Death of a Hollow Man (29 Mar. 1998)

Barnaby donates time to the local amateur when Joyce is cast in a revival of "Amadeus," but complications arise when the leading man is murdered onstage.

Director:

Jeremy Silberston

Writers:

Caroline Graham (screenplay), Caroline Graham (novel),

Stars:

John Nettles, Daniel Casey, Jane Wymark

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
Daniel Casey	...	Sgt. Gavin Troy
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard	...	Cully Barnaby
Barry Jackson	...	Dr. Bullard
Denyse Alexander	...	Agnes Gray
Janine Duvitski	...	Deirdre Tibbs
Ian Fitzgibbon	...	David Smy
Geoffrey Hutchings	...	Colin Smy
Bernard Hepton	...	Harold Winstanley
Angela Pleasence	...	Doris Winstanley
Sarah Badel	...	Rosa Carmichael
Ed Waters	...	Nicholas Bentley
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Avery Phillips (as Nick Woodeson)
Richard Huw	...	Tim Young

Storyline

Barnaby and Troy investigate the death of Agnes Gray, a middle-aged resident of Ferne Basset whose body is found floating in the river. The autopsy reveals that she was suffering from advanced cancer, but she was beaten to death with a metal bar. The police find her home ransacked and her clothes shredded. They also learn that she lived quite frugally and gave most of her money to charities. When Agnes's cousin Esslyn Carmichael dies on stage during a performance of the local theatrical society, Barnaby must determine what hidden secret has driven someone to murder.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | stage | cancer | gay couple | adulterer | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 March 1998 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bentley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 102 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Kitty finds the floppy disc with the incriminating evidence on it it is made of pale grey plastic. By the time she delivers it to the police station it is made of black plastic.

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Quotes

[first lines]
D.C.I. Barnaby: You'll give yourself indigestion.

User Reviews

confusing

I love "Midsomer Murders," especially the character of Barnaby and his family, and this episode, "Death of a Hollow Man" has my favorite of his associates, Sgt. Troy (Daniel Casey).

However, I couldn't follow this one. I thought it was just me until I read the other reviews. The first murder is in the first scene, a person praying who is hit over the head. This apparently was Agnes. That really confused me because I thought it was a man.

Then Agnes' cousin is killed during a production of Amadeus. Barnaby sees a connection - though Agnes had terminal cancer, the murderer couldn't wait.

As far as the motive, I don't actually know what it was except that it had something to do with religious artifacts and Agnes, as it turns out, left a fortune.

Loved seeing the bits of Amadeus, and I liked the acting. I just wish I knew what it was all about. The murder of Agnes isn't mentioned again until the very end of the episode - for the rest of the film, it's forgotten.