Secrets and Spies

Murders near a government safe house in Midsomer turn out to connect to a group of British spies stationed in East Berlin during the Cold War, which is about as far from village gossip as the show goes. The safe house has been sitting quietly in the county for years, which is exactly what a safe house is supposed to do. The dead have been carrying secrets for decades. And the secrets have finally come home. The case is a reminder that the county's quietest corners can hold the loudest history. Barnaby and Ben Jones are used to digging through local feuds; here they have to dig through intelligence work instead, and the change of pace suits them.

The old spies supply the suspects. Benjamin Whitrow's Sir Malcolm Frazer and Peter Davison's Nicky Frazer head the cast, with Clive Russell's Seth Comfort, Neil Stuke's Glen Jarvis and Jack Walker's Harry Fowler completing the circle. Davison is a welcome sight for anyone who remembers his time in the TARDIS, though there is very little of the Time Lord's playfulness about Nicky Frazer. Barry Jackson's Dr Bullard does the post-mortems, Kirsty Dillon's WDC Gail Stephens takes notes, and Jane Wymark's Joyce holds the domestic fort.

Michael Aitkens and Caroline Graham wrote it, Renny Rye directed. The Cold War material is handled straight, and the episode trusts the audience to follow the double-dealing without over-explaining. The double-crossing is given room to breathe, and the village setting keeps the whole thing from drifting into a generic spy thriller.

The show has always liked a secret that spans generations, and this one spans a whole political era. East Berlin is a long way from Midsomer, but the trail back is surprisingly short. The past, as always in the county, turns out to be the most dangerous place of all. It is a slow-burn mystery with a proper payoff, and the espionage material suits Barnaby's methodical way of working.