Shot at Dawn

The feud between the Hicks and the Hammonds has been running for ninety years, which means neither family can remember the original argument but both are determined to keep it going. Ninety years is a long time to hold a grudge, and the sheer age of the quarrel gives every new development a historical weight. Somewhere along the way the grudge stopped being a dispute and became a murder, and Barnaby and DS Ben Jones have to work out which of the old wounds finally turned lethal.

The case pulls in the Hammond family at every level: Colonel Henry Hammond, played by Donald Sinden, Johnny Hammond, played by Malcolm Sinclair, Arabella Hammond, played by Samantha Bond, who in another line of work answers to the name Miss Moneypenny, and Sophie and Kate Hammond, played by Charlotte Lucas and Charlie Covell. Across the divide stands Lionel Hicks, played by George Cole. Both houses have produced their share of stubborn characters, and the cast list reads like a roll call of British character acting. Joyce Barnaby and Dr George Bullard make their usual appearances.

Michael Aitkens and Caroline Graham wrote the episode, with Richard Holthouse directing. A ninety-year grudge gives the mystery a lovely long shadow: every generation inherits the resentment, and the present-day suspects are all carrying wounds that were never theirs to begin with.

The show loves a family secret, and this one comes with a pedigree. The sense of inevitability is strong, and the script leans into it, letting the feud do the pacing while the detectives do the arithmetic. The title suggests a firing squad, and the episode earns the reference. But the Hickses and the Hammonds would probably agree on one thing: neither family is about to be the first to blink. Some local grudges simply refuse to die, and in Midsomer they are usually the ones with the longest history. It is a strong season opener for the eleventh series, all dusty rancour and very English politeness.