Case file · Series 6, Episode 5
Birds of Prey
A suspicious drowning and an illegal birds'-egg inquiry converge on failed investments, a falconry centre and disputed research.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Troy's wildlife case and Barnaby's murder inquiry begin on separate tracks before the same trade in rarity and credibility joins them.
- Best for
- Birds of prey · Scientific fraud · Estate rivalry
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DS Gavin Troy
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
Troy's wildlife case and Barnaby's murder inquiry begin on separate tracks before the same trade in rarity and credibility joins them.
A suspicious drowning and an illegal birds'-egg inquiry converge on failed investments, a falconry centre and disputed research.
Julian Shepherd appears to have driven into a lake while facing bankruptcy, but the post-mortem establishes that he was murdered. He had been trying to recover money invested in a supposedly lucrative scheme connected to wealthy local interests.
At the same time, Troy assists a wildlife officer investigating protected birds' eggs. A hit-and-run victim with an illegal collection and the theatrical killing of a historian bring both inquiries together around fraud, ownership and scientific claims.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The investment scheme and the traffic in rare specimens are linked by people selling credibility they do not possess; later deaths prevent that fraud being exposed.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 6
- Episode number
- Episode 5
- Written by
- Michael Russell
- Directed by
- Jeremy Silberston
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 31 January 2003
- Reported filming period
- October–November 2002
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Gavin Troy
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Magna
- Casebook tone
- Eccentric
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 2 broader filming areas and 2 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger5 episodes credited to Michael Russell
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Jeremy Silberston
- Release positionCase 28 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Birds of prey · Scientific fraud
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
Britwell House at Britwell Salome supplies the principal residence used for Naomi Sinclair.
Haddenham provides church, pond and butcher-shop views, while a Cuddington cottage becomes the Macpherson home.
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.
Anton Lesser
Published cast record ↗Alexandra Gilbreath
Published cast record ↗Bernard Gallagher
Published cast record ↗David Calder
Published cast record ↗Richard Todd
Published cast record ↗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
Daniel Casey
Gavin Troy · Detective Sergeant · later InspectorAn English stage and television actor also known for Our Friends in the North, Steel River Blues, EastEnders and Emmerdale. He later returned to the Midsomer world to play Tom Barnaby in the first professional stage adaptation.
- Our Friends in the North
- Steel River Blues
- Midsomer Murders on stage
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
4 source rows represent 4 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Edward Darwin
Murder · Vehicle or machinery
- Major Hamilton
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Julian Shepherd
Murder · Drowning
- Charles Edmonton
Accidental, natural or other · Natural or unexplained
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Britwell House
Used as: The country house becomes Naomi Sinclair's residence.
Ruislip Crematorium
Used as: The crematorium represents Midsomer Magna's crematorium for Charles Edmonton's funeral.
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
