Midsomer Murders: Death By Magic. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 5/10

Cast: Neil Dudgeon, Gwilym Lee, Fiona Dolman, Tamzin Malleson, Andrew Lee Potts, Jack Shepherd, Joe Absolom, Amanda Burton, Raj Awasti, Fraser Ayres, Pamela Betsy Cooper, Ashley Darwood, Noma Dumezweni, Anthony Farrelly, Deborah Findlay, Merelina Kendall, Stephanie Leonidas, Alan McKenna, John Neville, Justin Salinger.

The art of deception and the sleight of hand,  the act of illusion and slight bemusement needs both to succeed; and so too does a good old fashioned Detective/murder programme.

Midsomer Murders’ Death By Magic is one of those episodes that offers many intriguing possibilities but in which the thrill of the explanation is long gone before the first set of adverts comes rushing into view with the air of smug predictability.

When a young illusionist returns to the county of Midsomer after a successful tour, a new tour manager in tow, his young bored wife and a dominant mother, the local church gets them to assist in the restoration fund, it is a recipe for disaster in Midsomer; in more ways than one.

The great Jack Shepherd aside, as well as the main recurring cast who slot together so well that a playing card could not be wedged between them; the main body of cast seemed very uncomfortable in the skins they were inhabiting. This is such a shame, for one of the main selling points of Midsomer Murders is the nature of belief, of confidence in the way that the programme works and in the principle that the British public love a good murder mystery, not for the murders themselves but in the trust that the restoration of order will be achieved at the end.

For the first time under Neil Dudgeon’s stewardship of the programme, who himself is utterly blameless for the shortcomings of the episode, the lack of faith was palpable, perhaps it was in having three big names, the otherwise tremendous Amanda Burton and the ever genial Andrew Lee Potts and Joe Absolom, being thrust into the spotlight, all vying to be the one that misdirected the audience that made it stand out in the wrong direction. Three really is a crowd, it is heading into Agatha Christie territory, and nobody could do misdirection as well as the master.

In the end, the depressing satisfaction on being able to spot the murderer within minutes of the episode starting may have been enough for the television public to turn over to watch Liverpool take on Bolton in the F.A. Cup, that at least had a chance of the element of surprise attached to it. It is not like Midsomer Murders to be so obvious, the three card trick can be dealt wrong it seems.

Death by Magic was perhaps an aptly titled episode, for there was nothing truly unexplained in the whole programme. Midsomer just got a little less captivating.

Ian D. Hall