Case file · Series 21, Episode 2 · Season 21, Episode 2
The Miniature Murders
A disliked property owner is murdered during the unveiling of a dolls-house collection at a family museum.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The tiny houses offer a neat visual counterpoint to a case driven by very real homes, landlords and broken relationships.
- Best for
- Miniatures · Property · Museum
- Mood
- Classic
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Jamie Winter
- 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
The tiny houses offer a neat visual counterpoint to a case driven by very real homes, landlords and broken relationships.
Estate agent and landlord Alexander Beauvoisin is killed in front of a crowd gathered for a new dolls-house display at the Midsomer Museum of the Family. His record as a landlord and his separation from Fiona create no shortage of people with reason to resent him.
A second death complicates the apparent romantic triangle, while Alexander's new partner is revealed to have entered his life under a professional identity. Barnaby and Winter connect the victims through an earlier incident and the consequences of property decisions made by the same circle.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The killings lead back to an earlier incident in which housing, betrayal and official responsibility became inseparable for those involved.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 21
- Episode number
- Episode 2
- Written by
- Helen Jenkins
- Directed by
- Toby Frow
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 11 December 2019 4 February 2020
- Reported filming period
- May–June 2019
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
- Principal setting
- Causton
- 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 2 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits6 episodes credited to Helen Jenkins
- Director credits3 episodes directed by Toby Frow
- Release positionCase 124 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Miniatures · Property
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
Locations include an Amersham building, Coleshill House as Fiona Beauvoisin's home, and Stoke Court as Maxine Dobson's house and exhibition venue.
Alexander is killed during an unveiling rather than in private, making the crowd, sightlines and museum display part of the opening puzzle.
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 Miniature Murders cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Fiona Dolman
Isabel Shaw
Clare Holman
Karl Collins
Rohan Nedd
Roger Barclay
Joanna Page
Rosalie Craig
Thomas Dominique
Eleanor Bron
Katy Brand
Ami Okumura Jones
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
Annette Badland
Dr Fleur Perkins · Police pathologistAn award-winning English actor with an extensive career in theatre, television, film and radio. Her many recognisable roles include Doctor Who, EastEnders, Outlander, Bergerac and pub landlady Mae in Ted Lasso.
- Ted Lasso
- Doctor Who
- EastEnders
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 Fleur Perkins
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Annette Badland
Fleur pairs forensic certainty with dry humour and a magnificently low tolerance for Midsomer nonsense.
Meet the Casebook pathologists →Spoiler-controlled deaths desk
Deaths recorded in this case
2 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Alexander Beauvoisin
Murder · Gunshot
Performer check- Alexander Beauvoisin: Roger Barclay
- Jemima Starling
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Jemima Starling: Katy Brand
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Verified killer
Carys NicholsonCarys shot Alexander Beauvoisin to stop him discovering Nicco Rainsford's body, then killed Jemima Starling after Jemima followed her while she moved it. Maxine Dobson had shot the intruding Nicco in self-defence; Carys concealed that death and killed the two present-day victims while trying to protect Maxine.
Verified motive
Carys acted to protect Maxine after Maxine shot the intruding Nicco in self-defence. She concealed the body, killed Alexander when his survey would expose it and Maxine risked prison, then killed Jemima in panic after Jemima followed the body move and discovered the secret; Maxine's original shooting remains separate.
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Coleshill House
Used as: The property doubles as Fiona Beauvoisin's house.
Stoke Court
Used as: The manor becomes Maxine Dobson's home and the setting for the miniature exhibition.
Sources support the listed site uses; they do not establish every filming location in an episode.
Wider filming areas
