The Village Murder Casebook

Case file · Series 1, Episode 2 · Season 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. Check the linked provider advisory for further viewing information.

Why it matters

A particularly sharp collision of village insecurity and literary vanity.

  • Writers
  • Book adaptation
  • Locked-room flavour
Break the seal: reveal the finding

Old identities and carefully maintained appearances matter more than the evening's famous guest.

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.

  1. Place

    How does Midsomer Worthy shape what people say openly, delay, or leave unsaid?

  2. Theme

    Which details seem to carry more than one meaning, and what might be a red herring?

  3. Teamwork

    Compare how DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy gather information: who watches the room, and who presses the conversation forward?

Browse all 100 observation cards →
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information

Credits, context and checked facts

Production and cast

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 credits6 episodes credited to Anthony Horowitz
  • Director credits9 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

Written in Blood cast

These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.

The performers behind this case

Core cast

Actor profiles for the detective, investigating partner and pathologist credited to this episode.

Actor John Nettles at a public event in 2013
Photo: Man vyi · Public domain · Source · displayed with a layout crop
Lead detective

John Nettles

Tom Barnaby · Detective Chief Inspector

An 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
Open full actor profile →Character profile →Source: Career profile ↗
No freely reusable portrait located. A rights-cleared photograph can be added later.
Investigating partner

Daniel Casey

Gavin Troy · Detective Sergeant · later Inspector

An 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
Open full actor profile →Character profile →Source: Norwich Theatre interview ↗
No freely reusable portrait located. A rights-cleared photograph can be added later.
Forensic support

Barry Jackson

Dr George Bullard · Police pathologist

An 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
Open full actor profile →Character profile →Source: The Guardian obituary ↗

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
  1. Hanlon (historical murder in 1955)

    Murder · Gunshot · historical or before the main case

    Performer check
    • Hanlon: not listed in the current published cast recordNo Hanlon performer appears in the current published cast record.
  2. Gerald Hadleigh

    Murder · Blunt force

    Performer check
  3. Max Jennings

    Murder · Poisoning

    Performer check
  4. Honoria Lyddiard

    Accidental, natural or other · Fall

    Performer check
    • Honoria Lyddiard: Anna MasseyThe body-count ledger prints ‘Annoria’; the published cast record supports ‘Honoria’, used here.
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Series 1 · episode 2 · checked 14 September 2026

Verified killer

Honoria Lyddiard

The resolution attributes the deaths of Gerald Hadleigh and Max Jennings to Honoria Lyddiard. Hanlon's 1955 death remains a separate historical murder in the ledger.

Verified motive

Honoria killed Gerald after he disclosed his relationship with her late brother Ralph, then poisoned Max to prevent him exposing her responsibility for Gerald's death.

Source: detailed episode synopsis ↗

Verified important clue

Archive case 2 · checked 16 September 2026Gerald's request not to be left alone with Max

Amy Lyddiard's account shows that Gerald feared the private encounter before his death, turning Max's visit from a routine literary engagement into evidence of a concealed personal history.

Clue source: detailed episode synopsis ↗

Verified decisive clue

Archive case 2 · checked 17 September 2026The Antalya photograph Honoria tried to hide

The folded ship-newsletter photograph shows Ralph Lyddiard with Gerald Hadleigh in Turkey and matches the autobiographical trail in Max Jennings's novel. Honoria's attempt to conceal it identifies the connection that took her back to Gerald's house, where his account of Ralph provoked the killing.

Verified red herring

Archive case 2 · checked 17 September 2026Brian Clapper's unexplained late-night visit

Brian lies about staying in bed and is seen outside Gerald's house after midnight, making his movements look relevant to the murder. His concealed purpose is voyeurism rather than killing Gerald, so the lie is suspicious but not the solution.

Verified death and discovery order

Archive case 2 · checked 16 September 2026
  1. death
    Gerald Hadleigh is killed

    Honoria Lyddiard kills Gerald after he discloses his relationship with her late brother.

  2. discovery
    The housekeeper finds Gerald

    Gerald's body is found in his bedroom the morning after the writers' meeting.

  3. death
    Max Jennings is poisoned

    Honoria kills Max to stop him exposing her responsibility for Gerald's murder.

  4. discovery
    Max is recovered

    Max is found dead away from the village, extending the inquiry beyond Gerald's house.

Timeline source: detailed episode synopsis ↗
Search the complete deaths index →

Real place → fictional identity

What was filmed where?

Aldbury, Hertfordshire

St John the Baptist Church

Used as: The church doubles as the parish church of fictional Midsomer Worthy.

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 war memorial and historic street buildings
Buckinghamshire

Beaconsfield

Old-town architecture, churches and nearby estates have supplied homes, police buildings and village streets throughout the run.

Open location →
Historic town buildings and streets in Chesham
Buckinghamshire

Chesham

The old town, church, market square and shops have doubled for Causton and several fictional villages.

Open location →