Case file · Series 13, Episode 5
Master Class
A gifted pianist sees a woman vanish into the river at an elite winter school whose director knows more about her family than he admits.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Classical music, inheritance and an unsettling family design create one of the era's most operatic cases.
- Best for
- Music school · Piano · Family legacy
- Mood
- Dark
- Team
- DCI Tom 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
Classical music, inheritance and an unsettling family design create one of the era's most operatic cases.
A gifted pianist sees a woman vanish into the river at an elite winter school whose director knows more about her family than he admits.
Zoe Stock earns a place at the Devington Manor Winter School led by celebrated musician Sir Michael Fielding. In the grounds she sees a woman jump from a bridge and disappear, drawing Barnaby and Jones into the school's tightly controlled world.
Murders of a fellow student and a priest, followed by an attempt on Barnaby's life, connect the master class to Zoe's parents and Fielding's past. Her musical talent is central to a plan larger than competition for a place at the piano.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Zoe has been drawn to Devington as part of a calculated family scheme. Barnaby uncovers the relationships behind her talent and stops the plan after becoming a target himself.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 13
- Episode number
- Episode 5
- Written by
- Nicholas Martin
- Directed by
- Renny Rye
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 6 October 2010
- Reported filming period
- March–April 2010
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Devington
- 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 1 broader filming area and 5 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger3 episodes credited to Nicholas Martin
- Director ledger23 episodes directed by Renny Rye
- Release positionCase 78 of 144
- Story characterDark · Music school · Piano
- Location evidence5 exact screen-use matches
Dorchester Abbey hosts Zoe's organ performance and the Fleur de Lys becomes The Devington Arms.
St Katherine's at Parmoor provides the school's principal interior.
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.
James Fox
Published cast record ↗Frances Barber
Published cast record ↗Lydia Wilson
Published cast record ↗Michael Maloney
Published cast record ↗Richard Fleeshman
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
3 source rows represent 3 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Orlando Guest
Murder · Strangulation or hanging
- Father Gregory
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Mad Molly
Suicide · Drowning
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Dorchester Abbey
Used as: The abbey appears as a Causton church during the organ scenes.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.The Fleur de Lys
Used as: The hotel becomes The Devington Arms.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.St Katherine's
Used as: The country house provides Devington Manor's interior.
Watersmeet Theatre
Used as: The theatre represents Causton Concert Hall.
The Old Police Station
Used as: The building appears as Causton Police Station.
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