The Village Murder CasebookAn unofficial Midsomer Murders guide

Complete released-series file · 2015

Series 17

4 feature-length cases from the John Barnaby era, led by DCI John Barnaby with DS Charlie Nelson across the run.

Two empty leather chairs and contrasting case notebooks on a rural detective desk at dusk
Original Village Murder Casebook artwork—not a programme still.
Cases4

Episodes 1–4

First shown2015

Year-level chronology

Settings4

Principal fictional places

Archive depth4/4

Expanded case files

Before you open the folder

What defines Series 17?

This run sits in the John Barnaby period and contains 4 cases. Its archive labels lean classic, with 3 cases carrying that tone.

Best entry point
The Dagger Club
Opening case
The Dagger Club
Final case
A Vintage Murder
Recurring settings
Each principal setting appears once

Archive highlights

Three ways into Series 17

Editorial signposts drawn from the Casebook catalogue—not a claim that every murder needs a podium.

Opening file

The Dagger Club

A newly discovered crime manuscript attracts collectors, gamblers and a killer apparently following its methods.

Episode 1 →Casebook focus · Classic

The Dagger Club

A knowingly bookish mystery about authorship, ownership and the dangerous price placed on a dead writer's name.

Open the case →Filming trail

The Ballad of Midsomer County

2 broader filming areas are already connected to this file.

Follow the places →

Who works these cases

Core cast in Series 17

Every lead detective, investigating partner and credited on-screen pathologist represented in this series.

No freely reusable portrait located. A rights-cleared photograph can be added later.
Lead detective

Neil Dudgeon

John Barnaby · 4 cases

An 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.

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Actor Gwilym Lee during an MTV Movies interview in 2018
Photo: MTV International · CC BY 3.0 · displayed with a layout crop
Investigating partner

Gwilym Lee

Charlie Nelson · 4 cases

A British actor whose screen career includes Jamestown, The Great and Top End Wedding. International audiences may know him best as Queen guitarist Brian May in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.

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No freely reusable portrait located. A rights-cleared photograph can be added later.
Forensic support

Tamzin Malleson

Dr Kate Wilding · 4 cases

An 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.

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Complete episode ledger

Every Series 17 case

4 expanded dossiers and 0 concise catalogue records, all linked in broadcast order.

  1. Episode01

    2015 · Luxton Deeping

    The Dagger Club

    A newly discovered crime manuscript attracts collectors, gamblers and a killer apparently following its methods.

    ClassicWritten by Chris MurrayExpanded dossier1 mapped areasOpen case →
  2. Episode02

    2015 · Midsomer Oaks

    Murder by Magic

    A church magic show ends in a crushing death, leaving Barnaby to decide whether the victim—or the illusionist—was the intended target.

    EccentricWritten by Rachel Cuperman & Sally GriffithsExpanded dossier1 mapped areasOpen case →
  3. Episode03

    2015 · Lower Crosby

    The Ballad of Midsomer County

    A folk festival revives an infamous local song—and the disputed death that inspired its most memorable verse.

    ClassicWritten by Paul LogueExpanded dossier2 mapped areasOpen case →
  4. Episode04

    2015 · Midsomer Vinae

    A Vintage Murder

    A sparkling-wine launch turns poisonous before a critic is murdered among the vines of Midsomer Vinae.

    ClassicWritten by Lisa HoldsworthExpanded dossierLocation research openOpen case →