Midsomer Murders was savaged by some as the first episode of series 23 debuted last night – and then it seemingly disappeared from the viewing schedule altogether. The ITV detective thriller had returned on Sunday night, only to spark furious cries from some of “Bring back Vera!”
However, diehard fans were fearful when, soon after the latest episode was branded “far-fetched” on Twitter, the show could not be found in subsequent weeks on the programming schedule. Viewers can now breathe a huge sigh of relief as ITV has since clarified that suggestions of the show being axed are “inaccurate”.
A spokesperson told Express.co.uk: “We only ever had one episode of Midsomer Murders scheduled as they are standalone stories and there’ll be more episodes in the coming months.” She added: “We have the launch of new drama Red Eye this Sunday for six weeks on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX.”
There are three episodes still left to air from series 23, while series 24, which was filmed last summer, is due to start appearing on screens on an as yet undisclosed date. Plans for a 25th series have not yet been disclosed, but – with 17 years having passed since the show’s debut – it is not thought that it will end anytime soon.
The latest episode saw former EastEnders star Nina Wadia make her debut, joining regular characters such as Neil Dudgeon (DCI John Barnaby) and Nick Hendrix (DS Jamie Winter). High drama quickly ensued as the body of a survivalist was discovered in a bomb shelter.
However, not all fans were convinced about the realism of the episode, with one grumbling: “Don’t know why, but no matter how hard I try to like this show I can never get into it. Just bring back Vera.”
“Jonesy needs to come back as DCI and get rid of the wokeness, then it might be ok again. #midsomermurders,” another wrote.
A third quipped: “Catching up with last night’s #Midsomermurders and absolute classic murder weapons – a self-inflating dinghy and a tin of chopped ham and pork. Bring on the cheese wheel!”
Another joined the joke, laughing: “Death by Spam!”
As people poked fun at the “unrealistic” plot, one harshly wrote: “Possibly the worst #midsomermurders I’ve ever seen… and let’s face it, it’s been dire for many seasons now.”
However, it wasn’t all criticism of the show, as several fans took to Twitter to say the new storyline had “made their weekend”.
Complaining about the episodes not screening regularly enough for their liking, another exclaimed: “Why oh why only one episode #MidsomerMurders? Getting really p****d off with ITV doing this!”
Another agreed: “As much as I’m looking forward to #RedEye I would much rather have a whole series of #MidsomerMurders first.”