Bad Tidings is the second episode of the seventh series of the popular ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and was originally aired on 4th January 2004.
Synopsis[]
After a quarrel with her husband at the Midsomer Mallow residents association's Spanish Evening, Fiona Thompson sets off to walk home, but never arrives. She is found the next morning in Chaney's Field. Barnaby investigates with his new Detective Sergeant, Dan Scott, in tow. Cully Barnaby meanwhile organizes a get-together with some old school friends, one of whom is the dead woman's neighbour. She finds that her friends have changed and that they now have little in common.
Plot, Part 1[]
It is Midsomer Mallow residents' association's Spanish Evening. Gary Thompson and his wife, Fiona, are arguing about finances - he claims they are on the verge of bankruptcy. Fiona is upset as she wanted to buy new clothes for the event. He pleads with her to keep her voice down as they are in a public place, then tells her that he has frozen all of their assets so she cannot withdraw any more money. She yells at him and storms out of the room. As she walks out, Donald Tew says hello while smoking a cigarette but she ignores him.
MURDER 1: Fiona stops to rub her ankle as she continues to walk home. Donald Tew hears a squeaking sound as he is still standing outside. She continues to rub her feet, then hears something. She calls out. "Hello?" She is spooked and starts to run off, constantly looking behind her. She finally looks up and she is brutally stabbed by an unknown assailant.
Cully is asking Joyce if she remembers any of her old "friends" from school - Cassie Woods and her brother Noel, Lynn Spearman, and Rachel Rose. She does not remember any of them except Lynn - "didn't she used to bully you?" Cully shrugs it off, saying she was just "oversensitive." Cully is organizing a reunion with all of her old "friends" as they had made a promise to meet up in 10 years and celebrate. Then she mentions that she hasn't seen them since leaving school. Tom mentions that "people change, Cully. They may not be the same as you remember them." She still wants to go through with it because they all still live in the Midsomer Mallow area. Tom is in a rush because he wants to meet Troy's replacement at the station and "make a good impression by being there to greet him." Cully asks what he's like and Tom shrugs; he has no idea as he has never met him.
The next day, Mary Pearce is walking her dog, Monty, through Chaney's Field. Eventually she looks down and sees a shoe; unknown to her, it is Fiona's. She picks it up.
When Tom gets to the station, he asks one of the officers if DS Scott has arrived - "Who?" DS Scott has been transferred to Midsomer from the Met. The officer says he hasn't seen him and has not received a message from him. Tom's phone rings - he is informed of a body.
As Tom rushes out to his car, he sees a tall, dark-haired man in a suit pay a taxi driver. "Are you Sergeant Scott?" he asks. "Yeah, why?" the man responds casually, reaching into the car for his bag. "I'm DCI Barnaby." Scott accidentally hits his head on the top of the taxi car door. Oops. "Yes sir," Scott then responds, more formally. "And we're in a hurry, aren't we?" Barnaby lightly reminds him. Scott has made a great first impression. While in the car, Scott explains that he had missed the fast train, and that there were troubles with train he was on, and that he had to wait 90 minutes for a connection. Barnaby asks Scott if he's ever been to Midsomer. Scott says, "No. Nice scenery, if you like that sort of thing."
When they arrive, Scott asks what this place is called. It is Chaney's Field. It is common land and has been for hundreds of years, and was even mentioned in the doomsday book. Scott is unimpressed. The WPC mentions the victim is Fiona Thompson and that her husband reported her missing. She hadn't been seen since last night. The camera pans down to a bloody Fiona, with a rose in her mouth.
"By the way, welcome to Midsomer," says Barnaby.
A distraught Mary walks into the auditorium where Donald and Shirley are setting up for an event. She mentions she found one of Fiona's shoes so she called the police. Shirley is confused at her statement. "Found one of her shoes?" Mary confirms they were the same shoes she wore to the dance last night and that they were found in Chaney's Field. She expresses horror that they should have never wished her dead. Shirley and Donald are still confused, until Mary finally says that Fiona is dead, murdered to be exact.
Gary is telling Barnaby and Scott that he thought she was spending the night in the spare room and that he didn't realize she was missing until the next morning as her car keys were still at the house. She worked as a secretary at Causton College. Gary confirms that he and his wife were out at the Spanish evening at the village hall. Scott pulls out a notepad and tersely asks him if he was a part of the association. Gary is visibly upset at the question. Barnaby gives Scott a look to put his notepad away and then gently reminds Gary that they "have to ask these sort of questions so soon." Scott catches Barnaby's look.
Barnaby asks why Fiona left early, and Gary mentions they had a row. He is hesitant to explain what the row was about when Scott asks, until Barnaby asks again. Gary mentions the row was about money. Fiona was spending too much. He didn't like that she spent a lot of money on her Spanish dress as it was very expensive. He asks where she was found. Barnaby says Chaney's Field. Gary is confused as to why she was there. Scott asks if his wife got along with the other members of the Resident's Association. Barnaby isn't terribly pleased with the tone of Scott's questions. Gary mentions that they don't get along and that they don't like each other.
After Barnaby and Scott walk outside to meet Dr. Bullard, Scott asks if he said something wrong. Barnaby responds, annoyed, that it wasn't what Scott said, but how he said it. Dr. Bullard calls them over and points to the blood stains. She was killed in front of the house, but then her body was dragged from there to the road. They are looking for a knife with a long, thin blade. Dr. Bullard asks why she was "dressed up like a Christmas tree." When Barnaby responds that she was at a "Spanish evening," he understands why there was a red rose in her mouth. "Nice touch." Barnaby is unsure what his comment means and Dr. Bullard mentions that "she'd hardly be walking home with it in her mouth, would she? Someone with an odd sense of humor, maybe."
Charles Rust is also confused when Shirley and Donald tell him that Mary found one of Fiona's shoes in Chaney's Field. He is unfeeling when Donald reminds him that Fiona is dead.
Mary explains to Barnaby that she was walking on the hill, and that her dog wanted to walk through Chaney's Field. That's where she found the shoe. It sounds like Mary didn't like Fiona too much. She wasn't a very nice person and liked to argue. "She's probably arguing with her maker right now." Mary introduces Donald and Shirley, who walk in. Shirley is the secretary and Donald is a longstanding member of the committee. Barnaby asks them if they had heard the argument between Gary and Fiona. Shirley says she couldn't hear them because of the band, and Mary mentions she was in the back room. However, Shirley points out that Gary looked angry. Donald then brings up that Charles threatens people. "He's always threatening people." It sounds like Donald and Shirley don't like Charles all that much either; Charles wanted to throw Fiona off the committee. Charles is the committee chairman and also formerly the local GP. Mary hopes that the murder won't affect their other events. The association is very busy. Donald mentions he may have been the last person to see her alive. He points to where he was standing and that Fiona stormed past but didn't acknowledge him. He didn't see anyone else, but he saw Charles checking the parking lot a few times. He mentions he heard an odd noise, a squeaking noise, "out there, in the dark."
Barnaby visits Charles Rust at his home and asks him when was the last time he saw Fiona Thompson. Charles says he didn't see her leave, but Barnaby says that he was told that he was outside when Fiona left for the night. He checked the car park a few times but wasn't outside when she left. He mentions the irony in finding Fiona in Chaney's Field; she hated the sight of the place and wanted it tidied up.
Cassie answers her phone- it is Cully calling. She is surprised to hear from her and asks how and where she is. Cassie owns her parents' farm and runs it with her brother, Noel. Cully is surprised that he is still living there. Barnaby and Scott walk in as she is on the phone, and he introduces Joyce to Scott. Scott is nothing but compliments. "You surprise me. You don't look like a policeman's wife. You don't have any worry lines." Barnaby is unimpressed with his smooth-talking and mentions that he will help check nearby bed and breakfasts. He is still annoyed that Scott was so late in arriving. Barnaby walks out to the stairs and asks for the phone book from Cully. She asks him who his "new friend is." Why, his new friend is Troy's replacement. Joyce wants Scott to stay the night because he looks exhausted. Barnaby is very not into the plan. There's a bit of hesitation to get to know Scott better.
Noel is cooking dinner at the farm. Cassie informs him that she was just talking to Cully. "Little Cully Barnaby?" He says. Cassie tells him that Cully wants to meet up with Rachel, too. "Tricky."
Matthew Spearman arrives at home and keeps ringing the doorbell as he can't get in. His wife, Lynn has bolted the door shut. Lynn asks where Matthew has been. She tells him that Fiona Thompson has been killed.
Cully is looking over advertisements on the local notice board while Scott is at the paper shop. Barnaby pulls up and honks his horn to get his attention. He lets Scott know that Gary Thompson has called them because he wants to talk to them. "What do you reckon, sir? Confession?" says Scott.
Gary Thompson tells the detectives that he remembers the "odd job man." A week ago, he turned up asking if there were jobs to be done around the house. When Fiona said no, he became angry. She claimed that he threatened her. Gary doesn't know his name or where he lives, but he had an old wooden hand cart that he pushes around. He was doing work at the Spearmans, last Gary saw. Barnaby asks him what sort of "odd jobs" he does. Gary says that he cleans windows...and also sharpens knives.
Someone is at the door of the Spearmans, ringing the doorbell very persistently. Matthew begrudgingly answers the door- it is Barnaby and Scott. They are making inquiries about the murder of Fiona Thompson. He lets them in as Lynn walks downstairs. "Please hurry up and catch whoever did it," she says. Barnaby asks Lynn for their whereabouts. Lynn says they were at home together during the Spanish evening and stayed indoors the whole time. They do not care for the residents' association and their events. Matthew was a member once, three years ago, while Lynn was visiting her mother in New Zealand. He didn't stay long. Barnaby asks if they heard anything or if they saw anything, something like a squeaking sound. He asks about Jacob Stokes and Lynn is disgusted. "That freak!" They hired him to clean their windows but Matthew didn't pay him for the job.
Cassie is feeding the animals on her farm as Cully drives up. Noel and they hug and catch up. Cully asks about Lynn- she's married to someone older than her. "He's got no sense of humor." Cully then asks about Rachel, but Lynn shows up. She is immediately bored upon arrival and suggests they all go into the village.
Cully is still pressing Cassie about Rachel - she lives in a cottage on the edge of the village and keeps to herself. Everyone is weirdly mysterious about her; no one sees much of her these days. Cassie and Lynn mention that Rachel went to stay in London about three years ago to have a child and didn't really mention it to anyone. No one knows who the father is. Cassie and Lynn are hesitant to talk about it. Cully reminds them of the "vow" they made - she made a reservation at Lacey's and wants everyone to get back together for a dinner.
Scott is inquiring around about "the odd job man" and lets Barnaby know that he's gotten some information about him. His name is Jacob Stokes and works a couple of the Midsomer villages. He's got a record but it is minor. He uses a workshop to sharpen his knives at Barrow End.
Cully walks up with her friends Cassie and Lynn. Cassie remembers Tom; he was at one of their school plays. Cully asks Scott if he's found anything, and he says he has. She offers to help him and take his things over. Cassie and Lynn think Scott is attractive. "Are you sure you'll have time for a celebration?" Cully reminds Lynn that he's "just a poor working copper." Shame.
Barnaby and Scott arrive at Stokes' workshop. It looks to not have been used in some time.
Plot, Part 2[]
The members of the residents' association are having a meeting. Charles mentions that at the last meeting, they voted her off the committee. While her death is sad, they can all quickly move on. Mary is upset that Charles is so unfeeling and speaks with contempt when speaking about Fiona. Charles wants to push through and continue planning Garden Day. Mary then asks Charles if he still wants it to happen as normal because he wants to win the top award for the third year in a row. This annoys him and he quickly ends the meeting.
Cully drives Scott back to the paper shop. He holds up keys and asks her to drive around to the back. The room is small and messy and hasn't been cleaned in some time. It will do for now; he mentions he doesn't intend to stay around for too long. "Someone thought that a change of location would be good for me." He also wants to be promoted, and doesn't think it will happen in a small area like Midsomer. She's upset as she doesn't want him to waste her father's time. Barnaby was looking for a long-time partner, similar to Troy, and if he's going to quickly leave, there's no point in having him around.
Charles is conducting Garden Day business on the phone. He ends his call and hears a squeaking noise outside. He goes outside to see what is making the sound and doesn't see anything.
Cully is at Shirley's shop, buying a doll for Rachel's daughter. She shows up at Rachel's address and knocks on the door; no one answers. No one seems to be at home, but the curtains on the second floor move as if someone was at home.
Barnaby and Scott visit Charles Rust at his home again. Barnaby doesn't have much luck gathering information from him, but Scott overly compliments him on his lush garden and his house, which used to be a school that Donald Tew taught at. "Nearest I got to a garden was a window box, and then someone nicked that." Charles is much more receptive to their inquiries after Scott's sweet-talking. Scott points to the bell outside of the school-house; he mentions it was only rung on Awards Day. Inside, Charles is able to identify the rose that was in Fiona's mouth and invites them to the Open Garden Day event. Charles is enamored with the house and is proud that he lives there. Barnaby is impressed with Scott's interrogation tactics. "You know, you could charm a toad out of a tree."
Mary notices that Barnaby and Scott are inquiring after Charles again, and lets Shirley know at her doll shop. They've only been talked to once. Something must be up if they're talking to him again. "He deserves to be punished, Shirley. He really does."
Cully stops by the farm but is greeted by Noel; Cassie isn't there. She mentions she went to Rachel's house but didn't get a response, even though she knew she was at home. He reassures her that she's fine, she's just...reclusive. Cully doesn't understand why she doesn't want to see anyone.
Mary and Donald are playing cribbage and discussing Charles being underhanded about owning the school and how no one likes him - they hear a squeaking sound outside. Mary is scared and doesn't want Donald to go outside to investigate.
It is Open Garden Day. Matthew looks outside the window of his home and is annoyed at the amount of people wandering around; there's more people this year, too. "Must be the murder." Lynn is getting ready to go out.
Tom and Joyce are driving to the event. Tom does not understand what the point is. "It's a chance to learn something," Joyce suggests. There is a small sports car that pulls up behind them and is extremely impatient. Eventually it swerves around them to cut them off, nearly running into Tom and Joyce and instead off the road. As they continue to drive down the road, they recognize the car (and Tom recognizes Lynn) stopped at Rachel's house. Instead of confronting her and ruining their day, they drive on.
Charles is gathering information on the winners so far. He is determined to win the top prize.
Cassie and Noel find Cully while at the event - she's "arranged something" for them.
Gary is at the Open Garden Day and is irritated that it is still going on, even though his wife has just been murdered. Scott meets Barnaby and is unimpressed with the entire event. "Where I come from, 'open garden day' is when someone breaks into your shed." They go into the pub for a drink.
The judges walk up to Charles Rust's garden. He is confident that he will win.
Barnaby and Scott walk out of the pub and meet up with Joyce. She mentions that she's just bumped into Cully and some of her friends. Scott offers to buy her a drink.
Cassie is hush-hush about the "arrangement" when Cully asks, and tells her to follow them in her car.
Plot, Part 3[]
MURDER 2: The event is still in full swing. Lots of folks milling about. Someone enters Charles' home as he is busily working at his desk. He is stabbed from behind by the intruder. The murderer erases all of the writing on the chalkboard. From outside, the bell rings noisily. Mary thinks it is Charles bragging about his win. She walks into his house to confront him; when she walks out of it, she is extremely distraught.
Policemen surround the house as Barnaby and Scott investigate. The scene is a grisly sight; blood all over the desk, Charles Rust slumped back in his chair with an apple shoved in his mouth. "An apple for the teacher." Scott shows Barnaby that the chalkboard that the assailant erased now has "Awards Day" scrawled on it.
Barnaby demands that Donald end the event and that everyone clears out immediately. Joyce runs up and is worried about Cully; she hasn't seen her since the murder. Scott offers to find her; Barnaby suggests starting at Rachel's house.
Mary is sitting in Shirley's shop, extremely upset. She thought he was ringing the bell to show off. Barnaby asks if she saw or heard anyone else in there; she didn't. It was strange to hear the sound of the bell; it hasn't been rung in years.
Scott pulls up to Rachel's house and knocks on the door; no answer. He gets back in his car and drives off to continue searching for Cully.
Back at Charles' house, Dr. Bullard inspects the scene. He notes the apple and is bewildered by the "joke."
Cassie, Noel, and Cully arrive at the designated place. "We used to play here as kids." Later, Rachel shows up with Lynn as Noel unpacks a picnic lunch. She is extremely distant and isn't willing to open up about her daughter, ignoring Cully's questions. Cully is confused about everyone's frosty behavior.
Donald recalls the events leading up to Charles' murder at his house. Barnaby points out the costume that he wore to the Spanish Evening and notices the sword; Donald didn't take the sword to the event. Barnaby mentions that Charles Rust used to be the local GP in Midsomer Mallow, but he had retired a few years ago. Donald mentions that Fiona used to work for him, up until he retired. She was in charge of all of his patients' medical records.
Meanwhile, Scott drives up and down the area trying to find Cully. He notices a bunch of cars parked away from the road.
Cully and her friends are drinking and discussing what happened to other classmates at school. Rachel makes a derisive statement towards Lynn, who isn't pleased at her comments. Cully mentions to Rachel about their "vow" to get back together and celebrate, and she is completely unenthusiastic about the idea. "We're celebrating now, aren't we?" Rachel is bored with the conversation and decides to jump into the lake. "Who's for a swim?" Noel and Cassie join in the fun, but Lynn hates the idea and refuses. She is dragged into the lake by Rachel. They get a little too physical in the water, which worries Cully. Cully jumps in to help and is pushed into the water by Rachel. Scott runs up and sees them playing until Cully is submerged into the water a little too long. He runs into the water right when Cully comes back up and pulls her to safety and away from everyone.
Matthew arrives back home and is calling for Lynn. She appears at the stairs, drying her hair. He is worried about her. He has to go to London and there's been another murder. He wants her to stay with friends so she is safe. She pleads for him to stay home, but he can't.
Barnaby asks Scott how Cully was doing; he is wary when Scott tells him that she was at the river, but that she was home now. They pull up to the local pub and ask the owner about Jacob Stokes. He was barred from the pub a few days ago for drinking too much and getting aggressive with the other customers. The pub owner mentions that Stokes will sleep in his cart sometimes.
Barnaby arrives home and meets Cully, who reassures him that she is fine. She mentions she finally met Rachel and that she went away three years ago to give birth to a child. The cogs are turning in Barnaby's head at this statement. She is extremely upset that that all of her friends had changed. "Except Noel. He'll never change." He used to make everyone laugh; he was a practical joker.
Plot, Part 4[]
MURDER 3: Later that night, Stokes's cart is ablaze.
There is irritated knocking at Scott's door. He is frantically trying to get changed into his suit. Barnaby is annoyed that Scott woke up so late and that his flat is a mess. They finally have it out - Barnaby asks him if he intends to stay in his division...in Midsomer. Scott doesn't understand, but Barnaby mentions that he may have been done an injustice by being sent away from London to the middle of nowhere and is probably a little angry about it. "Alright, I'll be honest with you, sir. Maybe I don't like the countryside. Maybe I can't tell one herd of chickens from another. I am prepared to put up with it for the time being, because I'm willing to learn. And the flat's a tip, so what? I'm the one who has to live with it. You see, with all due respect, sir, I've been involved with two murders since the moment I arrived. I haven't had time to suss out the launderette or where the local post office is. And I'm tired. And it's Sunday." Barnaby doesn't take Sundays off. Scott offers to buy him breakfast as they prepare to head out, but Barnaby's phone rings. Another body.
They head over to Jacob Stokes' cart. Everything is too badly burned. The officers can't identify the body at the moment. Scott is nauseated by the scene (and probably the smell). Barnaby places a charred doll in a clear bag. They are going to look at Charles Rust's medical records. Yes, on a Sunday. "You can use your charm," Barnaby quips.
Some time later, Barnaby drives up to Rachel's house. The house looks lived in and deserted, all at the same time. He walks to the backyard where Rachel is hanging up the washing. A toddler with very light brown hair is coloring on a blanket; Rachel's hair is dark brown. He greets her and she is startled. He mentions to her child that she needs a new doll. He then mentions that he doesn't remember her from Cully's friend group. "No, you wouldn't. I was always the quiet one." She immediately grabs her child's arm and brings her inside. From the inside of the house, Rachel watches him as he returns to his car and leaves. Too many people are getting curious about the situation.
Barnaby and Scott arrive at Shirley's doll shop with the burned doll. He asks her to take a look at the doll; she remembers selling it a few days ago. All of the dolls are similar to each other, but not identical. Scott asks if she was secretary when Matthew Spearman being a member of the residents' association. She confirms that she was, and that he didn't stay very long as he didn't like any of them very much. He was part of the association while his wife was in New Zealand...about three years ago.
Barnaby shows Cully the burned doll at the station. She recognizes it as the one she bought for Rachel. He asks Cully if she gave it to her, but she's not sure as no one answered the door. Barnaby asks if she saw the child, Lily. When she says no, he mentions that the child doesn't look anything like Rachel. She mentions she gave it to Noel to give to Rachel, but doesn't know if she actually received it. She is confused at this line of questioning - it seems like Noel is high on Barnaby's list of suspects and she can't believe it.
Barnaby and Scott drive to Cassie's farm to ask Noel some questions. Noel mentions he gave the doll to Lynn. The truth comes out about the entire situation. Noel and Lynn are Lily's biological parents. They fooled around while Matthew was away about three years ago, and she became pregnant. Cassie and the group decided "to close ranks; act out a lie." Lynn disappeared from the village to "visit her mother in New Zealand"; at the same time, Rachel "went to London to give birth to her baby," so that they could cover up the pregnancy and birth. Rachel keeps Lily secluded at her house so no one sees that they don't look anything alike. She's also starting to act like the real mother, which is starting to cause problems for Cassie, Noel, and Lynn.
Charles Rust and Fiona Thompson were the only two that knew about Lynn's medical records (and as a result, her pregnancy), as they were accidentally forwarded from a clinic in London three years ago. Now they have been murdered. The pieces are starting to fall into place.
Cully visits Rachel's house at night. She knocks on the door, but once again there is no answer. She hears a squeaking noise in the distance - it is Rachel pushing Lily in a stroller. She begrudgingly allows Cully to come in. In the distance, a hooded figure watches them. There could be trouble...
The house is in disarray. There are boxes everywhere; Rachel's packing up and moving away. They had just come from the post office to mail some letters: to Cassie, Noel, and Lynn. By the time they receive them, they will be long gone. Lily and Rachel walk to the village and back at night so no one sees them.
Cully finally confronts Rachel about Lily. She's not her real daughter. But she reveals that Noel is the father, and Cully is shocked. No one is helping her raise the child, and Rachel is fed up with it. "Someone has to give Lily a proper life; she can't just be wheeled around in the dark forever!" She kicks Cully out of her house...and Lynn is waiting outside.
Lynn approaches Cully. "Remember when I used to hurt you when we were small? It was because you used to tell on me. And nobody does that, not to me. So now...I'm going to hurt you again." She pulls out the knife and tries to stab Cully. Rachel comes up from behind and clobbers her in the head, knocking her out. "After all I've done for you."
Plot Denouement[]
In the interrogation room, Lynn spills the beans about Fiona. She went out for a walk after Matthew has gone to bed on the night of the Spanish evening. She had been approached by Fiona earlier about her medical records (and thus, blackmailing her about here pregnancy). She murders her and drags her out to Chaney's Field.
Charles also knew about her medical records, too. It was easy to do, since everyone was busy and walking around for Open Garden Day. Barnaby mentions that he saw her earlier that day, as she was in the car that overtook them and ran them off the road. She was calling at Rachel's cottage; she wanted to be seen so she would have an alibi. But with her fast car, she could make it back to the village to murder Charles Rust in his home.
Lynn mentions that would have been the end of it, but Cully started asking too many questions. She followed her to Rachel's cottage to take care of her, before she would end up telling her father.
Scott asks about Jacob Stokes - she doesn't know the name. Barnaby fills in the story for her. He mentions that she heard a squeaking noise when she killed Fiona, except it wasn't him at all...it was Rachel pushing the stroller with Lily, taking their nightly walk. "I expect they walked past your great house on more than one occasion...in the dark. The friend you used, and the child you abandoned." It was easy to kill him since she's seen him sleeping in his cart in the past.
Barnaby asks why she placed the rose in Fiona's mouth, and the apple in Charles's. It was all just a game, really. "Matthew says I'm childish, but you see, he hasn't got a sense of humor.
********
Cully is pouring everyone a glass of wine at the fancy restaurant she was supposed to take her "friends." Instead, she is joined by her parents. An empty seat is at the opposite end of Tom's. "I'm not late again, am I?" Scott happily walks up and showers Joyce and Cully with compliments, as usual. Cully invited them because she didn't want to cancel or eat dinner alone. She makes a toast to absent friends.
Cast[]
- John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby
- John Hopkins as Sergeant Dan Scott
- Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby
- Laura Howard as Cully Barnaby
- Barry Jackson as Dr. George Bullard
- John Standing as Charles Rust
- John Normington as Donald Tew
- Helen Lindsay as Mary Pearce
- Michael Simkins as Gary Thompson
- Hilton McRae as Mathew Spearman
- Esther Hall as Cassie Woods
- Helen Grace as Lynn Spearman
- Ruth Jones as Rachel Rose
- Christine Moore as Shirley Bennett
- Daniel Crowder as Noel Woods
- Nina Marc as Fiona Thompson
- Paul Thornley as Sergeant Gill
- Chris Barnes as Pub Landlord
- Alex Belcourt as WPC
- (uncredited actor) as Jacob Stokes
Galleries[]
Body Count[]
Stabbed at least twice with a long kitchen knife, then taken to Chaney's Field and had a rose put in her mouth.
Stabbed several times with a long kitchen knife from behind while sitting at his desk, and had an apple put in his mouth. Then had his blackboard cleaned and on it written "AWARDS DAY" and the bell from his house rang to draw attention.
Stabbed with a long kitchen knife while sleeping it off in his cart from being drunk, had a doll put next to him and then burnt.
Supporting Cast[]
Episode Images[]
Arrests[]
Lynn Spearman for the murders of:
Notes[]
The following actors and actress who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes:
- Paul Thornley - The Green Man
- John Standing - The Dogleg Murders
- Esther Hall - Last Man Out
- Alex Belcourt - Sins of Commission, The Straw Woman, Things That Go Bump in the Night and Last Year's Model
Trivia[]
The Trials and Tribulations of Dan Scott:
- Scott has just started as Barnaby's sidekick and Barnaby is not very nice to him. Dan tries to win everyone over with compliments.
- Scott hasn't had time to find a place to live, but still dresses pretty swell.
- Scott saves Cully from being drowned by her friends.
Quotes[]
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Goofs[]
- Fiona Thompson is wearing different shoes once she storms out of the hall. During the fight/dance with her husband she's wearing traditional strapped ballroom-type shoes. Once she starts out down the stairs outside, her shoes are now traditional pumps.
- When Barnaby confronts his new Sgt. Scott at Scott's flat, Scott's shirt is nearly buttoned completely. During the conversation, the shirt is nearly open, as Scott begins to button his shirt again.
- In the opening panning shot of the open garden festival, a man in the foreground picks up a potted marigold and inhales as though enjoying the fragrance. Marigolds are not propagated for their perfume and in fact smell quite unpleasant.
Video[]
Midsomer Murders Series 7 Episode 2 - Bad Tidings Preview
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