Midsomer Murders Set 20 [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

Series 20's 4 episodes continue the perfection in crime drama perfected by CI Barnaby (John Nettles.) He' crime tough, humorous, softly romantic, but makes every episode always suspenseful murders in the plural. Never one murder mystery in Midsomer County, a quaint picturesquely filmed area of village sets.
If you are new to Midsomer Murders and CI Barnaby there are years of award winning episodes to view. My favorite is ALWAYS the one I just viewed.

Wife Joyce (Jane Wymark), daughter Cully (Laura Howard) & DC Stephens (Kirsty Dillon) all make this set their exit from this long-running British TV show, as does Nettles. Cast regulars DS Jones (Jason Hughes) and Dr. Bullard (Barry Jackson) will remain for future episodes with DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) leading those investigations. John Barnaby is involved in this set's last episode. A smashing series but there will be those upset and downplaying the future once Nettles is gone. He does leave large shoes to fill, as does the departing cast that exits behind him. But that's set 21, not 20, so why worry now, and the shows will yet be based on Caroline Graham novels, and the writing has been a huge factor in the longevity which started in 1997.

SUBTITLES available in all 4 longer-than-feature-length episodes
Guest stars (too numerous to mention them all) are as characteristic of Midsomer Murders as the multiple murders and multiple plots mixing humor, crime, and relationships, and beautiful scenes. I've heard on bonus materials in the past that stars beg to kill or be murdered in Midsomer.

Episodes:
~~~~MASTER CLASS -a Barnaby déjà vu mystery suicide-drowning and baby abandonment with a musical twist.
~~~~THE NOBLE ART -does the title refer to boxing or all of the local adulterous activity, gender mix, in the small community? Whatever, it results in numerous murders.
~~~~NOT IN MY BACK YARD -new development plans have supporters, participants, opposition, everything but apathy, and that's a recipe for community strife not to mention murder.
~~~~FIT FOR MURDER -a death in a health and fitness spa may be murder, Barnaby at the scene, and the episode will best be known as the final episode with John Nettles.

6 2/3 HOURS of time-tested British Mystery Drama entertainment acclaimed around the world. Multiple murders but usually not violently shown nor graphically filmed. The emphasis is on the plots, not shocking blood and violence. About as family friendly as you can get with murder.

My husband and I have all the sets of Midsomer Murder, and are looking forward to set 19 coming out on 2/28. We are in the process of re-watching all of them now. Although I love John Nettles as Barnaby, I'm interested to see if his replacement brings a new pizzaz to the series. I hope that Jones will still be around to lend a hand!

We love murder mysteries, and the British mysteries are the best! We have all the Morse, Lewis, Frost, Poirot, Dalgliesh, Lynley, Holmes, and Foyle's War series, as well as a few other miscellaneous sets (Lark Rise to Candleford is a favorite!!), and we treasure them all.

Thanks to Amazon for bringing us good entertainment! You're my favorite website!

Good news: the excellent actor Neil Dudgeon, featured in earlier episodes of Midsomer, and The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries, among many other roles, will lead as John Barnaby, a relative of irascible, inimitable Tom Barnaby/John Nettles. He doesn't enter until the last episode, when his visit to Tom's home is interrupted by yet another murder in that particularly dangerous corner of Midsomer, Badger's Drift, when a vicar is found hanging by a bell-rope. And now we all anticipate "Set 21," the wait will be worth it. As always, the intrepid Jason Hughes is a wonderful foil as Detective Sergeant Ben Jones, his wry humor adds another level of complexity to the series. The U.K. boasts so many fine, often underrated actors. Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby is perfection (catch this gifted actress in an early, tragic role in the second series of Poldark), as is Laura Howard as their understanding daughter.

Midsomer County is oddly rife with uncanny mysteries, so it's good that John Barnaby is gifted with the same powers of keen observation and memory as his cousin Tom. A "similar-looking" man was a gifted gardener in an early Midsomer mystery; DCI John Barnaby is likely as good with plants as his look-alike. This is a Midsomer family after all, they often feature peculiar, recurring family resemblances (recall the duo in first Midsomer Mystery, "The Killings of Badger's Drift"). Sharp dialogue makes this collection a real treat. Don't assume this is lace doily stuff, no indeed! We even love the weird and unique music. Note the badger emblem on the police cars. The Brits have knack for mixing classic stories with ghoulish humor and sharp observations of the flawed human character. Historically, penny-dreadfuls were published at Christmastime, as in Robert Louis Stevenson and Charles Dickens.

This series is a virtual escape to the beautiful but dangerous environs of Midsomer county. We're happy to fall through the cracks of normal reality, into Midsomer, whose denizens inflict and suffer numerous creative malaises. The cleverness of this series is addictive.

Master Class: Lydia Wilson is superb as Zoe Stock, a gifted pianist, haunted by strange visions. Competition is deadly for positions in Sir Michael Fielding's master class. Long buried secrets are unearthed, several denizens seem to have issues with bright lights, and the dead contact the living. The theme of eugenics is shown in all it's ugliness.

The Noble Art: Who knew that with boxing and gambling, we'd get a chance to see Jackie Tyler again, Rose's mom from Doctor Who?! Camille Coduri does a luscious turn, with one of the best Midsomer lines ever, to an odious prig: "Is that a smile, or your lips just sliding off your teeth?"

Not in My Backyard: Oh, those dratted contemporary designs besmirching our villages. Some of the best, most improbable innovative Midsomer murders take place here, via sliding doors and cement. But what do you expect when Jekyll/Tom Jackman's mama makes a guest appearance.

Fit for Murder: Poor Joyce, she just wants to take her Tom to a retreat, to calm him down. But murder and mayhem ensue, because when Joyce arrives on the scene, Midsomer's citizens meet untimely, gruesome ends. Tom Barnaby finds himself confronting his birthday and visions of his difficult father. Appearances by Cully and DCI John Barnaby enrich this delightful episode. Surprise: guest-star appearance of excellent actor Shaun Dingwall, who perfectly played Pete Tyler, errant husband of Jackie (above, in "The Noble Art"), father of Doctor Who's Rose. Perhaps a few Midsomer occurrences can be attributed to an occasional alignment with Doctor Who: the alien crop-circles, weird murders and unearthly body-count.