Death and the Divas is the fourth episode of the fifteenth series of the popular ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and was originally aired on 2nd January 2013.
Synopsis
The murder of a journalist has chilling echoes of a 1960s horror film starring Midsomer's own Stella Harris. When Stella's more famous sister returns after a 40-year family rift, the killings escalate, each reminiscent of a movie plot. Is life – and death – imitating art?
Plot
In Midsomer Langley, DCI Barnaby and DS Jones investigate the murder of writer Eve Lomax, who is found in a pool of blood in her home. She was found by her landlord Patrick Tilman and was writing a book about local 1960s film star Stella Harris and her more famous sister Diana Davenport, also an actress. In fact, at the time Lomax was found the Midsomer Langley Film Society was holding a festival in Stella's honor when Diana unexpectedly arrived. Dr. Wilding determines that Lomax bled to death as a result of two vampire-like puncture wounds her neck, much like some of the characters in one of Stella Harris' old films. Stella's daughter Emma knew Lomax from school days but there is soon a second and then a third death, both patterned after one of Stella's movies. A attempt on a fourth person leads to solving the murders.
Cast
- Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby
- Jason Hughes as DS Ben Jones
- Fiona Dolman as Sarah Barnaby
- Tamzin Malleson as Kate Wilding
- Sinéad Cusack as Stella Harris
- Harriet Walter as Diana Davenport
- Henry Goodman as Cy Davenport
- Pearce Quigley as Colin Yule
- Alice Sykes as Rosie Harris
- Joseph Beattie as Scott Davenport
- David Bark-Jones as Patrick Tilman
- Pandora Clifford as Juliet Tilman
- Anna Wilson-Jones as Emma Harris
- Samuel Anderson as Perry Stevens
- Georgina Beedle as Young Stella
- John Carson as Older Gentleman
- Thomasin Rand as Young Diana
- Caroline Munro as Evil Priestess
- Alexander Owen as Roderick Usher
- Rhiannon Harper-Rafferty as Nurse
- Sasha Waddell as Eve Lomax
- Laura Girling as Perry's Customer
- Bernard Bullen as Nurse
- Chris Cowlin as CID Officer (uncredited)
- Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro as Passerby (uncredited)
- Anthony Farrelly as C.I.D. Officer (uncredited)
- David Golt as Restaurant Punter (uncredited)
- Marcus Harris as Film Fan (uncredited)
- Richard Herdman as Farm Worker (uncredited)
- Craig Izzard as Front of House Waiter (uncredited)
- Ian Mann as Excited Fan (uncredited)
- Martyn Mayger as Waiter at Private Party (uncredited)
- June Smith as Horror Film Enthusiast (uncredited)
- Nick Thomas-Webster as CID Officer (uncredited)
- Chris Wilson as Police Officer (uncredited)
Galleries
Body Count
Stabbed in the neck with a carving fork to appear as the bite of a vampire.
Stabbed in the back with a carving knife and then fell over a stair railing unto the floor below.
Suffocated from being wrapped up as an Egyptian mummy.
Supporting Cast
Episode Images
Videos
Midsomer Murders Series 15 Episode 4 - Death and the Divas Preview
Midsomer Murders Series 15 Episode 4 - Death and the Divas Preview 2
Midsomer Murders Series 15 Episode 4 - Death and the Divas: Behind The Scenes
Notes
The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes
- Harriet Walter - Orchis Fatalis
- Anna Wilson-Jones - Bantling Boy
- Ian Mann - The Axeman Cometh and The Night of the Stag
- David Golt - A Rare Bird, The Dark Rider, Murder of Innocence, The Sicilian Defence, The Flying Club, The Dagger Club and Murder by Magic
- Martyn Mayger - The Dark Rider, Murder of Innocence, The Flying Club, The Incident at Cooper Hill and Harvest of Souls
- Richard Herdman - Murder of Innocence, Written in the Stars, The Sicilian Defence and Schooled in Murder
- Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro - Let Us Prey and The Dagger Club
- Craig Izzard - Wild Harvest