Midsomer Murders fans will spot familiar faces as ITV3 airs the 2004 episode Bad Tidings tonight, September 30, at 8pm. The season seven instalment features Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones in a guest role.
The episode sees a woman found murdered after an argument with her husband at a Spanish-themed evening hosted by the local residents' association. The synopsis teases: "The finger of suspicion soon points to an odd-job man with a violent history, and the chairman of the association reveals he heard a squeaking noise after the victim left - but the witness promptly winds up dead himself."
Familiar faces and guest stars
John Nettles returns as DCI Tom Barnaby, with John Hopkins as his new sergeant, DS Daniel Scott. Regulars Jane Wymark, Laura Howard, and Barry Jackson appear as Joyce Barnaby, Cully Barnaby, and Dr Bullard respectively.
Ruth Jones plays Rachel Rose, one of Joyce's old school friends. The character had been the subject of speculation, having stayed in London to have a child, with no one knowing the father's identity. Rachel later became a recluse, refusing to speak to visitors.
Cast and fan reaction
Esther Hall stars as Cassie Woods, a school friend of Cully Barnaby, with Daniel Crowder as Noel Woods. Helen Grace, known for Brookside, plays Lynn Spearman. The guest cast also includes Hilton McRae, John Standing, Nina Marc, John Normington, Helen Lindsay, Christine Moore, Michael Simkins, Paul Thornley, Chris Barnes, Elaine Donnelly, and Alex Belcourt.
Fans have praised the episode on IMDb reviews, with one saying: "This has an absolutely fantastic cast, shame this is the last time we've seen Nina Marc (Fiona) on the TV, lovely and talented actress, John Standing, John Normington, Esther Hall, Ruth Jones, all utterly brilliant, they had a cracking script to work with, the standout performance here though came from Helen Grace, she's a magical actress, shockingly underrated and massively talented."
Midsomer Murders airs tonight on ITV3 at 8pm.
