“In March 2011 the producer of the series, Brian True-May, was suspended by All3Media after telling the TV listings magazine the Radio Times that racial diversity in the programme was non-existent because the series was a “bastion of Englishness”. When challenged about the term “Englishness” and whether that would exclude different ethnic minorities, True-May said “Well, it should do, and maybe I’m not politically correct.” He later went on to say that he wanted to make a programme “that appeals to a certain audience, which seems to succeed”. True-May’s comments were investigated by the production company.[7]”

Midsomer Murders is set in a fictional English county where everyone lives in lovely houses, many with thatched roofs. It’s partly property porn. There are village fayres and bell-ringing societies. It’s where viewers want to live (despite the murder rate).

“The county of Midsomer is notable for its particularly high crime rate, causing the Midsomer Constabulary to be inundated with the number of murder cases that come their way – estimated at 32 per million, around double that of London.[4] This has even become a running joke among the British public. When Mrs Barnaby proposed they move out of Causton and suggested various villages, her husband countered with recollections of particularly grisly murders that occurred in each community. Humour is a main feature of the series, with many of the actors playing up their high-camp characters. This causes some black comedy, such as a woman being murdered by a wheel of cheese…”