Here are our 10 favourite facts of things you may not know about the hit TV series, Midsomer Murders.
Photo Credit: Loddon Brewery
- At Rumsey’s Chocolatier in Thame they have created a very special Midsomer Murder recipe - The Barnaby Bun. Inspired by of course Detective Barnaby himself, you can enjoy the bun after taking a tour around the town of Thame.
- The Loddon Brewery in Buckinghamshire starred in the ‘Night of The Stag’ episode. To commemorate this, they brewed a beer called ‘Night of the Stag’ which is available to buy in their shop or online.
- At The Argyll Pub in Henley you can pull your own Midsomer Pint! Used in the 2006 episode ‘Last Year’s Model’ you can step behind the bar and have a go at pulling a pint of their ‘Midsomer’ brew – make sure you get a photo!
- It is rumoured that the Prime Minister David Cameron, Sharon Stone, Joan Collins and Johnny Depp are all fans of the series.
- It is one of the most popular drama series on television, being shown in over 200 territories worldwide and ratings have never dropped below 6 million.
- Orlando Bloom, Suzi Quatro and Jenny Agutter are among the many famous faces to appear as characters in Midsomer Murders.
- Sir Steve Redgrave, Olympic rowing gold medallist appeared as himself in the episode ‘Dead in the Water’ filmed at Henley Regatta in July 2004.
- A cricket bat, a fire iron, a saucepan, a faulty microphone, a doped horse, a pitchfork, liquid nicotine, toxic fungus, a drinks cabinet, a plough, a hammer, hemlock, vintage claret, bottles of relish, a poisonous frog, a hatpin, and alien abduction are just a few of the murder weapons or implements that have been used in the series.
- The original title for the series was 'Barnaby'.
- The Killings at Badger’s Drift, Midsomer’s pilot episode attracted an audience of 13.5 million – making it the highest-rating single drama of 1997.