Case file · Series 9, Episode 1 · Season 9, Episode 1
The House in the Woods
A house-hunting couple are found dead beside an isolated cottage, and an unexpected local constable becomes Barnaby's new partner.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Jason Hughes arrives as Ben Jones in a property mystery whose apparently derelict house has been sold far too many times.
- Best for
- A later Tom Barnaby starting point and property-centred intrigue.
- Mood
- Atmospheric property mystery
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DC Ben Jones
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. Check the linked provider advisory for further viewing information.
Why it matters
Jason Hughes arrives as Ben Jones in a property mystery whose apparently derelict house has been sold far too many times.
A house-hunting story provides an easy way into this case: desirable property, an unsettling building and people whose hopes collide around it. The arrival of Ben Jones also makes it a useful fresh start within the Tom Barnaby years. You can meet a new working partnership while following a self-contained investigation, without first learning the history of every previous assistant.
Watch for
Treat the house as something different people want, fear or can profit from. That is more useful than assuming an ominous appearance explains the crime.
Before you choose
The setting invites ghost-story expectations, but approach it as a detective mystery. Long-running character history is optional here.
Casebook editorial interpretation. Distributor synopsis · house-hunting premise ↗
Peter and Caroline Cave view a tumbledown cottage in secluded woodland and are found dead in their car the next morning. With no regular sergeant at his side, Barnaby recruits local PC Ben Jones into an inquiry involving estate agents, developers and neighbours who all know more about the property than they admit.
Repeated sales and an earlier armed robbery supply the hidden history of the house. Jones's local knowledge proves useful immediately, beginning the partnership that will carry through the rest of Tom Barnaby's tenure.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The cottage is tied to proceeds from a long-ago robbery and to repeated deception in the property chain. Barnaby and Jones identify who needs the house's history—and what remains hidden there—to stay buried.
Spoiler-safe viewing companion
Three questions to carry into the episode
Use these spoiler-safe prompts to notice the setting, the investigation and the details that may matter.
- Place
How does Midsomer Newton shape what people say openly, delay, or leave unsaid?
- Theme
Which details seem to carry more than one meaning, and what might be a red herring?
- Teamwork
Compare how DCI Tom Barnaby and DC Ben Jones gather information: who watches the room, and who presses the conversation forward?
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 9
- Episode number
- Episode 1
- Written by
- Barry Simner
- Directed by
- Peter Smith
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 9 October 2005
- Reported filming period
- May–June 2005
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DC Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Newton
- Casebook tone
- Landmark
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 4 broader filming areas and 5 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits1 episode credited to Barry Simner
- Director credits22 episodes directed by Peter Smith
- Release positionCase 44 of 144
- Story characterLandmark · Ben Jones arrives · Property fraud
- Location evidence5 exact screen-use matches
This is Jason Hughes's first appearance as Ben Jones, initially a uniformed constable assisting the inquiry.
The Six Bells at Warborough represents the village local; nearby streets and houses create much of Midsomer Newton.
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
The House in the Woods cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Jane Wymark
Adam Farr
Ruth Gemmell
Katy Brittain
Michael Elwyn
George Baker
George Baker
Abigail Williamson
Jared Garfield
Caroline Faber
Pauline Whitaker
Andree Evans
Rebecca Egan
Jack McIntosh
David Westhead
Gawn Grainger
Anita Carey
Charlie Lucas
Lily-May Anson
Ben Meyjes
Greg Sheffield
Richard Trinder
Alexander Wolfe
Francis Lee
George Baker
The performers behind this case
Core cast
Actor profiles for the detective, investigating partner and pathologist credited to this episode.
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
4 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Peter Cave
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Peter Cave: Richard Trinder
- Caroline Cave
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Caroline Cave: Caroline Faber
- Harriet Davis
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Harriet Davis: Rebecca Egan
- PC Colin Armstrong
Accidental, natural or other · Gunshot · historical or before the main case
Performer check- PC Colin Armstrong: not listed in the current published cast recordNo PC Colin Armstrong performer appears in the current published cast record. A generic Police Constable credit is not treated as the same character without supporting evidence.
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Verified killer
Charlie MagwoodCharlie killed PC Colin Armstrong years earlier, leaving his identical twin Jack to serve the sentence. After Jack escaped, Charlie killed Peter and Caroline Cave and tried to frame him, then killed Harriet Davis when she attempted to cheat him. Jack's concealment of the old weapon is kept separate from Charlie's four murders.
Verified motive
The episode does not establish a separate reliable motive for Charlie's original killing of Colin Armstrong. In the present day he killed the Caves to frame escaped twin Jack and clear Winyard for sale, then killed Harriet when she tried to cheat him of the proceeds.
Verified important clue
Archive case 44 · checked 16 September 2026The twins' fingerprints in different places on the old gunCharlie's prints are on the trigger while Jack's are only on the barrel, proving which twin fired the shot that killed PC Armstrong and exposing the old conviction that Charlie later exploited to frame Jack for the present murders.
Verified decisive clue
Archive case 44 · checked 17 September 2026The twins' fingerprints in different places on the old gunCharlie's prints are on the trigger while Jack's are confined to the barrel, proving which identical twin fired the shot that killed PC Armstrong. The distinction breaks Charlie's present-day attempt to frame Jack for the Caves and Harriet and keeps Jack's concealment of the weapon separate.
Verified death and discovery order
Archive case 44 · checked 16 September 2026- deathPC Colin Armstrong is shot years earlier
Charlie kills Armstrong during the Hatton Garden robbery, while his identical twin Jack is convicted and serves the sentence.
- deathPeter and Caroline Cave are killed
After Jack escapes, Charlie garrottes the house-hunting couple and tries to make the deaths look like Jack's work.
- discoveryWinyard points towards the escaped twin
The house's ownership, Jack's escape and the old robbery initially make the wrong brother appear responsible.
- deathHarriet Davis is killed
Charlie kills the estate agent when she tries to cheat him of the proceeds from Winyard's sale.
- discoveryThe old gun distinguishes the twins
Prints on the hidden weapon show Charlie used the trigger while Jack handled and concealed the gun.
- discoveryJack is cleared of the killings
The resolution attributes Armstrong, the Caves and Harriet to Charlie while retaining Jack's concealment as a separate act.
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
The Six Bells
Used as: The exterior appears as the village pub in fictional Midsomer Newton.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.
The George Hotel
Used as: The hotel is renamed The Feathers Hotel.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Lewknor Primary School
Used as: The school appears as the local school in Midsomer Newton.
High Street shopfront
Used as: The shop becomes Harriet Davis Estate Agents.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Village houses
Used as: Neighbouring houses represent Grace Woodhall's home and Gerry Moore's development.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Sources support the listed site uses; they do not establish every filming location in an episode.
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 →Dorchester-on-Thames
The abbey, museum, hotels and village streets provide a recurring mixture of grandeur and intimacy.
Open location →Thame
A versatile Causton and village backdrop whose town hall, museum, shops and surrounding estates take many identities.
Open location →Warborough
Its broad green, cottages and Six Bells pub have portrayed several villages and supplied recurring community scenes.
Open location →