Inspector Barnaby Vol. 16 - DVD

Content: It is again blithely murdered in the county of Midsomer. As picturesque as the landscape may be and as dreamy as the individual small towns may look, there is truly no shortage of murderous intrigue and bloody family feuds here. After Inspector Barnaby (John Nettles) has already successfully tracked down many a murderer for 15 DVD box sets, it now continues with four new cases. Since the broadcast in Germany does not adhere to the original order, the fans get here but not the latest episodes of the series, in which John Nettles successor Neil Dudgeon since 2011 on patrol in Midsomer to see. Rather, Vol. 16 of the DVD series offers viewers episodes from the seventh and eighth seasons, which originally aired in the UK between 2004 and 2005. Among them is also the worth seeing Christmas special from 2004, which was finally allowed to celebrate its TV premiere in Germany in December 2012.

Since its first season in 1997, the concept of the series has not really evolved. This has its advantages, but also its disadvantages. One of those drawbacks is certainly that there are hardly any episodes that have lasting memories. There are no real surprises or tremendous character developments here. The great feat that the Barnaby cases manage, however, is that they still work well again and again and offer the best entertainment, even if the viewer is basically served the same thing over and over again.

At the same time the series does not try to follow modern trends and to mutate into a kind of CSI: Midsomer. As a result, the quaint charm remains intact and fans get exactly what they expect and love about the series: exciting stories, quirky characters, a bit of British humour and good actors. And the four films in this sixteenth box set are no different:

DVD1: LOOKING INTO THE SCREEN

Supposedly, some residents of Midsomer Mere have the gift of "Second Sight; they can see into the future. Max Ransom wants to get to the bottom of this gift scientifically and subjects his brother John to some torturous brain examinations.

In a barroom brawl with landlord Ben Kirby, John dies, apparently not from blows but from the late effects of the experiments. The brothers' father takes unapologetic note of his eldest's death; then he too is murdered.

Valuable insight is given to Barnaby and Sergeant Scott by the village's new reverend, Preaching Pete. He wants to turn the congregation away from the pompous mumbo-jumbo about the Second Face and back into the largely empty church.

There is one man in the village who supposedly has the gift and knows a lot but says nothing, the husky "Little Mal Kirby. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 2: DEATH IN THE LOVE NEST

Before an abandoned hut at night Jamie Cruickshank is found, dead, with a shotgun pellet in the back. A mystery, as the young waiter at The Maid in Splendour pub was universally loved. Pretty colleague Bella Monday, however, did not return his love - she finds a more lucrative liaison. Fingerprints of Stephen Bannermann, the pub's boss, and a woman whose name he won't give, are found on a wine bottle in the cottage. Stephen's father Michael has handed over the traditional pub to the ambitious Stephen and his wife Lorna. Behind the backs of his father and wife, Stephen is in contact with property developer Lawrence Haggard, whose buy-ups in the village have made some residents rich and the rest enemies. Just before a crucial meeting with Haggard, Stephen is shot dead, with the same gun as Jamie. What's the connection? Jamie knew about the sale and that it would break the ailing Michael's heart. Was he blackmailing Stephen? Six episodes of "Inspector Barnaby will be broadcast on Sundays, 10.00 pm. (Text: ZDF)

DVD3: DEEP UNDER THE EARTH

Felicity Turner is sitting with her neighbor Antonia Wilmot at a coffee klatsch when Felicity's husband Nick falls fatally from the roof before her eyes. Lawyer Nick, his successful competitor Otto Benham, and former TV quiz show host Mike Spicer had been meeting weekly for quiz rounds at the pub. To Barnaby, Otto suggests Nick has been embezzling money from his clients. On one of the following nights, Otto, a wine lover and collector of Roman antiquities, is cruelly executed in his garden. His paralyzed wife Bernie must watch from the window. But this is entirely to the liking of the woman who has been humiliated for years. This time, Barnaby and Scott find themselves in danger. Searching for clues, they are led by Antonia Wilmot to a wine cellar that is suddenly locked from the outside. Though Barnaby buys time to work out the solution to the case. But the air is running out. And outside, the killer strikes again. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 4: HOUSE FULL OF HATE

Barnaby has a Christmas with the in-laws ahead of him. His best present is the Villiers case, as it allows Barnaby to escape from home. The Villiers celebrate together at the mansion, which is in serious need of renovation. It's the first time since the suicide of Ferdy, the youngest son and magician. But at least one family member spoils the party: someone first tries to poison lovely old Lydia Carter with car fumes and then pushes her down the stairs to her death. Barnaby and Scott hit a wall of defiant silence. But then the highly gifted twelve-year-old Howard, amateur magician like his Uncle Ferdy, reveals a few things to them until his mother Kate and the lady of the house, the imperious Jennifer, can stop him. Before the thicket of jealousy, resentment and sibling hatred is cleared, the killer strikes twice more. (Text: ZDF)

Picture + Sound: Also in the technical implementation of the four episodes, everything is as usual: Every now and then, especially in the darker scenes, slight blurring and image trickling can be detected, but overall the picture quality is especially in the outdoor scenes in terms of sharpness, coloring and contrast matching on a good TV level. The stereo sound is largely unspectacular, with the very centrally mixed dialogue and music dominating the proceedings. All of this is good average, nothing more, but nothing less!

Extras: Bonus material there is unfortunately not.

Conclusion: Vol. 16 of Inspector Barnaby again offers the best crime entertainment of the particularly British kind. The four films from the seventh and eighth season offer no real surprises, but the entertainment value does not harm in the slightest. If you already have the first fifteen boxes on your shelf and just can't get enough of Barnaby and his investigations in Midsomer, this box can be warmly recommended to you, if only because of the Christmas special from 2004, which is well worth seeing - even if there is no bonus material once again.

Source: Sebastian Betzold / ZDF (synopsis)