"Midsomer Murders" A Talent for Life (2003)

Director:

Sarah Hellings

Writers:

David Hoskins (screenplay)
Caroline Graham (characters)

TV Series:

"Midsomer Murders" (1997)

Original Air Date:

3 January 2003 (Season 6, Episode 1)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Something is fishy about the clubbing deaths of two local residents.

Plot Keywords:

Fishing | Jaguar | Red Herring | Flashback | Frozen To Death

Cast

John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
Daniel Casey	...	Sgt Gavin Troy
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard	...	Cully Barnaby
Honor Blackman	...	Isobel Hewitt
Philip Franks	...	Quentin Roka
Barry Jackson	...	Dr. Bullard
Jane Downs	...	Dixie Goff
Richard Durden	...	Duncan Goff
Alison Rose	...	Angela Goff
John Warnaby	...	Keith Scholey
Amanda Root	...	Ruth Scholey
Jonathan Cullen	...	Melrose Plunkett
Suzanne Burden	...	Rebecca Plunkett
Jeff Rawle	...	Derrick Seagrove

Certification:

UK:PG (DVD rating) | Australia:M

Company:

Bentley Productions

Quotes:

DCI Tom Barnaby: I couldn't help noticing the Vegetarian Society magazine. Are you a member?
Angela Goff: Yes. Why?
DCI Tom Barnaby: Just curious. I know your husband was a keen fisherman and did a bit of shooting.
Angela Goff: We had a 'live and let live' household.
DCI Tom Barnaby: You didn't eat the trout he caught then?
Angela Goff: Fish may not be the cleverest of God's creatures, but to class them as vegetables is a little unkind.

"There's nothing to say murderers have to be members of Mensa, sir." Another Midsomer murder...

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Midsomer Murders: A Talent for Life is set in the Midsomer village of Malham Bridge where a scandal is tearing the local fly-fishing association apart, it seems someone might be using weighted lures! Margaret Seagrove (Susan Wooldridge) the wife of Midsomer Flyfishers association club secretary Derrick (Jeff Rawle) accuses Isobel Hewitt (Honor Blackman) & they have an argument in which Isobel slaps Margaret. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Sgt. Troy (Daniel Casey) investigate an assault complaint made by Maragret but things become much more serious when the bodies of Isobel & a local womanising doctor named Duncan Goff (Richard Durden) are discovered beaten to death with a fence stake, they now have a double murder on their hands. As they begin to investigate Barnaby & Troy uncover lots of resentment in the village towards both victims...

Episode 1 from season 6 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Sarah Hellings & is another great whodunit. The script by David Hoskins is one of those stories where it takes about twenty minutes before a murder happens & spends time on building up the character's including the victims, while this obviously slows things down a bit the writing & acting is so good I don't usually mind. I wouldn't call A Talent for Life a true Midsomer Murders classic as I personally like the stories which have dark sinister over-the-top motives for the crimes committed like lesbian lovers, teenage kids murdering for kicks or homicidal butler's upholding a schools tradition while A Talent for Life has a rather mundane & forgettable motive although it still works very well. There isn't quite the number of suspects I would have liked either & the motive given to some of them are flimsy to say the least, I also have to say at this point that I actually guessed who the killer was & that doesn't usually happen. A good solid & absorbing murder mystery but it perhaps lacks a little something extra, something dark & something that would make this stand out just that bit more.

As usual the English countryside takes center stage here with more beautiful locations nicely shot, the cricket pavilion from the previous Midsomer Murders story Dead Man's Eleven (1999) from season 1 was actually used as Quentin's antique shop in this. Shabbington in Oxfordshire was used for the pub & river scenes. This episode isn't particularly violent despite three murders, a few dead & bloodied bodies are seen but that's it. The production values are high as usual & it's very well made, the acting is top notch as always with Honor Blackman & Philip Franks making guest appearances.

A Talent for Life is a decent way to kick off season 6, it's not quite a classic Midsomer Murders as far as I'm concerned but it's still a highly watchable & entertaining murder mystery that is a must for all armchair detectives everywhere.