Bantling Boy

'Midsomer Murders' has always been a favourite of mine, despite being nowhere near as good now, and is still one of my most watched and re-watched shows.

Season 8 got off to a slightly bumpy but still pretty good start with "Things that Go Bump in the Night". Unfortunately, "Dead in the Water" was disappointing and an example of an episode that never did much for me anyway in the first place. "Orchis Fatalis" got the season back on track, and was an episode that was better than first remembered. For me, "Bantling Boy" is one of the best Season 8 episodes and while not quite a 'Midsomer Murders' classic it does have all the qualities that make the show so great.

The production values are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's darkness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. Love the house, like a character of its own. The music fits perfectly, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.

Meanwhile, the script is smart and thought-provoking with some nice quirky humour, lines from Barnaby that can be seen as sly digs but actually have a lot of perceptive truth to them (especially the much-touted one about killing for entertainment), a suitable dark grimness and good characters. The story is very compelling with some great twists and turns and one of the show's darkest, most elaborate and most unexpected endings. It is also never simplistic and rarely convoluted, though admittedly it took me more than one viewing to completely get the final solution.

Acting is very good, John Nettles is a joy as is John Hopkins and their spirited chemistry together. Jane Wymark and Laura Howard bring charm and humour and the supporting cast such as Julia Ford, Simon Kunz and a contender for the creepiest kid on 'Midsomer Murders' are similarly strong.

While not quite a classic, "Bantling Boy" is one of Season 8's better episodes and a winner from start to finish. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Four owners of Bantling Boy, a promising race horse begin dying, Barnaby and Scott are on the case.

It's a very fine episode, I wouldn't necessarily say it's a classic, but it's very good. A fine story, strong set of characters, macabre killings and some very strong acting make for a truly enjoyable ninety minutes.

Production values which cannot be faulted, it looks great, the home of The Bantlings is very well known and frequently pops up in TV dramas, it's an amazing house. Glorious countryside, some lovely costumes, it's a visual treat.

One of the best stories for Sergeant Scott, he's wonderfully superior here. The best of the guest stars I'd have to say is Caroline Blakiston, no stranger to crime drama, she's wonderful.

It's funny how time passes by, especially from a technology point of view, the graphics and computer design now looks archaic, it's amusing, however I remember at the time thinking the game looked great. Time does run by quickly.

Very good, dramatic ending. A fine episode. 8/10

Barnaby and Scott enter the world of horse racing when the trainer of thoroughbred Bantling Boy is battered to death and get the usual odd cast of suspects that are holding a secret. There's the usual macrabre killings, plot twists and a fine denouement, however I wouldn't say it's the best episode, but it's just good.

This episode is about a group of people interested in horse racing and a horse.

They all own the same horse. Some want to sell the race horse and some don't. The horse starts acting funny so he is removed to a farm that takes care animals for free. He is put there for his safety.

During the process of the story there are many characters, all angry and some hate each other. There is a young boy who is intensely interested in games on the computer. He plays with a man named Jeffrey as his opponent in a medieval game.

A doctor gets murder and several others all in the same way. They are all killed the same way and their mouth is tied with a rag to make a statement to those who find the victims.

This show like many of Midsummer Murder is very violent. Barnaby questions the boy as to why he plays such a violent game and the kid responds that it is only a game.

In the end Sergeant Dan Scott who replaced DSi Troy in Season 7 says to Barnaby that he does not understand how a person can turn murder into a game-- Barnaby replies "When killing becomes entertainment we all seem to lose touch with reality." I think that statement says it all. Many of the so police series like, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and more are series about murder. They are for "entertainment".

Government representatives then wonders why people kill other people. They want to blame the method used like guns. I think, and this is my opinion is that everything can be turned into a murder weapon when gullible people, unhappy people see the results of a murder and how to plan one.

Fine acting, a struggling cast thanklessly trying hard. But really?? Terrified horse, psycho kid, gothic sets, meandering plot, humorless lines, gambling addictions? Endless darkness? Zero respect of procedure to stop preventable death after preventable death of innocents? More and more flippancy as the death count grows? No counseling of those still alive? One sick episode. And computer games making players more prone to violence? More than 1000 British teens were surveyed on how often they play games, how violent those games are, and asked parents to report on how aggressively their children acted over the past month. They found ZERO evidence of a correlation. Why put a shadow over gameplayers with fake news? As Barnaby said: ""When killing becomes entertainment we all seem to lose touch with reality." I wonder if that was impromptu. Was this episode the straw that broke the camel's back? John Hopkins left the show an episode or two later, and John Nettles not too long after.