Case file · Series 1, Episode 2
Written in Blood
A writers' circle welcomes a celebrated novelist, then discovers that literary ambition can be murderously personal.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
A particularly sharp collision of village insecurity and literary vanity.
- Best for
- Writers · Book adaptation · Locked-room flavour
- Mood
- Classic
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DS Gavin Troy
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. This is not a complete content advisory.
Why it matters
A particularly sharp collision of village insecurity and literary vanity.
A writers' circle welcomes a celebrated novelist, then discovers that literary ambition can be murderously personal.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Old identities and carefully maintained appearances matter more than the evening's famous guest.
Open the full research dossierProduction, cast, forensics, deaths and filming evidence
Credits, context and checked facts
The episode file
- TV series
- Series 1
- Episode number
- Episode 2
- Written by
- Anthony Horowitz
- Directed by
- Jeremy Silberston
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 22 March 1998
- Reported filming period
- July–August 1997
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Gavin Troy
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Worthy
- 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 2 broader filming areas and 1 exact on-screen site identity.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer ledger6 episodes credited to Anthony Horowitz
- Director ledger9 episodes directed by Jeremy Silberston
- Release positionCase 2 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Writers · Book adaptation
- Location evidence1 exact screen-use match
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.
Una Stubbs
Published cast record ↗Anna Massey
Published cast record ↗David Troughton
Published cast record ↗Joanna David
Published cast record ↗John Shrapnel
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
Daniel Casey
Gavin Troy · Detective Sergeant · later InspectorAn English stage and television actor also known for Our Friends in the North, Steel River Blues, EastEnders and Emmerdale. He later returned to the Midsomer world to play Tom Barnaby in the first professional stage adaptation.
- Our Friends in the North
- Steel River Blues
- Midsomer Murders on stage
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 source rows represent 4 people in the current ledger.
Break the seal: reveal the death ledger
- Hanlon (historical murder in 1955)
Murder · Gunshot · historical or before the main case
- Gerald Hadleigh
Murder · Blunt force
- Max Jennings
Murder · Poisoning
- Annoria Lyddiard
Accidental, natural or other · Fall
Real place → fictional identity
What was filmed where?
St John the Baptist Church
Used as: The church doubles as the parish church of fictional Midsomer Worthy.
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
Beaconsfield
Old-town architecture, churches and nearby estates have supplied homes, police buildings and village streets throughout the run.
Open location →
Chesham
The old town, church, market square and shops have doubled for Causton and several fictional villages.
Open location →