Case file · Series 15, Episode 4
Death and the Divas
A horror-film festival reunites two estranged acting sisters as real deaths begin to imitate the films of one of them.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The episode gleefully borrows vampire imagery while using old film careers to measure rivalry, memory and family loyalty.
- Best for
- Horror films · Acting sisters · Film festival
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Ben Jones
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
The episode gleefully borrows vampire imagery while using old film careers to measure rivalry, memory and family loyalty.
A horror-film festival reunites two estranged acting sisters as real deaths begin to imitate the films of one of them.
Journalist Eve Lomax is killed while researching a book about 1960s horror actress Stella Harris, with wounds that make the death resemble a vampire attack. Stella's more famous sister, Diana Davenport, then returns to Midsomer Langley after a forty-year family rift.
Further murders reproduce imagery from Stella's screen roles while the village hosts a festival devoted to her films. Barnaby and Jones examine the sisters' careers, their estrangement and people who have turned the family's history into entertainment.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The film-inspired deaths are not random homage: they retell the sisters' private history. Barnaby identifies who is using Stella's screen mythology to settle a family grievance.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 15
- Episode number
- Episode 4
- Written by
- Rachel Cuperman and Sally Griffiths
- Directed by
- Nick Laughland
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 2 January 2013
- Reported filming period
- April–May 2012
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr Kate Wilding · Tamzin Malleson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Langley
- 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 1 broader filming area and 4 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger2 episodes credited to Rachel Cuperman and Sally Griffiths
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Nick Laughland
- Release positionCase 93 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Horror films · Acting sisters
- Location evidence4 exact screen-use matches
Sinéad Cusack and Harriet Walter play estranged sisters Stella Harris and Diana Davenport.
Littlewick Green supplies Stella's cottage and the green used for the outdoor horror-film festival.
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.
Sinéad Cusack
Published cast record ↗Harriet Walter
Published cast record ↗Henry Goodman
Published cast record ↗Pearce Quigley
Published cast record ↗Samuel Anderson
Published cast record ↗The performers behind this case
Core cast
Actor profiles for the detective, investigating partner and pathologist credited to this episode.
Neil Dudgeon
John Barnaby · Detective Chief InspectorAn English actor whose television work before Causton included Piece of Cake, The Mrs Bradley Mysteries, Messiah and the sitcom Life of Riley. He also appeared in Midsomer Murders years earlier as a different character in Garden of Death.
- Messiah
- Life of Riley
- The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Jason Hughes
Ben Jones · Police Constable · Detective Sergeant · InspectorA Welsh actor who first became widely known as Warren Jones in the BBC drama This Life. His later television work includes Marcella and The Pact, alongside substantial theatre work at venues including the Donmar Warehouse and Royal Court.
- This Life
- Marcella
- The Pact
Tamzin Malleson
Dr Kate Wilding · Police pathologistAn English actor whose best-known television work includes Dangerfield, Teachers, the medical drama Bodies and Unforgotten. She has also appeared in Poirot, Marcella and A Touch of Frost.
- Teachers
- Bodies
- Unforgotten
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 Kate Wilding
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Tamzin Malleson
Bullard's assured, no-nonsense successor combines forensic authority with a more informal chemistry around the John Barnaby team.
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
- Jeremy Harper
Murder · Blunt force
- Peter Groves
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- George Dormer
Murder · Blunt force
- Mary Dutta
Accidental, natural or other · Fall · historical or before the main case
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
St Mary's Church
Used as: The church represents the parish church in Midsomer Langley.
Portland Place
Used as: The cottage becomes Stella Harris's home.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Littlewick Green village green
Used as: The green hosts the fictional Stella Harris Film Festival tent and screening.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Village farm
Used as: The farm appears as Warden Organics.
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