John Nettles will finally leave the role of the rural sleuth tonight after 14 years of fetes, local pubs and blood-spattered patios
A respectful silence will fall upon the nation's living rooms tonight as Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby leaves ITV1's ever-popular Midsomer Murders for the final time.
After nearly 14 years playing the affable rural sleuth in the fetes and fatalities pot-boiler, John Nettles will take one last look around Midsomer ? from Elverton-cum-Latterly in the east, to Great Pelfe, with its overflowing graveyards and blood-spattered patios, in the west ? and bid this most murderous of counties adieu, satisfied in a job well done. Apart from the hundreds of dead bodies. He'll be replaced by Neil Dudgeon as another Barnaby, his equally dependable cousin, just transferred to Causton CID. Handy.
DCI Tom Barnaby is not your average TV copper though. He doesn't have a drink problem or a failing marriage. His lovely wife Joyce is mildly annoyed by his devotion to duty but otherwise smiles benevolently at his sporadic domestic presence and ploughs on with her community work. He even gets on with his entirely unrebellious daughter and spends social time with her down the pub or up the am-dram.
He's basically Jessica Fletcher and Miss Marple, together in a Burton suit. A thoroughly nice chap. When Nettles was Jersey-based detective Bergerac in the late 80s, he played it sexy, maverick and a bit dangerous. Bergerac had a trail of flighty exes and a horny frisson with the sexy lady criminals. Once in the autumn of his life, rather than insist on pushing his screen youth beyond the bounds of credibility, he took the role of Barnaby (who practically wears slippers to work) thus embracing his transition into well-preserved pensioner totty. Although one drawback of such a laid-back approach to crime-fighting is that it's always taken him ages to solve the puzzle.
I'll be sad to see him go. And not in an ironic way ? a nice sit down in front of Middle Class Murders genuinely provides the kind of surge of wellbeing that usually comes from an expensive massage. Never has butchery been so relaxing. Every episode begins with a simple setup that lays out clearly who hates who and why. Someone will always be heard to utter, "One of these days, you're going to push me too far ..." or similar. And then low and behold, a stiff is produced and off we go.
For Barnaby's exit, dastardly doings ensue at the luxury spa retreat that he and his wife happen to be visiting. Think people in colour-coordinated leisure wear jogging past in the background, while bitter recriminations are played out in the fore. And as Neil Dudgeon is handed the truncheon he swings languidly into action with the immortal line, "Sorry to break up the party, but the vicar at Badger's Drift has been found hanging from a bell rope." We're in safe hands, people.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/feb/02/midsomer-murders-john-nettles
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