Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Neil Dudgeon, Nick Hendrix, Fiona Dolman, Annette Badland, Claire Hingott, Felix Kai, Tessie Orange-Turner, Stewart Wright, Nigel Lindsay, Baxter Westby, LJ Johnson, Sophie Stone, Ace Bhatti, Suzanne Packer, Nichola McAuliffe, Isabel Shaw.

Murder is a drag, but lying through your teeth about another’s illness to gain support for a holiday can be seen as a crime more personal; so Dressed To Kill, the last episode of the 23rd series of the addictive Midsomer Murders series would have you believe.

Whilst the episode order for U.K. based aficionados and fans has run out of synch, a surprise for many perhaps who have already immersed themselves into the following series, that is only a small issue in one that frames the narrative in such a way that captures the relationship of a woman on the verges of Munchausen’s and who has brought a madness to her son’s health; to focus on that and surround it with a set of murders that divide a village’s mindset about the way works in the modern world.

Dressed To Kill sees the detective team of Barnaby and Winter investigate a murder at a charity event rehearsal where a drag night and a dominoes tournament have been arranged to share the same public space, and in a way of outing two different cultures and showing intolerance on both sides, a generational gap war in microcosm and certainly the supposed prejudice that exists in small village Britain.

In many ways the seriousness of the episode can be found to overwhelm the viewer, and yet there are wonderful moments to be found that highlight the relationship between the two officers, and in the same vein that an early offering of the series, Faithful Unto Death, showed a more relaxed style of writing and yet one that captures the intensity of the narrative well.

It is to the brilliance of Nigel Lindsay as pariah actor Nigel Bellamy that the tale hangs upon perfectly, the sense of capturing what is considered a failed star relegated to performing at local events is a constant concern for all who tread the boards, the price of fame is often the pain is returning to the realm of non-entity; and Mr. Lindsey brings that to the screen with sensitivity and style.

With wonderful performances by Annette Badland as Fleur Perkins as she reveals her own passion for the drag industry, Tessie Orange-Turner as the flirtatious drag king Evelyn Hardy, and Suzanne Packer as the neglected Olivia Dent, all adding their distinctive tone to the story and the deduction of the murder and deception at hand in the village, Dressed To Kill is one of the more light-hearted investigations in the long running serial.

A puzzler of timing in its appearance in the schedule but one nevertheless appreciated for its dynamic delivery.

Ian D. Hall