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Midsomer Murders' original sidekick joins stage show as DCI Tom Barnaby

A sidekick no longer.

John Nettles and Daniel Casey in suits as Midsomer Murders characters DCI barnaby and sergeant Troy

TV Times / Contributor via Getty

Published: Wednesday, 30 April 2025 at 10:54 am

Daniel Casey has has quite the promotion in the new Midsomer Murders stage tour.

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The actor, who played Sergeant Troy in the show's original ITV run from 1997 to 2008, will now take on the lead role of DCI Tom Barnaby in brand-new play Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger’s Drift.

Based on the beloved series and the book by Caroline Graham, the show will tour UK venues from October 2025 to April 2026 with Casey at the helm.

On taking on the iconic part first created by John Nettles, the actor said: “I never expected to revisit the world of Midsomer, with its weird and wonderful characters and all their dark, twisted secrets. So to be asked to play the iconic role of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby in this new stage adaptation of The Killings at Badger’s Drift was a real surprise.

“Workshopping the play, you realise the characters have an inherent theatricality, which is perfect to bring to the stage.

He added: “It has brought back some wonderful memories of such a happy time in my career playing Sgt Troy and the fantastic time I had working with the amazing John Nettles and to be stepping into his shoes as Barnaby is both a little daunting and incredibly exciting.”

While Nettles himself responded: “How wonderful that the original tale of murder and intrigue in Midsomer will be solved by Daniel, in this new stage version of Badger’s Drift.

“Daniel brought the young Troy to life so brilliantly in the original TV pilot of the book and I’m delighted that he gets to lead the investigation in this theatre adaption."

The announcement of this theatrical adaptation, directed by Guy Unsworth, was also shortly followed by news of a TV series revival, which reportedly began filming in March.

The cast is being led by Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby (Tom's cousin) who exclusively revealed at the RadioTimes.com covers party: "I don't know when it's next being broadcast, but we start filming again at the end of March for season 25, so it goes on."

"We've had a year off this year. We didn't film this year, but last year. But we are filming again this year. We're filming four new stories from March this year."

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When and where can I see Midsomer Murders on stage?

Midsomer murders artwork showing afternoon tea set

Misdomer Murders

15 dates and venues have been announced so far for the Midsomer Murders UK tour:

How to get Midsomer Murders UK tour tickets

Tickets for the shows in Richmond, Brighton, Glasgow and Birmingham are all on ATG Tickets.

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You can also take a look at the best West End shows and our Great Gatsby review.

Authors

Olivia Garrett

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