Case file · Series 19, Episode 6
The Curse of the Ninth
A young violinist wins a disputed festival prize, then is strangled with a string as a valuable Stradivarius disappears.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
A stolen instrument and a contested award give the mystery an elegant surface; the more dangerous question is who has been performing a false identity.
- Best for
- Classical music · Stradivarius · Hidden identity
- Mood
- Classic
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Jamie Winter
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
A stolen instrument and a contested award give the mystery an elegant surface; the more dangerous question is who has been performing a false identity.
A young violinist wins a disputed festival prize, then is strangled with a string as a valuable Stradivarius disappears.
Jacob Wheeler receives the Falconer Award at Thassington's classical festival despite strong support for pianist Zak Sowande. Jacob is then killed with a violin string, and the Stradivarius entrusted to him vanishes from the same competitive musical circle.
Barnaby and Winter investigate disappointed performers, festival patrons and the history attached to the instrument. Further violence reveals that professional ambition is intertwined with family secrets and an identity maintained for many years.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The missing violin and murders protect a concealed identity, with the festival prize forcing people connected to the instrument's past into the same public space.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 19
- Episode number
- Episode 6
- Written by
- Julia Gilbert
- Directed by
- Matt Carter
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 27 August 2017 20 May 2018
- Reported filming period
- October–November 2016
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Kam Karimore · Manjinder Virk
- Principal setting
- Thassington
- 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 exact-site desk has been checked, but the current published reference does not identify a reliable building match for this episode.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger7 episodes credited to Julia Gilbert
- Director ledger8 episodes directed by Matt Carter
- Release positionCase 116 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Classical music · Stradivarius
- Location evidenceChecked · published source gap
This episode marks Manjinder Virk's final appearance as Dr Kam Karimore.
The published location reference explains that the church and pub are shown mainly in close-up or interior views and does not name reliable matches.
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.
Simon Callow
Published cast record ↗Caroline Langrishe
Published cast record ↗Maggie O'Neill
Published cast record ↗Cyril Nri
Published cast record ↗James Fleet
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
Nick Hendrix
Jamie Winter · Detective SergeantAn English actor trained at the University of Exeter and RADA. His theatre work includes the National Theatre, Old Vic and West End, while his screen credits include Black Mirror, Marcella, The Crown, Legend and Suffragette.
- Black Mirror
- Marcella
- The Crown
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
2 source rows represent 2 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Jacob Wheeler
Murder · Strangulation or hanging
- Vernon de Harthog
Murder · Poisoning
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
The published location reference reports that the episode relies on close views and interiors and does not identify its pub or concert church.
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
No real-place link is published here until it can be tied to a specific, sourced screen use.