The Dagger Club 

Artist Suzie Colebrook is electrocuted by a roulette wheel shortly after discovering a break-in at her home in Luxton Deeping.

Director:

Alex Pillai

Writers:

Chris Murray (screenplay), Caroline Graham (based on characters by)

Stars:

Neil Dudgeon, Gwilym Lee, Fiona Dolman

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Neil Dudgeon	...	DCI John Barnaby
Gwilym Lee	...	DS Charlie Nelson
Fiona Dolman	...	Sarah Barnaby
Tamzin Malleson	...	Kate Wilding
Una Stubbs	...	Audrey Braylesford
Georgia Taylor	...	Bella Summersbee
Charlotte Cornwell	...	Jeannie Summersbee
Lia Williams	...	Maggie Markham
Adam Kotz	...	Nick Summersbee
Howard Ward	...	Niall Colebrooke
Simon Kunz	...	Miles Rattigan
Kobna Holdbrook-Smith	...	Rob Mead
Ed Birch	...	Curtis Braylesford
Grant Russell	...	George Summersbee
Timothy Watson	...	Vincent Treaborne

Storyline

Suzie Colebrook is electrocuted by a roulette wheel sent to her house. She was the legal executor and supposed lover of thriller writer George Summersbee whose Jed Dagger novels she also illustrated. At the same time a newly discovered manuscript by George of an unpublished Dagger story is stolen from Suzie's home. A local crime fiction festival is going on, run by Maggie Markham, whose doctor husband Nick Summersbee has written his brother George's biography whilst George's daughter Bella, rather than estranged wife Jeanie, is his sole heir. Following a second murder Barnaby finds out that both were copied from killings in a Dagger novel though the victim was a stranger to Suzie. There are a number of people anxious for different reasons to locate the missing manuscript but there are also suggestions that it is a fake. Furthermore there are differing accounts of George's death. Barnaby has to resort to the printed page to solve the mystery of the Dagger club.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Una Stubbs and Ed Birch also appeared in the BBC Sherlock episode, "Sign of Three"

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Goofs

One victim is crushed to death in a printing press, resulting in text being printed neatly all over his face and body. However, as the press closed it would not be able to print text cleanly and exactly around the curvature of his head and body. Instead, the body would show signs of extensive crush injuries and the printed text would be distorted round the curves.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Suzie Colebrooke: Miles, you back?
[she see the mess and checks a desk drawer then dials 999]
999 Operator: What service do you require?
Suzie Colebrooke: I'd like to report a break-in.

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Soundtracks

Midsomer Murders
(Theme Song)
Written by Jim Parker

User Reviews

The Wheel of Death

A modern classic, one of the best stories from Midsomer for a little while, a complex story with a fair amount of intrigue, told and concluded in Agatha Christie-esque style.

The opening is a particularly good one, I don't think you'll find a more unique murder method in the show's history, it didn't remind me of a technique used in The Big Four (Agatha Christie fans will know what I mean.)

I thought the filming and camera work was particularly good in this one, very slick, almost film like. Great set of realistic characters, and some fine performances, notably from Lia Williams and Una Stubbs, the latter so often sweet and ditsy, it's great to see her move into different territory.

I love the conclusion, it felt as I mentioned earlier somewhat Agatha Christie, with all the suspects gathered together.

All in all this was an impressive start to Series Seventeen.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 January 2015 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Long Crendon Courthouse, High Street, Long Crendon, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bentley Productions, ITV - Independent Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color