As the near series begins it is time for more murder and mayhem is the most dangerous corner of rural England. The episode opens with an elderly man going onto the roof of his house to fix the flag; he is startled by what appears to be a headless horseman on a grey horse and falls to his death. This isn't any old house it the hall belonging to the DeQuetteville family and one of their ancestors, Geoffrey DeQuetteville, lost his head in the Civil War; could his ghost have returned… or was the horseman all too human? It doesn't take long before there is another death and this one is clearly murder. As is usually the case in Midsomer there are plenty of suspects including just about every member of the DeQuetteville family and their neighbours, whose family, the Fleetwoods, clashed with the DeQuettevilles centuries ago at the battle of Naseby. We don't just have ancient bad blood between the families; there is also a bet on how a forthcoming battle re-enactment will go. Diana says to Izzy, "So we've lost Long Meadow as well." Izzy says, "No. Harry just phoned. Says he won't be calling in the debt. Obviously stood up for himself at last. He's a decent man." Diana says, "He's not. Not at all. He's pathetic." Izzy replies, "Diana. Try not to be such a despicable tart. My son was barely cold before you were over the wall like an alley cat on heat. Why do we imagine our domestic staff are all blind and deaf? They aren't. They have big ears. And bigger mouths. It's all over the village." Diana says, "I was trying to save Long Meadow." Izzy says, "You were trying to save yourself from the penury that is about to consume you. And serve you right." Diana leaves and Izzy talks to Ludo's photo. "Don't you worry. We're the king's men. We'll show them." Written by one of MM's better scriptwriters, Michael Aitkins, "The Dark Rider," the opening of the 15th season, concerns a yearly re- enactment battle. Murder 1: Toby DeQuetteville is taking the dog out for a walk when he sees the a figure on a horse with apparently no head. He runs over to Bentham's body. Bentham says, "Geoff..Geoffrey." and dies. Jones and Barnaby discuss the case. Barnaby thinks someone he knew and trusted called Ludo outside. Then rushed up to the roof and dumped the gargoyle on his head. Or, he got his accomplice to do the gargoyle bit.

Barnaby says to Simon, "I'm just a policeman, but in my line of work I tend to come into people's lives when they are at their most vulnerable and confused. Sort of where you are now. So I want to help you as much as I can. But mainly, I need to apprehend a murderer. I don't know what you know. I don't know what's in your head. I don't know what you've done. Have you done something I should know about, Simon?" Love Makes You Evil: Toby DeQuetteville murders everyone between himself and the Lordship, because he's afraid of his wife leaving him, and assumes being a Lady will make her stay.

No Results

When in its prime (a vast majority of Seasons 1-9), 'Midsomer Murders' was a great show and one that is watched and re-watched frequently. Seasons 10-13 became more uneven, with three of the show's worst episodes coming from Seasons 11 and 13, but there were a few solid episodes and "Blood Wedding" and especially "Master Class" were gems. It boasts a fantastic cast, William Gaunt, Eleanor Bron, Raquel Cassidy, Paul Ritter, they really did pull out all the stops to assemble such a gathering. They all combine to make some fantastic characters, especially the pairing of Izzy and Ludo (Bron and Gaunt,) they are wonderfully eccentric. Death by Looking Up: Ludo DeQuetteville is lured outside his ancestral home and looks up just in time to see a gargoyle toppling on top of him.

Jones goes to talk to Diana who is getting equipment out for the re-enactment. She tells him that whatever happens in the family, they plough on. If she paused for a moment of grief or reflection, Betty, will send her to the salt mines. Diana says, "Julian was a slսt. I'm sorry, but in this family, we don't beat about the bush. Half the village children look remarkably like my late husband." Julian and Diana didn't have any children of her own. "When Ludo dies, it will be Sir Toby and Lady Betty lording it about all over the place. She'll really have crawled her way out of the colonies then. ( Betty is from New Zealand) I don't suppose there will be much room for widow Diana round the inglenook." As Sasha is driving off, she sees Toby. Julian was driving into town and he dumped him. Sasha gives him a lift. At Quitewell Hall, Betty asks what the Fleetwoods wanted. Toby tells her about the wager. That night at the hall, Ludo walks through the dining room. He shuts the shutters over the windows. He sees a headless horseman pointing at him and is terrified. On the grounds of Quitewell hall, workers are putting up a sound system and testing out the cannon. Up on the hill nearby, at a modern style home, Harry Fleetwood watches Quitewell Hall scratches his arms. Sasha Fleetwood brings him a pill. Harry says, "Every damn year, every damn month they do something. Deliberately corrupt history. I've got to do something. It was Naseby. They never got over Naseby. Toby tells Barnaby and Jones that his relationship with Julian was all good. He would be the next in line to inherit. Toby admits that he is uncomfortable with being called a sir and running the place. He is a bit... socially... clumsy. Toby mentions that The Fleetwoods have been in a family feud with the DeQuettevilles for "yonks"- a long time.

Contribute to This Page

Don't have as much a problem with Barnaby, who is not as smug or as disdainful as he can be, the writing for Jones which is not quite as dumbed down or their chemistry which is not as mean-spirited as often are. Neil Dudgeon and Jason Hughes do what they can, James Callis and Natalie Mendoza have the juiciest supporting characters and do wonders with them and adorable and comedically gifted Sykes steals every scene he's in.

In the library, Barnaby asks how everyone is doing. Izzy says, "Everyone's fine. Just get on with it." Barnaby says, "Lady Isabel, would you mind sitting down and shutting up just for once?" Barnaby asks, "So you're still feeling a bit upset, are you, Betty?" Betty says, "Obviously. Who wouldn't be?" Barnaby says, "Just as well you have Toby. And Toby, you have Betty. At last, someone who would accept you for what you were." Toby says, "She... She never said I was silly or anything." Diana tries to leave, but Barnaby tells her to stay.At the Barnaby home, Sarah Barnaby explains the situation at the DeQuettevilles: The Roundheads won at Naseby in the civil war. But the DeQuettevilles, who were Royalists, Cavaliers, have never really liked that result. So when they do their battle re-enactment, they fix it so that the Cavaliers win. As the new secretary of the Historical Society, Sarah is gaining the respect of her staff and making sure the re-enactment is accurate. Barnaby tells her he is dealing with a weird death up there and doesn't like her being up there. Sarah tells him that they are bound to cross paths sometimes and to live with it. Barnaby and Jones drive up. Jones asks Barnaby. "You like horses, sir?" Barnaby says, "No. Nasty brutish creatures. They always tread on me. Modest little place," referring to the mansion. Jones says, "An Englishman's castle is his home." Diana DeQuetteville greets the officers.

The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes Inside the house, the family sits around the dining room table. Jones tells Barnaby that they have looked at dozens of video phone cameras. They're pointing at the main entrance. The family's nowhere to be seen. Barnaby tells Jones to get the Fleetwoods' statements. He then asks Simon if they can have a chat. Bound and Gagged: The killer attempts to remove someone who is afraid of the dark from the line of succession by leaving them bound and gagged inside a priest hole, driving them into a permanent state of trauma. DCI John Barnaby and DS Ben Jones go to the morgue. Pathologist, Dr. Kate Wilding says "He died around midnight. Cause of death.." Jones inserts, "Long fall, landing on head." Kate says, "How very scientific." Jones says, "It's self-evident. He tells Barnaby that the man fell from the roof of Quitewell Hall. The only witness, Toby DeQuetteville, said he saw a grey horse riding away just after the old man fell. Barnaby says, "And who was out riding in the middle of the night? In a very aggressive electrical storm." Jones says, "Don't know, sir. But apparently, he had no head." (Kate bangs metal tray ) Barnaby says, "I beg your pardon?" Jones says, "Witness said the horserider had no head." Barnaby, "Drunk or stoned?" Jones, "I was on duty, sir." He is Bentham DeQuetteville, brother of Sir Ludovic DeQuetteville of Quitewell Hall. At Quitewell Hall, Ludo tells Barnaby that he saw the headless horseman last night. Ludo says, "It's the ghost of Geoffrey. I'm a goner!" Barnaby says, "Sir Ludovic, if his horse was real, there's a good chance the rider was real too." Ludo says, "No, no, it's Geoffrey. And he's coming for me!" Barnaby tells him to stay inside today with the battle on.Season 15 Episode 1 of Midsomer Murders resulted in a 0.00 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Midsomer Murders Season 15 Episodes... Jones calls Barnaby to tell him that he found out that Betty used to work for the Norfolk branch of the DeQuettevilles. She managed the estate up there until Rupert DeQuetteville died- he fell off a horse. Jones goes to talk to Amanda at the stables. She says she's not providing horses for the DeQuettevilles. Julian never paid her last year. She says Sasha and she were at uni together. They had similar ambitions to use their brains to get a good life. Sasha's got there whilst Amanda is still up to her eyebrows in debt and horse dung. The police hustle around the building to where Ludo is lying crushed by the gargoyle. Barnaby is really angry, "You had to watch one elderly man. ( My question is, why wasn't a police officer stationed inside by Ludo's side?). I want full reports by 10AM!" Kate examines the body. She surmises that Ludo "wouldn't have known what had hit him. Actually, he may have done. It hit him full in the face, so presumably, he was looking up at the time." Jones says, "So why didn't he get out of the way?" ( MY QUESTION AS WELL!). Barnaby asks, "What sort of effort would it take to dislodge a gargoyle?" Kate says, "It depends how secure it was in the first place." Toby and Betty take a stroll outside. Toby worries that Betty will leave him. They hug and over her shoulder Toby sees the headless horseman. At night, Simon comes running up and pets a horse. The sound of a horse galloping in the distance can be heard. Cue eerie music....