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Joyce Barnaby is the wife of Tom Barnaby and the mother of Cully Barnaby. She is a central character to the series, appearing in over 80 episodes. She is portrayed by Jane Wymark.

Personality and appearance[]

Joyce Barnaby is a friendly, well liked and passionate woman with a wide variety of hobbies, interests and friends. She is married to Tom Barnaby and has been happily so for many years. They have a daughter named Cully Barnaby who they remain very close with. Joyce is a sociable and amiable woman who is known to have an interest in many things, depending on the focus of the episode—including painting, singing, tango dancing, arts appreciation, drama, cycling, running, charity work and crafts.

She is known to her family as an experimental, but not always successful, cook. Thus, Tom is often seen taking advantage of every opportunity to dine out.

Joyce is a very kind person. She invites Tom's aunt to come stay with them after she has a difficult time at a nursing home.

Househunting Skills[]

Joyce Barnaby is always interested in looking for a new house, outside of Causton. She takes Tom to view a listing in Fletcher's Cross (Dead Man's Eleven). Tom says, "The first house we visit and the owners are barking mad. Every time I go into any Midsomer village, it's always the same thing. Blackmail, sеxual deviancy, suicide and murder. How could you possibly expect me to go and live in one of them?" Joyce finds a house in Badger's Drift. It's got two bedrooms, two living rooms and a conservatory. Tom says, "Sounds like something out of Cluedo." Cully says, "Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the conservatory."

In Blue Herrings, the Barnaby's are moving into a new house. Although Tom has taken a week off to help with the move, he immediately gets involved in a situation at his aunt's retirement home.

In Dead in the Water, Joyce and Cully are looking at boats to buy. A rat talked them out of it.

Weight Management Skills[]

Joyce Barnaby and Cully put Tom on a diet in Blood Will Out.

Criminology Skills[]

Joyce Barnaby is frequently on hand to view a murder, find a body or discover a clue. In the second episode, Written in Blood, Joyce tells Tom about the book Far Away Hills with descriptions that Tom later finds helpful in deducing one murderer. Joyce is onstage when Esslyn Carmichael is killed in Death of a Hollow Man. Joyce wins a contest to be a judge in the Perfect Village competition (Judgement Day). She is present when another judge is murdered and gives Tom a clue about the murderer. In Ring Out Your Dead, Joyce gets to know Maisie Gooch and sees incriminating evidence on her home computer. Which she tells Tom about. In Painted in Blood Joyce finds the victim. In Down Among the Dead Men, Joyce and Cully find the pieces of shot that provide evidence against the murderer. In Fit for Murder, Joyce finds a murder victim in the floatation chamber.

Attending Local Events[]

Joyce likes to take Tom along to local events. They usually go to events where Tom later finds a crime. Joyce usually mans a booth.

  • Death of a Hollow Man: Joyce has a part. She sees the victim die. Tom is there to investigate.
  • Painted in Blood: Joyce is in the watercolor painting group. She finds the victim.
  • A Tale of Two Hamlets: Joyce is in the group of villagers dressed in costume for the movie event. She sees the first victim blown up.
  • The Green Man: Joyce and Cully are involved in the canal refurbishment when the canal collapses.
  • The Fisher King: Joyce and Tom attend the Solstice Festival on the Barrow and witness David Heartley-Reade get shot with an arrow.
  • Sins of Commission: Joyce attends the Literary Festival.
  • Things That Go Bump in the Night: Joyce attends the Spiritualist Church with a friend, who later is killed.
  • Orchis Fatalis: Joyce attends the Flower Show
  • Midsomer Rhapsody: Joyce is at the wedding while Tom is out catching the killer.
  • Four Funerals and a Wedding: Joyce, Cully and Muriel attend the Skimmington Faire.
  • Death in Chorus: Joyce is in the choir competition.
  • King's Crystal: Joyce and Tom attend Hamlet, which Cully is performing in. Tom leaves to catch a killer.
  • They Seek Him Here: Joyce helps with the extras for the movie.
  • Blood Wedding: Joyce plans Cully's wedding. Tom helps when the caterer bails.
  • The Magician's Nephew: Joyce and Cully plan a Halloween Party for the community. Tom gets to wear vampire teeth.
  • Days of Misrule: Joyce is involved in a singing group- Christmas Carols.
  • The Dogleg Murders: Joyce tries to get Tom to play racquetball.
  • The Black Book: As treasurer of a local art group, Joyce has to put the stop to overbidding at an auction.
  • The Noble Art: Joyce is helping with the Tom Sayers Reenactment World Title Fight. She gets to dress in costume as Queen Victoria and unveil the statue.
  • Not in My Back Yard: Joyce and Tom go on a Midsomer Open House and Gardens Tour
  • Fit For Murder: Joyce makes Tom go to a Spa. Naturally someone gets killed.

Relationships[]

Tom Barnaby[]

Data

Joyce Barnaby's husband. A Detective Chief Inspector at Causton CID—he is portrayed as being a workaholic, so much so that he spent their honeymoon solving the case of the Pimlico Poisoner, which suggests that they met in London. She married Tom in 1973 and their only child, Cully, was born five years later in 1978. Despite Tom spending a great deal of time solving cases, he and Joyce appear to have a very close and happy marriage.

Cully Barnaby[]

Joyce and Tom Barnaby's daughter. She is married to Simon Dixon. She was named for a village on Lake Geneva in Switzerland where she was conceived.

Simon Dixon[]

Joyce's son-in-law. The husband of Cully Barnaby.

Muriel[]

Joyce's mother.

Douglas[]

Joyce's father.

John Barnaby[]

Joyce's cousin-in-law. Tom Barnaby's cousin, he eventually takes over Tom's role as Chief Detective Inspector after Tom's retirement.

Sarah Barnaby[]

Joyce's cousin-in-law. The wife of John Barnaby.

Gallery[]

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