Case file · Series 14, Episode 5
The Sleeper Under the Hill
A farmer's body at an ancient stone circle appears to confirm the worst suspicions about a local Druid group.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Ritual imagery and an archaeological treasure hunt sit over a case whose strongest manipulation is thoroughly modern.
- Best for
- Stone circle · Druids · Buried treasure
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI John 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
Ritual imagery and an archaeological treasure hunt sit over a case whose strongest manipulation is thoroughly modern.
A farmer's body at an ancient stone circle appears to confirm the worst suspicions about a local Druid group.
Farmer Alex Preston is found dead at the centre of Crowcall stone circle shortly before the spring equinox. He had planned to plough the meadow, bringing him into open conflict with the New Dawn Druids who regard the site as sacred.
When a member of the Druid group is also killed, Barnaby looks beyond the apparent religious feud. Maps pointing towards Anglo-Saxon treasure, a valuable painting and tensions within the police investigation redirect the case towards people who know how to turn belief into leverage.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
The Druid conflict is exploited as camouflage. The maps, treasure and painting reveal a manipulator who has arranged both the crimes and the suspicions surrounding them.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 14
- Episode number
- Episode 5
- Written by
- David Lawrence
- Directed by
- Nick Laughland
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 21 September 2011
- Reported filming period
- March–April 2011
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Ben Jones
- Pathologist
- Dr Kate Wilding · Tamzin Malleson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Mow
- 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 2 exact on-screen site identities.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger5 episodes credited to David Lawrence
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Nick Laughland
- Release positionCase 86 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Stone circle · Druids
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
Tamzin Malleson makes her first appearance as Dr Kate Wilding, the pathologist who succeeds George Bullard.
The inquiry deliberately places Barnaby and Jones on opposing interpretations before the evidence brings them back together.
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.
Robert Pugh
Published cast record ↗Noah Huntley
Published cast record ↗Claudia Harrison
Published cast record ↗Lee Ross
Published cast record ↗Susan Brown
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
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
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
3 source rows represent 3 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Alex Preston
Murder · Blunt force
- Leticia Clifford
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
- Sgt. Trevor Gibson
Murder · Drowning
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
Village house
Used as: A private house represents Caradoc Singer's home.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Village building
Used as: The building is dressed as Midsomer Mow Police Station.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.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