A Worm in the Bud (23 Jun. 2002)

Some of the residents of Midsomer Worthy are trying to prevent James Harrington from turning Setwale Woods into a housing estate. Led by a solicitor, Bernadette Sullivan, and a local farmer... See full summary »

Director:

David Tucker

Writers:

Michael Russell (screenplay), Caroline Graham (characters)

Stars:

John Nettles, Daniel Casey, Jane Wymark

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
Daniel Casey	...	Sergeant Gavin Troy
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Gillian Barge	...	Hannah Harrington
Rosie Cavaliero	...	Denise Fielding
Wendy Craig	...	Victoria Bartlett
Janie Dee	...	Caroline Harrington
Ian Driver	...	Edmund Nelson
Charlie Hicks	...	Sean Fielding
Ian Hogg	...	Jonah Bloxham
Clarista Hoult	...	Julie Fielding
Barry Jackson	...	Dr. Bullard
Emily Joyce	...	Bernadette Sullivan
Adam Kotz	...	James Harrington
Paul Venables	...	Simon Bartlett

Storyline

Some of the residents of Midsomer Worthy are trying to prevent James Harrington from turning Setwale Woods into a housing estate. Led by a solicitor, Bernadette Sullivan, and a local farmer, Simon Bartlett, who also happen to be having an affair, they haven't had much success in court. When Bartlett's wife Susan is found dead in the woods, Barnaby and Troy must first determine is if her murder is related to the planned development or something as yet unknown. The information provided by two inquisitive children, who see the investigation as a fascinating game, proves invaluable in solving the crime.

---

Plot Keywords:

midsomer | real estate development | bludgeoning | detective | infertility | 

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 2002 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bentley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 99 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the flowers are discovered on the lawn in the shape of a body, a label is clearly seen above one of the shoulders, but when the police arrive the label has gone.

---

Quotes

[leaving courthouse]
Sergeant Gavin Troy: Where do they get these judges from? The man burgled his way through every village in the county.
DCI Tom Barnaby: Look, we catch the criminals; we offer up the evidence. Not everyone likes what happens in court. Maybe the judge was right; give the boy one more chance. Oh, look. A squadron of pigs over Causton.

User Reviews

Another great murder mystery.

Midsomer Murders: A Worm in the Bud is set in the small village of Midsomer Worthy where several local farmers & residents are at war over the proposed selling of Setwale Woods near Abbey farm owned by James Harrington (Adam Kotz) who wants to sell the land to a property developer to fell & build houses on. Things take a very serious turn when the body of local farmers wife Susan Bartlett is found in the woods & a police investigation headed up by DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Sgt. Troy (Daniel Casey) is started, was it murder or suicide? They learn of various affairs, money problems, jealously, dark family secrets, lies, sinister obsession's, ancient poisons & Jack Russell dogs all of which may or may not have a bearing on the case. Then James Harrington himself turns up murdered & the case gets even more complicated...

Episode 2 from season 5 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by David Tucker & is another very strong murder mystery during a golden period for this often great series. The opening twenty or thirty minutes of A Worm in the Bud are excellent with a very well crafted & written mystery that is developed up to a point that the episode then begins to drag a little & I have to say the middle third of A Worm in the Bud feels rather empty by comparison to it's excellent start & subsequent excellent finish. There's a body found quickly, there's all the ground work for the mystery & potential motives & suspects as well as sowing in plenty of red herrings & clues & I just felt this episode shot it's load a bit too soon & leaves itself with nowhere to go although that's a small quibble & maybe I'm just being a bit picky. The motives of the killer are a little flimsy but I did really like the ending to this one which is something a bit different to the usual explanations given by Barnaby although there's never any reason given as to why they only made Susan unconscious & went back later (several hours later in fact) & killed her which I did wonder about. So while there's a lull during the middle as two little kids play detective for a while this is a good solid episode that I enjoyed, the actual murders are a bit dull & neither are shown on screen (the bodies are merely found) but this is a still as well put together & intriguing as a lot of the early episodes from the early seasons.

I must admit I was very disappointed by the murders in this one, neither are shown on screen & are two of the dullest in the entire series although death by drowning in farm animal sh*t is quite an amusing concept. The photography is still very nice though as are the usual locations in & around Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire. The acting is good from a decent cast with British actress Wendy Craig probably the most recognisable face amongst them.

A Worm in the Bud is another highly recommended Midsomer Murders episode with an intriguing, absorbing, well thought out & satisfying plot that I am sure detective show fans everywhere will enjoy.