Thursday 28 June 2018

MIDSOMER MURDERS - SERIES 20, EPISODE 2: DEATH OF THE SMALL COPPERS

The 20th series of the venerable British detective drama Midsomer Murders premiered last month in the United States on streaming services Britbox and Acorn TV, ahead of ITV. It will be available in France on DVD this summer.

Mahesh Sidana, head of school in the village of Little Crosby and  founding member of the Circulus IQ society, is murdered in a most ironic way given his hobby. Grady Palmerston, the arrogant supremo of Circulus is in the suspect list of DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix). Like Luke Fawcett, an English teacher sacked by Sidana and who spends time at the pub doing crosswords. Winter falls under the charm of Penny Kingdom, a biology teacher who runs a lepidoptery group. Barnaby is surprised to run into Danish police detective Birgitte Poulsen. The Midsomer Constabulary learns about "Danish Feng Shui", Sarah Barnaby (Fiona Dolman) gives some help and quizzes can be deadly. 

Written by Chris Murray (Series 19's Death by Persuasion) and directed by Paul Harrison, the very good Death of the Small Coppers feels like an episode of Lewis with Little Crosby doubling as Oxford. Danish actress Ann Eleonora Jørgensen (The Killing) returns as Birgitte Poulsen, a character first seen in The Killing of Copenhagen, the 100th episode. Also with Mark Benton (Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators) as Eddie Rowbotham, Peter Egan (Unforgotten) as Grady Palmerston, Ray Fearon (Carlton Scott), Ellie Haddington (Ginny Welton), Thusita Jayasundera (Anika Sidana), John Light (Father Brown) as Luke Fawcett, Niamh McGrady (Penny Kingdom), Chance Perdomo (Leo Scott), etc.

Annette Badland plays Dr. Fleur Perkins, the new pathologist. Based upon the books by Caroline Graham. Produced by Guy Hescott. Executive producers Jonathan Fisher and Michele Buck. Co-produced by Ian Strachan. Produced by Bentley Productions (an  All3Media company). Music composed by Jim Parker. International sales by All3Media international

Series 20, Episode 1:

https://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/06/midsomer-murders-series-20-episode-1.html

Series 20, Episodes 3 to 6:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2018/08/midsomer-murders-series-20-episodes-3.html

See also:

http://midsomermurders.org/midsomer.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/22/small-copper-butterfly-decline-survey 

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