Michael Bannerman is a character appearing in the episode The Maid in Splendour of the ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders.
Bannerman ran a bar named "The Maid in Splendour", a community staple in Midsomer Worthy. His wife, Susan Bannerman died before the events of the namesake episode, leaving him with his son Stephen Bannerman. Bannerman had a long affair with Audrey Monday, a family friend who was also married and had a daughter, Bella Monday. Bannerman had lied he'd leave Susan for Audrey, but he never kept the promise, which broke Audrey's heart and stopped the affairs. She and Bella, however, remained close and even worked at the bar, which Stephen grew to possess ownership of with his wife Lorna Bannerman, as Michael's heart was in decline.
Bannerman developed an unhealthy attraction to Bella, who reminded him of a young Audrey and seemed to attract him more than Audrey herself, by his own account. To his horror, Bella was more in love with Stephen, having an affair with him and ready to break up his marriage to leave the village with him. Stephen was willing to the point of arranging their trysts in the same cottage in the wood where Michael and Audrey would meet for their affair, where their initials were carved in the rafters. Stephen was planning to sell the bar to developer Lawrence Haggard, using the money to flee with Bella to America.
Bannerman eventually lost it, and when Audrey herself found out about the affair and had her disapproval and jealousy, she played on Bannerman's anger to stoke his rage for her purposes. She gave Bannerman the old shotgun without a renewed permit that belonged to her late husband. She then told Bannerman about the affair, over which he flew into a rage and briefly trashed his office. Bannerman went to the cottage one night in hopes of shooting Stephen to stop the affair then and there, armed with the shotgun. However, he saw Bella present and relented, hesitant when she knew he was watching them. He stealthily crept away and returned home.
The next evening, Bannerman made his rounds at the bar, helping Bella keep away from barkeep Jamie Cruickshank with how much he was crushing on her, as well as keeping his father Clive Cruickshank from being too harsh on his son. Bannerman had Bella hide some scotch in a cupboard for him to drink despite his heart, which only left him falling for her more. Knowing a tryst was happening, Audrey provoked Michael by informing him Bella and Stephen were meeting at the cottage again. However, Stephen's business deal got in the way that night, leaving Jamie to creep there and wonder who Bella was seeing.
Jamie, after tripping and getting up, was at the door in an uncanny cap and jacket he got newly gifted to him from his parents, significantly similar to Stephen's outfit. However, the lighting on the porch was utterly horrible, and Michael had drunk a great deal by the time he arrived. Assuming Jamie was Stephen, he flew into a rage and chased Jamie out, firing two small pellet gunshots into his back. Taking out his flashlight and shining it on Jamie's face, he was horrified by what he did, as he loved Jamie as an employee and friend even down to finding his crush on Bella harmless and Michael acting like a second father. Bannerman was too frazzled to collect his shell casings and returned home, the casings being snatched by Benbow, one of his best patrons and friends, because he hoped to insert himself in the situation as a wily wallflower.
But as Stephen wasn't dead, Audrey, and Michael to that extent, weren't done yet. Bannerman took on the role of leader yet again to diffuse a standoff where Clive held his (reportedly unloaded) shotgun on Stephen to confront him over selling the bar. But Audrey caught onto Stephen's meeting that night with Haggard, as well as his plans with Bella to leave or America with the money earned, and informed Michael of it. Michael was again provoked to stalk Stephen on his shortcut, but not over selling the bar, as Audrey had made as a thin veil to provoke him. Michael appeared and demanded Stephen stay away from "her". After Stephen realized he wasn't talking about the bar, he laughed at Michael in pity, angering Michael enough to shoot him in his heart with the shotgun.
Lorna took over the plans to completely convert the bar into a modern restaurant, but all that was on Michael's mind was Bella. Audrey told Michael she was leaving with Bella unless he and Audrey married, but he refused. In a panic, Michael went straight to Bell and made her come with him into the woods at the same spot where Audrey confronted him. Lying he needed some relief, he had Bella take his shoe off, then told him his love for her and that she better fit his affections than Audrey ever would. Bella politely rebuffed him, but then he placed the gun barrel to his stomach, the toe of his sock on the trigger, and said if she doesn't love him, he can't go on. Bella insisted it should matter plenty she cared for him as a friend, but Michael had a heart attack. Hallucinating Bella as Audrey shortly before he lost consciousness, Michael was brought away into an ambulance and later died in the hospital. Audrey tearfully confessed in interrogation, and Bella ended up in Haggard's courtship instead.
Victims[]
- Jamie Cruickshank - Approached at the old cottage in Hunter's Wood and shot twice in the back with a 12 gauge shotgun while wearing a cap similar to Stephen's.
- Stephen Bannerman - Shot in the chest with 12 a gauge shotgun.
- Bella Monday - Kidnapped into the woods and attempted to seduce. He nearly shot himself with a shotgun when she refused him, but he succumbed to a heart attack instead, and she was returned home.