The Axeman Cometh 

Badger's Drift plays host to the Midsomer Rock Festival - with murderous consequences.

Director:

Renny Rye

Writers:

Michael Aitkens (screenplay), Caroline Graham (characters)

Stars:

John Nettles, Jason Hughes, Jane Wymark

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
Jason Hughes	...	DS Ben Jones
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard	...	Cully Barnaby
Barry Jackson	...	Dr Bullard
Annie Lambert	...	Ingrid Peterson
Phil Davis	...	Gary Cooper
David Horovitch	...	James Hobson
James Cosmo	...	Jack 'Axeman' McKinley
Fiona Button	...	Willow McKinley
Michael Angelis	...	Nicky Harding
Rachel Davies	...	Jeannie Harding
Suzi Quatro	...	Mimi Clifton
Robin Weaver	...	Serena Stanton
Rupert Vansittart	...	Desmond Harcourt

Storyline

When old rockers Hired Gun reform to play a gig at the Midsomer Rocks Festival, paranoid lead singer Gary Cooper is convinced someone is trying to warn them off. First rock diva Mimi Clifton is electrocuted on stage, then drummer Nicky Harding is found dead in the swimming pool. Barnaby has to face the possibility that one of his rock 'n' roll heroes is a murderer.

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Plot Keywords:

rock concert | revenge | roadie | reunion | red herring | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 2007 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bentley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min (DVD)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Acting debut of Fiona Button.

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Goofs

Both the "Axeman" and DCI Barnaby refer to the electric charge being activated by the "Axeman's" Wah-Wah pedal. When they show the pedal it is a standard effects pedal, not a Wah-Wah which has a distinctively different shape. It is possible the pedal is an "Auto-Wah" but no old time blues player would ever use one, preferring the standard "Wah.

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Quotes

[first lines]
James Hobson: Should have used the Red Tag.
Gary Cooper: No, no, trust me, the Killer Bug is right for the flow.

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Soundtracks

Dimples
Written by John Lee Hooker and James Bracken
Performed by James Cosmo and John Nettles

User Reviews

Murderous consequences at the Midsomer Rock Festival

As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.

Season 10 started off decently with "Dance with the Dead", though that was marred by uneven pacing and padding. "The Animal Within" was an improvement, being very good and highly entertaining. "King's Crystal" was mostly solid and diverting but expected the final solution to be much stronger than the rather too ambiguous and incomplete one in the episode.

"The Axeman Cometh" was another example of an episode that could have been much better. Nowhere near one of the show's best episodes but still has enough to make it more than an average or less episode, certainly better than the likes of "Second Sight", "The Electric Vendetta" and "The Straw Woman", "Blood on the Saddle", "Night of the Stag" and "The Incident at Coopers Hill" need re-watches but remember being very unimpressed by those too.

Was expecting a stronger story than the one here. Certainly not terrible, the murders are good (the first murder is one of the show's cleverest), the final solution is interesting and more satisfying than that of the previous episode "King's Crystal" and the mystery aspects are very intriguing.

It is marred though by pacing that has a tendency to ramble and drag, too many subplots that are unresolved and some don't hold much relevance and a few too many characters, some more interesting than others.

However, the production values as always are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, 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 humour, a melancholic air and a dark grimness.

John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Can't fault the supporting cast either, with James Cosmo standing out in a great performance, has this man ever given a bad performance? Haven't seen them all, but of the ones seen the answer is no.

All in all, decent but also rather disappointing. 6/10 Bethany Cox