Midsomer Murders: Last News

The new series of The Traitors kicked off on Wednesday, 1 January, with Claudia Winkleman welcoming 25 contestants to the enchanting Scottish castle to take on the game as a 'faithful' or an undercover 'traitor'. As we were introduced to the new contestants, hoping to walk away with the cash prize, viewers spotted who would be the 'icon of the series' just seconds into the show.

Bookmakers have named Death in Paradise star Ralf Little as a top contender to replace Neil Dudgeon as the lead in Midsomer Murders, should he decide to leave the show. With odds of 5/1, Ralf is a close second to Vera's Kenny Doughty, who has odds of 4/1.

An actress famed for her role in Brookside's shocking incest storyline is barely recognisable nearly three decades after the plot caused a stir.

Call the Midwife fans will recognise actress Annabelle Apsion as the lovable shop owner, Violet Buckle, but she's also appeared in a string of other TV shows. Annabelle joined the BBC drama during season four when Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) visited her haberdashery which saw the pair quickly fall in love, reports MyLondon.They started a life together in Poplar, East London and Violet won the local council elections to represent Poplar North - she's also become a mum to Reggie Jackson (Daniel Laurie).

John Nettleton has sadly passed away aged 94, his agent has confirmed.

Annette Badland, 72, has revealed why she thinks Midsomer Murders has stood the test of time in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk. Last year the Fleur Perkins actress gave a behind-the-scenes insight into why the show has been going strong for 25 years - and why her character is here to stay.Annette joined Midsomer Murders back in 2019 as motorbike-riding chief pathologist Fleur Perkins.While Annette only became a part of the show in its 20th season, the ITV hit has now been running for a quarter of a century.Asked why Midsomer Murders has lasted a full 25 years on ITV, Annette gave a considered response.

odds continue to change over who could play the next 007, with the latest list of likely James Bond actors including Henry Cavill, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Rege-Jean Page. However, one name that has consistently arisen over the years is that of Idris Elba, 50.Idris has certainly proved he has the acting chops for the role, previously earning a Golden Globe and five Primetime Emmy nominations for his television work. The actor has appeared as the iconic Stringer Bell in HBO series The Wire, as well as DCI John Luther in the BBC One series Luther.While Idris makes for a fantastic action man, he would also be the oldest Bond of all time if he were to take on the part in his 50s.The title is currently held by Roger Moore, who played the character from ages 45 to 57 between 1973 and 1985.Annette Badland, 72, revealed that she felt Idris’ casting as the new Bond wasn’t likely in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk earlier this year.The Midsomer Murders star, who joined the cast as motorbike-riding chief pathologist Fleur Perkins back in 2019, brought up Idris whilst speculating who might be the new Doctor in Doctor Who.“Idris Elba wouldn’t do it I don’t think,” she said at the time, although it has now been announced that Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa will be the latest actor to portray the timelord. “The fans don’t like them to begin with,” Annette said of the ever-changing role, “...

Fleur Perkins could “never be replaced” in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.The Midsomer Murders star gave a behind-the-scenes insight into why she believes Fleur is here to stay.Annette joined Midsomer Murders back in 2019 as motorbike-riding chief pathologist Fleur Perkins.While Annette only became a part of the show in its 20th season, the ITV hit has now been running for 25 years. Opening up about how her character Fleur was conceptualised, Annette gave an interesting reason for why she thinks she “won’t be replaced”.“It’s brilliant to play an older woman who’s got a very interesting private life and who is very good at her job and can send the blokes up and intrigue them and things,” Annette reflected. “It’s terrific, you know, and there should be more - and they exist in real life - characters like that, really.”Fleur went on to describe how the producers arrived at the character of Fleur after coming to a surprising conclusion.“When the producer asked me to do it, they said that one time the person playing the pathologist had been ill and they didn’t know how to get around it when they were filming,” Annette remembered. “Then they said, ‘Oh, I know, we’ll have them send a fax through with the details and Barnaby can read it out’.“And he said, ‘I wanted a new character who could not be replaced by a fax machine.’ “So Fleur certainly can’t be replaced by a fax machine!” Annette concluded gleefully. Annette often acts opposite the likes of DCI John Barnaby star Neil Dudgeon and admitted she had a lot of fun in the role. Asked why Midsomer Murders has lasted a full 25 years on ITV, Annette gave a considered response. “I think it’s quite quirky and English because the deaths are often extraordinary and the

Actress Patricia Brake has died at the age of 79 following a long cancer battle, it has been announced. She had a career that spanned over 60 years, but she was best known for her roles in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.The star also appeared in soaps such as Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale. Patricia's son Jon McBain shared the news on Twitter, he wrote: "I can confirm that my mother, the actress Patricia Brake, died earlier today at the age of 79 after a long battle with cancer." Her agent Scott Marshall Partners also issued a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our client and well-loved stage and TV actress, Patricia Brake, at the age of 79, after a very long battle with cancer.” Get exclusive celebrity stories and fabulous photoshoots straight to your inbox with OK!'s daily newsletter.

 Michael Caine once issued Midsomer Murders star Annette Badland with a warning while they were shooting scenes for the film Little Voice, she explained in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.The actress, 71, admitted she was in awe of the “extraordinary” Alfie star as he shared some much-needed words of wisdom that she still “remembers today”.Annette has worked with plenty of famous faces over the years thanks to her endless appearances in the UK’s biggest television shows.However, the star has also worked in film and notably starred alongside Michael, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent and Ewan McGregor in 1998 British musical film Little Voice.The film was based on Jim Cartwright's 1993 play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, for which she received a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.When asked by Express.co.uk about whether she had ever been starstruck by anyone at work, Annette immediately thought of Michael.Annette, who played Sadie in the film, said: “Well, working with Michael Caine doing Little Voice.“I knew he was going to be… Because Jane (Horrocks) and I were in the play and then the film happened about five or seven years later.“And Pete (Postlethwaite) was doing a tour of The Unmentionables, the Scottish play, so he could not do the film.”Pete played Ray Say in the original West End play, but was replaced by Michael for the film adaptation.Annette admitted: “When I heard it was Michael Caine I did skip around the living room.“Because Alfie was so important to me as a teenager and we’d never seen anything like that.”Alfie is an extremely influential 1966 British comedy-drama film starring Michael as the titular character.Annette then went on to share the warning Michael

EastEnders actress Annette Badland, who used to play Babe Smith on the popular BBC One show, opened up about the death threats she used to receive in an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk.The star, who has since gone on to portray the hit character Fleur Perkins in Midsomer Murders, admitted she found the ordeal “very upsetting”.Annette, 71, played Babe Smith on EastEnders for three years after being cast in December 2013.Babe was involved in some controversial storylines, including one about baby farming.The character also blackmailed Les Coker (Roger Sloman) during her time on the show and even encouraged Abit Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald) to fake a pregnancy.Annette explained how some viewers who had been watching the soap for years were unable to separate the actress from the character, revealing that she even got death threats.“With EastEnders, some people think that’s real!” she said.“It was the first part I played where people didn’t stop me in the street and say, ‘I can’t remember your name but I liked what you did last night’. “Instead, they would call out, ‘Babe! It’s Babe isn’t it?’”“And you just think, ‘Wow, they really think…’“Because you’re in their home so much, they think it’s reality and towards the end I had death threats.”She went on to suggest that the reason people sent her such horrible messages was “because people really believe” the storylines in the show. “They invest so much in the characters because they’re in their homes all the time,” Annette explained. When asked how the threat made her feel she replied: “Yeah, it was very upsetting.”However, Annette is now delighted to be in her new role as Fleur in Midsomer Murders, who she began playing back in 2019.She also expressed her fondness for

Express.co.uk.The Midsomer Murders star admitted that she had experienced a rather “naughty tempation” before while on set as her character Fleur, acting opposite DCI John Barnaby star Neil Dudgeon.Annette joined Midsomer Murders back in 2019 as motorbike-riding chief pathologist Fleur Perkins.While Annette only became a part of the show in its 20th season, the ITV hit has now been running for 25 years. When asked what she thinks makes it stand the test of time, Annette replied: “I think it’s quite quirky and English because the deaths are often extraordinary and the fans like that.”Opening up about one particular murder scene featuring “naughty” Fleur, Annette admitted she got an inappropriate temptation during filming.  “One death I’ve had is by chocolate,” Annette recalled, as she referred to the season 20 episode The Lions of Causton.“It was as much as I could do not to break a bit off and eat it,” the actress admitted.She went on to explain that she felt it was “something Fleur might do” but decided against it for a rather peculiar reason.“I thought Fleur might do, but then I had to think, ‘No - of course she’d like dark chocolate.’“‘This person’s been smothered in milk chocolate and she’d prefer dark.’”Reflecting on her mischievous character, she added: “It’s the sort of naughty thing where, if it wasn’t near the body, I thought Fleur might just have a little.”When asked what it was like to be given such a fun role, Annette responded: “It’s brilliant to play an older woman who’s got a very interesting private life and who is very good at her job and can send the blokes up and intrigue them and things. “It’s terrific, you know, and there should be more - and they do exist in real life - characters like that

Midsomer Murders' star Neil Dudgeon has taken to Twitter to react after his on-screen wife, played by Fiona Dolman, posed proudly with her new ITV co-stars.The actor, 61, who plays DCI John Barnaby on the hit ITV whodunit series, reacted as Fiona shared a post with the stars of Alan Titchmarsh's show Love Your Weekend, which she appeared on last week.Fiona, who plays Sarah Barnaby on the programme, posted a snap to Twitter of herself with celebrity gardener Alan Titchmarch and her two fellow guests, Adam Kay and Petula Clark, standing in a sun-drenched garden.Responding to the post, her Midsomer Murders' colleague Neil wrote: "Blimey!"It’s all go chez Dolman, innit?"Look at you with Petula Clark! X" he penned in amazement, before ending the post.Fiona had taken to the micro-blogging platform to reveal that she would be appearing on Love Your Weekend alongside her two celebrity friends.She told her 8,571 followers: "This sunday @ITV #LoveYourWeekend with @amateuradam and @PetulaClarkHQ"I was chatting #MidsomerMurders and @hospiceuk with the delightful Alan Titmarsh."We had a lovely time (despite this looking as though Adam and I are holding a rather nice couple hostage in their garden)," she quipped.Following Neil's comment, one avid fan of the murder mystery programme commented with a suggestion as to who could guest star on the show next from Fiona's new group of showbiz pals.Twitter user @Philipcarman wrote: "Alan would be a great guest on Midsomer Murders!"Following Fiona's appearance on the hit gardening show, her fans took to the platform to share their thoughts.@TaniaEsteban_ wrote: "Was feeling jet lagged on the sofa after just landing...

Holly Willoughby, 40, was thrilled when she was offered a cameo role on one of her favourite television shows, Midsomer Murders. However, the presenter has now revealed not everything went to plan when it came to filming her appearance.Holly was speaking about how it went on This Morning earlier today.The presenter was chatting about what was happening on the soaps this week with Sharon Marshall and Phillip Schofield.She was then asked by Phil how her own experience on a television show went when she made the admission.Holly revealed: “Well, you know, I wasn’t take one, put it that way.“Or take two or take 10.

Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon has said it is “really weird” when he is approached by fans while out and about on errands or with his family.The English actor, who has played the part of DCI John Barnaby in the ITV crime drama since 2011, said it “jolts him” when people call him by his character’s name.The long-running show, which first aired in 1997, has recently reached new audiences.Not only have people in the UK binge-watched old episodes during lockdown, but foreign channels have bought two years worth of Midsomer Murders instalments.Neil noted that some had watched two years of TV in two months.With more viewers than ever, it’s not surprising to hear that ITV star, who turned 60 earlier this year, has been spotted on the high

Midsomer Murders actor did not “understand anything” his little ones were doing, including within his own speciality, drama.Opening up on homeschooling during the first lockdown, he shared: “I absolutely don’t understand anything they’re doing. “So I’d get up and get tea and breakfast, they’d start their schooling and I’d go back to bed for an hour.”When asked if there were any subjects he could possibly help with, Neil answered: “Well, one of them is doing drama and when they mention something and I go, ‘Ah, of course, I know that writer,’ or ‘I was in that,’ and they go, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ “So I can’t even help with the drama. I just supply food.

Midsomer Murders back in 2011.

She continued: “I’m quite good at sulking, but it’s generally short-lived.

Comedian, actor and music hall historian Roy Hudd has been remembered as “much loved and amazingly talented” after his death at the age of 83.