Case file · Series 9, Episode 7
Last Year's Model
As Annie Woodrow stands trial for murdering her friend, Barnaby begins to distrust the evidence on which he built the prosecution.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The investigation begins after the arrest, forcing Barnaby to question his own work while the court expects certainty.
- Best for
- Murder trial · Case reconstruction · Reasonable doubt
- Mood
- Classic
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DC 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 investigation begins after the arrest, forcing Barnaby to question his own work while the court expects certainty.
As Annie Woodrow stands trial for murdering her friend, Barnaby begins to distrust the evidence on which he built the prosecution.
Annie Woodrow is tried for the murder of Frances Trevelyan, with the prosecution arguing that Annie loved Frances's husband John. Barnaby was the arresting officer, yet the presentation of the case and a remark by Frances's youngest daughter make its apparently complete logic feel increasingly unstable.
A clinical psychologist helps Barnaby reconsider witness behaviour and the reconstruction of the crime. He investigates around the running trial, knowing that correcting the case requires more than finding a new suspect: he must explain why the original evidence looked so persuasive.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Annie has been framed by evidence designed to fit the prosecution's emotional theory. Barnaby reinterprets the reconstruction and family testimony to identify the person who controlled both the crime and its apparent motive.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 9
- Episode number
- Episode 7
- Written by
- David Hoskins
- Directed by
- Richard Holthouse
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 3 July 2006 17 September 2006
- Reported filming period
- February–March 2006
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DC Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Causton and Midsomer Malham
- 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 1 broader filming area and 3 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger9 episodes credited to David Hoskins
- Director ledger16 episodes directed by Richard Holthouse
- Release positionCase 50 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Murder trial · Case reconstruction
- Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
Henley Town Hall supplies the exterior, while the historic courtroom at Kingston County Hall provides the interior.
The episode is structured around the detective revisiting his own arrest rather than receiving a new murder at the outset.
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.
Josette Simon
Published cast record ↗Guy Henry
Published cast record ↗Miles Anderson
Published cast record ↗Siobhan Redmond
Published cast record ↗Saskia Wickham
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
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
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
2 source rows represent 2 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Connor Simpson
Murder · Burning or heat
- Sam Judd
Murder · Gunshot
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
County Hall courtroom
Used as: The historic courtroom provides the interior of Causton Crown Court.
Henley Town Hall
Used as: The town hall exterior appears as Causton Crown Court.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Fairmile Cemetery
Used as: The cemetery supplies the graveyard scenes.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.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