Midsomer Murders

[anotheoldgit]

Back in 2011, Producer Brian True-May was suspended by ITV after admitting he deliberately keeps ethnic minority characters out of the show because It wouldn't be the English village with them. It just wouldn't work.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368114/Midsomer-Murders-race-row-Black-man-appears-episode-ITV-show.html

Well last night's first of a new series of Midsomer Murders, did in fact include a black actor, did anyone who saw it, think that this actor added anything to the show, except in an effort to meet a certain criteria?

[zebo]

You could certainly rule him out as the murderer from the outset!

[anotheoldgit]

That's certainly true, Zebo.

[BlackadderV]

Damn, I didn't know it was on. Mind you, it's not the same without John Nettles and Jason Hughes.

[sandyRoe]

It's ironic that a character who seems to be trying to escape the mean inner-city streets where killings are rife should wash up in an area of rural England where murderers are two a penny.

[trt]

The Non-White person in it made no difference at all AOG!

[anotheoldgit]

BlackadderV

/// Damn, I didn't know it was on. Mind you, it's not the same without John Nettles and Jason Hughes. ///

I agree, John Nettles's Barnaby was not so domesticated as the new Barnaby is.

The old Barnaby was allowed to criticise his wife's cooking, and shy away from any event that his wife and daughter were so keen to drag him along to.

Whereas the new Barnaby is the typical 'Modern day man', for starters there is a new baby, and he takes his turn in all those domestic chores that babies create.

/// In this latest series, DCI John Barnaby is adjusting to being a father - and that's brought with it some fresh challenges for actor Neil Dudgeon as well.

He explains: "Barnaby becoming a doting dad is a strong storyline in the new series so we now have domestic scenes with his wife, dog and baby, which actually means two babies, as we work with twins.

"You know exactly what you're supposed to be doing in the scene and then on comes one baby, who starts crying, so we get the other one, and then discover that Sykes the dog has wandered off." ///

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Midsomer-Murders-Neil-Dudgeon-baby-drowning-bowl/story-25899630-detail/story.html

The question that must be asked is "this is a detective series, why the need for all this domesticity"?

[woofgang]

Why must it be asked? detective series have always fleshed out their main characters with background, its just this time the background is about a family, not beer and crosswords, inner angst, a damaged personal life or any of the other themes that have been used.

[ludwig]

Rather than awkwardly shoehorning in random token ethnic characters, it would make more sense to make the main detective black - a sort of Luther does Midsomer, with a hint of Hot Fuzz. Now that would be interesting - I might even start watching it.

[Postdog]

I didn't like the black man to be honest. Nothing personal or racist, it just made no sense.

Mind you, as an ex postie, they annoyed me by having postmen on bikes (one of whom was Asian as I recall) delivering large parcels instead of having a driver take them. Plus had they really gone in the post packed like they were, the wheels would have come loose in the box.

[jno]

lol, so Midsomer is unbelievable because (a) things aren't packed right and (b) everyone's murdered.

[DSJ]

And just look at the programme now.