Jim Bergerac. After Bergerac he spent five seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company and later returned to television drama in Poldark.
- Bergerac
- Poldark
- Royal Shakespeare Company
John Hopkins
Dan Scott · Detective SergeantAn English actor with extensive stage, screen and voice work. His credits include the Royal Shakespeare Company, Poldark and Alice in Wonderland, as well as prominent game performances in Horizon, Hitman and Assassin's Creed.
- Royal Shakespeare Company
- Poldark
- Horizon game series
Barry Jackson
Dr George Bullard · Police pathologistAn English stage and screen character actor whose career lasted more than five decades. His credits ranged from the landmark television play Cathy Come Home to Doctor Who, Barry Lyndon and many familiar British television dramas.
- Cathy Come Home
- Doctor Who
- Barry Lyndon
Portraits are used only where a reusable licence or public-domain release has been verified. Publicity stills and stock photographs are not copied into this independent guide.
Forensic desk
Dr George Bullard
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Barry Jackson
Causton's long-serving pathologist is professionally unflappable, quietly witty and an old friend of Tom Barnaby.
Meet the Casebook pathologists →Spoiler-controlled deaths desk
Deaths recorded in this case
3 source rows represent 3 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Fiona Thompson
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Dr. Charles Rust
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Jacob Stoke
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Building identities are cross-checked against the Casebook's published filming-location references. A named match describes the part used on screen, not the whole village and not necessarily an interior.
Wider filming areas
Places connected to this file
Cuddington
Cottages, halls, churchyard and village shop have supplied police bases, family homes and community events.
Open location →
Henley-on-Thames
Its river, bridge, town hall and nearby Remenham and Harpsden locations lend themselves to clubs, courts and prosperous settings.
Open location →
Warborough
Its broad green, cottages and Six Bells pub have portrayed several villages and supplied recurring community scenes.
Open location →