Case file · Series 2, Episode 3
Dead Man's Eleven
A village cricket match continues around a body and a grand estate whose family history refuses to stay in the pavilion.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Cricket, class and a formidable guest performance make this a distilled piece of early Midsomer.
- Best for
- Cricket · Country estate · Family history
- Mood
- Classic
- 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
Cricket, class and a formidable guest performance make this a distilled piece of early Midsomer.
A village cricket match continues around a body and a grand estate whose family history refuses to stay in the pavilion.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The scorecard matters less than a concealed family connection and the lengths taken to control an inheritance.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 2
- Episode number
- Episode 3
- Written by
- Anthony Horowitz
- Directed by
- Jeremy Silberston
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 12 September 1999
- Reported filming period
- May–June 1999
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Gavin Troy
- Pathologist
- Dr Dan Peterson · Toby Jones
- Principal setting
- Fletcher's Cross
- Casebook tone
- Classic
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 ledger6 episodes credited to Anthony Horowitz
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Jeremy Silberston
- Release positionCase 8 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Cricket · Country estate
- 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.
Robert Hardy
Robert Cavendish is the imposing head of a local family whose estate and cricketing world frame the investigation. Hardy brings patrician authority to a household in which appearances and loyalties are under pressure.
Open actor profile →.jpg?width=720)
Imelda Staunton
Christine Cooper belongs to the close-knit village circle surrounding Fletcher's Cross and its cricket club. Staunton plays the social detail precisely, helping a seemingly cosy community feel observant, competitive and brittle.
Open actor profile →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
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Toby Jones
Dr Dan Peterson · Locum pathologistAn acclaimed English character actor across theatre, film and television. His work includes Infamous, Detectorists, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the voice of Dobby in Harry Potter and an Olivier-winning performance in The Play What I Wrote.
- Detectorists
- Mr Bates vs The Post Office
- Infamous
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 Dan Peterson
- Credit
- Locum pathologist
- Played by
- Toby Jones
Peterson covers a brief early-series spell during Bullard's absence and brings a brisk, precise manner to the forensic work.
Meet the Casebook pathologists →Spoiler-controlled deaths desk
Deaths recorded in this case
5 source rows represent 5 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Matthew Draper
Accidental, natural or other · Explosion
- Tara Cavendish
Murder · Blunt force
- Emily Beavis
Murder · Other recorded death · historical or before the main case
- Charles Jennings
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Trish Smith
Accidental, natural or other · 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
Old Amersham
Historic streets and period buildings repeatedly become Causton, village centres, shops and institutions.
Open location →
Bledlow
The church, village hall and Lions of Bledlow pub recur as the social centre of several fictional villages.
Open location →
Littlewick Green
Its green, Cricketers pub, church and village hall support episodes involving cricket, film, insects and scarecrows.
Open location →