Festival organizer Toby Winning is found dead on the morning of the Lower Crosby Folk Festival, shortly after announcing plans to move the festival nearer to London.Festival organizer Toby Winning is found dead on the morning of the Lower Crosby Folk Festival, shortly after announcing plans to move the festival nearer to London.Festival organizer Toby Winning is found dead on the morning of the Lower Crosby Folk Festival, shortly after announcing plans to move the festival nearer to London.
Photos
Claudie Blakley
- Claire Asher
- (as Claudie Blakely)
Richard Banks
- Festival Goer
- (uncredited)
Hannah Blamires
- CID Officer
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilmed at Nettlebed Village Hall, where the Nettlebed Folk Club (NFC) meet, and featured several of NFC's regular singers.
- GoofsTowards when Barnaby leaves the hotel to go to Jonny Carver's house it is still daylight. The next scene shows Claire Asher arriving at the house and it is night.
Featured review
Season 17 very nearly finds its groove
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.
After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same on the most part. Season 14 was a disappointment outside of "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust", with "Echoes of the Dead" and "The Night of the Stag" being show low-points. Season 15 was inconsistent, being a case of starting promisingly and then took a three-episodes-in-a-row strange turn with "Written in the Stars" before finishing on a good note. Season 16 was mostly good, especially "Wild Harvest", with the only disappointment being "Let Us Prey".
The third episode of Season 17, "The Ballad of Midsomer County", is an improvement over the previous two episodes of the season, and to me it's one of the better 'Midsomer Murders' episodes with a music theme. It is not a classic, hence what was meant by Season 17 very nearly finding its groove rather than properly finding it, but generally it was pretty good.
It is agreed that a couple of the twists are not surprising, in fact they were pretty obvious and an instance of suspecting it early on as soon as hearing of it and being proved right (the big one being a twist almost as old as life itself). Kate is still pretty bland and without much personality, and although it is not quite as big an issue as has been made out (in some people's cases it's been blown out of proportion) the more diverse characters also don't add much point, let alone spark.
However, as ever the production values in "The Ballad of Midsomer County" cannot be faulted as usual. It's beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. It is also hardly surprising that the episode has a soundtrack of its own because the music here adds so much to the character and atmosphere of the episode.
Writing is thought-provoking and the healthy doses of quirky and gentle humour like with Barnaby and the song was appreciated and juxtaposed well with the dark murder theme and the twists and turns, the episode not feeling overly serious or heavy like some John Barnaby-era episodes as a result. That is even with one of the show's most inventive and gruesome opening deaths ever and the body count, and wisely things never gets on the wrong side of outlandish that sense is compromised. The story is never simplistic, neither is it convoluted, with a surprising ending that manages to just about be plausible rather than convoluted or distastefully over-the-top.
Neil Dudgeon sleepwalks through Barnaby the least of the Season 17 episodes, looking more engaged and comfortable, while Gwilym Lee is likable and charismatic and Barnaby's family life is portrayed endearingly especially in contrast to Seasons 14 and 15. The supporting cast do more than ably, with Lucie Jones proving to be just as capable an actress as she is a singer.
On the whole, a pretty good but not classic episode. 7/10 Bethany Cox
After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same on the most part. Season 14 was a disappointment outside of "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust", with "Echoes of the Dead" and "The Night of the Stag" being show low-points. Season 15 was inconsistent, being a case of starting promisingly and then took a three-episodes-in-a-row strange turn with "Written in the Stars" before finishing on a good note. Season 16 was mostly good, especially "Wild Harvest", with the only disappointment being "Let Us Prey".
The third episode of Season 17, "The Ballad of Midsomer County", is an improvement over the previous two episodes of the season, and to me it's one of the better 'Midsomer Murders' episodes with a music theme. It is not a classic, hence what was meant by Season 17 very nearly finding its groove rather than properly finding it, but generally it was pretty good.
It is agreed that a couple of the twists are not surprising, in fact they were pretty obvious and an instance of suspecting it early on as soon as hearing of it and being proved right (the big one being a twist almost as old as life itself). Kate is still pretty bland and without much personality, and although it is not quite as big an issue as has been made out (in some people's cases it's been blown out of proportion) the more diverse characters also don't add much point, let alone spark.
However, as ever the production values in "The Ballad of Midsomer County" cannot be faulted as usual. It's beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. It is also hardly surprising that the episode has a soundtrack of its own because the music here adds so much to the character and atmosphere of the episode.
Writing is thought-provoking and the healthy doses of quirky and gentle humour like with Barnaby and the song was appreciated and juxtaposed well with the dark murder theme and the twists and turns, the episode not feeling overly serious or heavy like some John Barnaby-era episodes as a result. That is even with one of the show's most inventive and gruesome opening deaths ever and the body count, and wisely things never gets on the wrong side of outlandish that sense is compromised. The story is never simplistic, neither is it convoluted, with a surprising ending that manages to just about be plausible rather than convoluted or distastefully over-the-top.
Neil Dudgeon sleepwalks through Barnaby the least of the Season 17 episodes, looking more engaged and comfortable, while Gwilym Lee is likable and charismatic and Barnaby's family life is portrayed endearingly especially in contrast to Seasons 14 and 15. The supporting cast do more than ably, with Lucie Jones proving to be just as capable an actress as she is a singer.
On the whole, a pretty good but not classic episode. 7/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•1519
- TheLittleSongbird
- Apr 2, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- The Fleur de Lys pub, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK(The Captain Farrell pub, Lower Crosby: exterior)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 29 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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