Case file · Series 13, Episode 6
The Noble Art
A world boxing champion returns home as a Victorian prize-fight commemoration exposes money trouble and old loyalties.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Sporting hero worship clouds even Barnaby's judgement in a case where the ceremonial bout becomes dangerously real.
- Best for
- Boxing · Prize fight · Estate finances
- Mood
- Classic
- 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
Sporting hero worship clouds even Barnaby's judgement in a case where the ceremonial bout becomes dangerously real.
A world boxing champion returns home as a Victorian prize-fight commemoration exposes money trouble and old loyalties.
Midsomer Morchard celebrates local boxer John Kinsella's world-title victory. Soon a solicitor is found dead, while Morchard Manor prepares a re-enactment of a Victorian prize fight involving Kinsella and the village blacksmith.
The exhibition becomes unexpectedly brutal and Kinsella's manager is later murdered in his gym. Barnaby and Jones investigate estate finances, sporting careers and the people who profit from the champion's reputation.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The commemorative fight and financial pressure reveal a planned manipulation around Kinsella's career. Barnaby solves the case only after acknowledging his own partiality.
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 6
- Written by
- Barry Purchese
- Directed by
- Richard Holthouse
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 13 October 2010
- Reported filming period
- April–May 2010
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Morchard
- 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 4 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger2 episodes credited to Barry Purchese
- Director ledger16 episodes directed by Richard Holthouse
- Release positionCase 79 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Boxing · Prize fight
- Location evidence4 exact screen-use matches
Loseley Park near Guildford represents the country estate at the centre of the commemoration.
The episode explicitly makes Tom reconsider how admiration for the boxer has affected his judgement.
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.
Kevin McNally
Published cast record ↗Phil Daniels
Published cast record ↗Michelle Fairley
Published cast record ↗Camille Coduri
Published cast record ↗Henry Garrett
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
- Solicitor - Giles Braithwaite
Murder · Suffocation
- Boxing Manager - Frank Bishop
Murder · Suffocation
- Iris Holman
Murder · Suffocation
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Coleshill House
Used as: The house represents Iris Holman's home.
Loseley Park
Used as: The country house and grounds become Morchard Manor.
Village green
Used as: The green hosts the unveiling of the Tom Sayers statue.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Gomme's Forge
Used as: The working forge becomes The Foundry.
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