Midsomer Murders future confirmed as ITV makes major series announcement
Barnaby's work is never done!
Midsomer Murders continues to be as reliable as death and taxes, with the future of the series confirmed in another enthusiastic renewal from ITV.
The lightly comic crime drama began back in 1997, with John Nettles and Daniel Casey as its original lead characters DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy.
Neil Dudgeon formally took over as John Barnaby, cousin of Tom, in the show's 14th season, which premiered in 2011, and has been fully embraced by fans in the decade-plus since.
Nick Hendrix (The Crown) and Annette Badland (Ted Lasso) are confirmed to be returning as DS Winter and Dr Fleur Perkins for the next chapter, along with Fiona Dolman as John's wife, Sarah.
The four-part season will bring the total number of Midsomer Murders episodes to a whopping 148, which according to ITV makes "DCI Barnaby the most hard-working TV detective".
ITV's drama commissioner Huw Kennair Jones commented: "We're thrilled to be returning to Midsomer with Barnaby and Winter. Series 26 promises to deliver four brilliant brand new cases for the legion of Midsomer Murders fans to enjoy."
Executive producer Michele Buck added: "We are so pleased to be able to bring viewers more tales from the fascinating world of Midsomer Murders with this series 26 commission."
The team behind the show have credited Midsomer Murders' success to its international appeal, including strong followings in Germany, Scandinavia and the Baltics, plus its adoption of modern trends.
Principally, this includes the so-called FAST Channels (i.e. free ad-supported streaming television) found on ITVX and other international platforms, in which Midsomer Murders is played continuously with commercial breaks.
The show is also spilling off-screen and into theatres starting from this winter, with a Midsomer Murders play (starring original cast member Casey as Tom Barnaby) due to start its nationwide run this month.
All this to say, Midsomer Murders fans have plenty more to look forward to. The show's 25th season filmed over the summer, with production on the 26th to begin next year.
Midsomer Murders season 25 and 26 are coming soon to ITV1 and ITVX.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
