Case file · Series 18, Episode 6
Harvest of Souls
A harvest fair and equestrian centre become the stage for a death that reopens an old village grievance.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Charlie Nelson's final case blends fairground bustle with one of the era's more mournful histories.
- Best for
- Harvest fair · Horses · Nelson farewell
- Mood
- Dark
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Charlie Nelson
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
Charlie Nelson's final case blends fairground bustle with one of the era's more mournful histories.
A harvest fair and equestrian centre become the stage for a death that reopens an old village grievance.
Whitcombe Mallet's annual harvest fair brings crowds to the village and business to its equestrian centre. The owner's son is found trampled by his own horse, but the circumstances quickly suggest that somebody used the fair and the animal to stage more than an accident.
Old relationships inside the village prove more important than the public event. Barnaby and Nelson follow the history of two families, a disputed account of the past and the fate of a child whose identity was never as settled as the community believed.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The apparent riding accident is part of a reckoning rooted in a past relationship and the concealed identity of a child whose loss shaped both families.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 18
- Episode number
- Episode 6
- Written by
- Caleb Ranson
- Directed by
- Nick Laughland
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 17 February 2016
- Reported filming period
- September–October 2015
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Charlie Nelson
- Pathologist
- Dr Kam Karimore · Manjinder Virk
- Principal setting
- Whitcombe Mallet
- Casebook tone
- Dark
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 3 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger1 episode credited to Caleb Ranson
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Nick Laughland
- Release positionCase 110 of 144
- Story characterDark · Harvest fair · Horses
- Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
This is the final regular appearance of DS Charlie Nelson and the final episode featuring Sykes, the Barnabys' dog.
The Lions of Bledlow supplies the pub location, while The George on the Green at Bray provides its exterior.
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.
Amber Rose Revah
Published cast record ↗Meera Syal
Published cast record ↗Helen Schlesinger
Published cast record ↗Michael Higgs
Published cast record ↗David Yelland
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
Gwilym Lee
Charlie Nelson · Detective SergeantA British actor whose screen career includes Jamestown, The Great and Top End Wedding. International audiences may know him best as Queen guitarist Brian May in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
- Bohemian Rhapsody
- The Great
- Jamestown
Manjinder Virk
Dr Kam Karimore · Police pathologistA British actor, writer and director known for The Arbor, Britz and Trigger Point. Her filmmaking work includes the award-winning short Out of Darkness, which she wrote and directed.
- The Arbor
- Trigger Point
- Out of Darkness
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 Kam Karimore
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Manjinder Virk
Exceptionally capable and forthright, Kam works across the transition from Charlie Nelson to Jamie Winter.
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
- Harry Wyham
Murder · Poisoning
- Clara Myerscough
Murder · Drowning
- Dale
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Hall Barn
Used as: The country estate appears as Jasper Wyham's home.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.
The Lions of Bledlow
Used as: The pub supplies The Black Dog in fictional Whitcombe Mallet.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.The George on the Green
Used as: Its exterior is paired with the Bledlow pub to create The Black Dog.
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
Beaconsfield
Old-town architecture, churches and nearby estates have supplied homes, police buildings and village streets throughout the run.
Open location →Bledlow
The church, village hall and Lions of Bledlow pub recur as the social centre of several fictional villages.
Open location →