Neil Dudgeon has played DCI Barnaby since 2011 (Image: ITV)
Midsomer Murders has just dropped tantalising hints about the upcoming series, hot on the heels of the final episode of series 23.
The 23rd season of the iconic ITV detective show concluded recently with Dressed To Kill, which followed the residents of Elverton-Cum-Latterly. A battle in a dominoes competition that dates back decades ended up to be quite deadly, when a drag queen fundraiser for a terminally ill teenager took place on the same night.
But there’s been suspense around when the 24th installment will grace ITV screens, despite it already airing abroad. There’s even buzz about a confirmed 25th series, but details on filming or release elsewhere remain shrouded in mystery.
Eager fans awaiting the 24th series, destined to hit ITV eventually, can feast on newly released synopses of the four-episode line-up, kicking off with The Devil’s Work.
“The demise of the Shirewell patriarch sparks a vicious inheritance dispute when eldest son Lucian announces plans to break up an estate that’s been in his family for centuries,” the exciting first episode outline reveals.
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Neil Dudgeon will return as fan favourite DCI John Barnaby (Image: ITV)
Then comes Book Of The Dead, where the narrative unravels around an “author of a book that sparked a nationwide treasure hunt is found dead”, pushing Barnaby and Winter into action to “find the killer among a group of dedicated seekers”.
In the third episode, titled Claws Out, a pet detective meets a tragic end, prompting Barnaby and Winter to delve into the realm of animal investigation, where they encounter a world of dognapping, cat seduction, and animal investigation, as hinted in the synopsis, which reads: “After a pet detective turns up dead inside the kennel of a dog he was searching for, Barnaby and Winter are drawn into the world of dognapping, cat seduction, and animal investigation.”
The series concludes with the episode A Climate Of Death, set in the seemingly idyllic Goodman’s Land village, which prides itself as the “greenest village in Midsomer”. However, the tranquility is disrupted when a Texan oil tycoon acquires the entire village, triggering a series of gruesome murders.
Both Barnaby and Winter will tackle new murders in the 25th series, which doesn’t yet have an air date (Image: ITV)
The synopsis teases: “When the entire village is bought by a Texas oilman, a string of grisly murders ensues. To what lengths will the locals go to retain their title?”
Midsomer Murders stars Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby and Nick Hendrix as DS Jamie Winter, both of whom are set to reprise their roles in the 24th series and likely the 25th series as well.
Despite earlier concerns among fans that Neil might depart from the show, one fan proposed an interesting solution: “If Neil Dudgeon ever retired from the show, I think we should bring back Daniel Casey in his place as Chief Inspector Gavin Troy. Also, Laura Howard as Cully Barnaby whose husband died and comes back to town meets Gavin and strikes up a romance, and marries. She becomes his sidekick and the Barnaby in the story that’s needed.”
*The previous series of Midsomer Murders are available on ITVX.