Case file · Series 17, Episode 2
Murder by Magic
A church magic show ends in a crushing death, leaving Barnaby to decide whether the victim—or the illusionist—was the intended target.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
A strong stage-magic case in which misdirection is both the evening's entertainment and the investigation's central problem.
- Best for
- Stage magic · Church show · Sabotage
- Mood
- Eccentric
- 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
A strong stage-magic case in which misdirection is both the evening's entertainment and the investigation's central problem.
A church magic show ends in a crushing death, leaving Barnaby to decide whether the victim—or the illusionist—was the intended target.
Famous illusionist Gideon Latimer stages a show in the church at Midsomer Oaks, but his dramatic entrance becomes fatal when a suspended stage box falls and crushes pub landlady Hannah Altman. Dr Kate Wilding establishes that the safety system was sabotaged, raising the possibility that Gideon was meant to be inside it.
Barnaby and Nelson examine the Latimer family, the village pub and relationships shaped by performance, resentment and old loyalties. Every suspect understands something about controlling an audience's attention, so the detectives must distinguish a genuine mistake from a deliberately planted false target.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The sabotaged illusion is designed to misdirect the investigation as carefully as the audience. Barnaby reconstructs who was expected to stand where, then uses the families' shared past to expose the purpose behind the apparent failed attack.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 17
- Episode number
- Episode 2
- Written by
- Rachel Cuperman & Sally Griffiths
- Directed by
- Charles Palmer
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 4 February 2015
- Reported filming period
- June–July 2014
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Charlie Nelson
- Pathologist
- Dr Kate Wilding · Tamzin Malleson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Oaks
- 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 5 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger4 episodes credited to Rachel Cuperman & Sally Griffiths
- Director ledger1 episode directed by Charles Palmer
- Release positionCase 102 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Stage magic · Church show
- Location evidence5 exact screen-use matches
St Mary's in Haddenham appears as St Cyprian's, while the Green Dragon exterior and the Crown at Sydenham combine to create The Green Man.
Andrew Lee Potts plays illusionist Gideon Latimer, with Amanda Burton as Carole Latimer.
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.
Stephanie Leonidas
Published cast record ↗Andrew Lee Potts
Published cast record ↗Amanda Burton
Published cast record ↗Noma Dumezweni
Published cast record ↗Joe Absolom
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
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
5 source rows represent 5 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Hannah Altman
Murder · Crushing
- Andrew Maplin
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Annabel Latimer
Murder · Other recorded death
- Sir Hugo Melmoth
Murder · Burning or heat · historical or before the main case
- Unnamed homeless man
Accidental, natural or other · Explosion · historical or before the main case
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Chenies Manor
Used as: The Tudor manor represents the Latimer family home.
Church End garage
Used as: A private garage is transformed into Rhodri Probert's florist shop.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.The Green Dragon
Used as: The pub exterior becomes The Green Man in Midsomer Oaks.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.St Mary's Church
Used as: The church appears as St Cyprian's, venue for Gideon Latimer's magic show.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.The Crown
Used as: The pub interior is paired with Haddenham's exterior to create The Green Man.
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