Spoiler-controlled evidence index
The murder methods index.
From iron bars to bee swarms, search 18 broad method families and 168 documented episode-method references. The revealing details stay sealed until you choose to open them.
18 method families168 documented references
3 documented references
Animal attacks
Bees, boars and horses turn pastoral scenery into evidence.
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27 documented references
Bludgeoning
The published series-wide analysis calls this Midsomer's most common method.
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5 documented references
Burning & extreme heat
Fire, kilns and industrial heat recur from the earliest series onward.
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7 documented references
Crushing
Furniture, architecture and stage machinery all acquire suspicious weight.
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4 documented references
Decapitation & severe cutting
Historic blades and theatrical settings supply several of the show's starkest tableaux.
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14 documented references
Drowning
Pools and rivers are joined by wine, chocolate and rather less conventional liquids.
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6 documented references
Electrocution
Domestic, theatrical and sporting equipment proves dangerously rewired.
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2 documented references
Explosives
Rare compared with blunt force, but memorably destructive when they appear.
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6 documented references
Falls & drops
Roofs, staircases and aircraft provide lethal height—and convenient staging.
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3 documented references
Freezing
Cold storage and specialist equipment create two particularly controlled deaths.
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3 documented references
Hanging & suspension
The distinction between genuine hanging and staged scene matters to Barnaby.
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13 documented references
Poisoning & injection
Plants, pharmaceuticals and tainted food reward a county full of specialist hobbies.
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14 documented references
Shooting
Shotguns dominate the rural end of this category, with one famously remote-controlled exception.
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25 documented references
Stabbing & impalement
Everyday tools, ceremonial blades and sporting equipment all enter the evidence room.
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10 documented references
Strangulation & garrotting
Clothing, cables, instrument strings and wire make this a varied recurring family.
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11 documented references
Suffocation & smothering
Several scenes are designed to resemble accident, illness or elaborate display.
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5 documented references
Traps & contraptions
The category where Midsomer's clubs, hobbies and stagecraft become engineering problems.
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10 documented references
Vehicles & machinery
Road collisions, domestic machinery and improbable moving objects do the work.
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Published body-count desk
The five deadliest case files.
Ranked by murders recorded in the episode's case, not by every death mentioned in dialogue. Historical murders revealed by the investigation are included; suicides and accidental or natural deaths are shown separately.
- 01Series 2, Episode 27murders
Strangler's Wood
Four murders investigated in the present-day story and three historical murders uncovered by the case.
Open case file → - 02Series 3, Episode 15murders
Death of a Stranger
Five murders are recorded, including one historical murder; a separate suicide is not included in the murder figure.
Open case file → - 03Series 3, Episode 35murders
Judgement Day
Five murders are recorded, including the historical killing revealed during the investigation.
Open case file → - 04Series 4, Episode 25murders
Destroying Angel
Five murders are recorded; a suicide at the end of the case is counted separately.
Open case file → - 05Series 15, Episode 65murders
Schooled in Murder
Five murders make this the joint-highest verified John Barnaby case in the published ledger.
Open case file →
Research trail
How the ledger was assembled.
Method examples were checked against published episode descriptions. The series-wide figures—388 murders, 69 bludgeonings and 473 recorded deaths altogether—come from a 2025 analysis covering 140 episodes. The five-episode leaderboard uses the published episode-by-episode body-count ledger, with Schooled in Murder cross-checked separately. Variations in staging and cause of death mean examples are grouped editorially rather than presented as medical classifications. The completed episode-status audit contains 168 references across 143 murder cases plus the documented Habeas Corpus exception.
- Episode chronology and descriptions ↗
- The Times body-count analysis ↗
- Episode-by-episode body-count ledger ↗
- Habeas Corpus no-murder case review ↗
- Schooled in Murder five-death cross-check ↗
- Academic study of homicide portrayal ↗
Spotted a classification that needs another look? Use the source trail on the about page when checking it.