Midsomer Murders star John Nettles slams new detective dramas for ...

Midsomer Murders star John Nettles has shared his candid view on modern detective dramas, calling them "awful" due to their dark subject matter. The actor, who played Tom Barnaby in the quintessentially British murder mystery show for over ten years, revealed that he doesn't agree with some subject matter being used as a plot device.

He explained: "I tell you what is awful is the obligatory appearance of the tortured woman, the raped woman, the murdered woman. Jesus, God. It’s very difficult to do that stuff and to use it as a bit of a plot line. It gets worse and worse and worse. I think part of the Midsomer Murders appeal was that they took that idea to extremes … all kinds of extraordinary murders, totally unreal."

Not only does John avoid modern dramas, but he has also admitted that he never watches his hit series back, saying: "I don’t watch. I’ve seen every trope, every curiosity, every plot manoeuvre that belongs to the genre, over and over and over again. I never want to see another actor pretending to be a dead body.

"It’s just too much. I’ve done it for so many years, for days and months at a time, 24/7, more or less. And it’s like building a wall. You build it very carefully. You don’t want to go back and watch other people building it."

© Mark Bourdillon

The actor is set to be replaced in his other famous role of Jim Bergerac in a new reboot of the detective drama, which will premiere on 27 February. Damien Molony will play the new version of the role and spoke to HELLO! and other reporters about meeting John and receiving his blessing to play the role.

He said: "We had lunch actually about three weeks ago. In Torquay, which was lovely, and we just talked about our experiences in Jersey, and all the great restaurants that we used to go to, and all the same beaches.

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"And then he said this lovely thing at the end, he said, 'Bergerac has been so good to my career. I hope it's as good for yours,' which I thought was a really lovely sentiment. And he's seen the first episode, and he really liked it. We had a lovely time!"

© Joss Barratt

The new series will see Bergerac return "as a broken man." The synopsis reads: "When a member of one of Jersey’s wealthiest families is murdered, Chief of Police Uma Dalal (Sasha Behar) wants their best detective on the case. Bergerac returns to work to not only crack the case but to prove to his daughter Kim (Chloé Sweetlove) and mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford (Zoë Wanamaker) that his life is back on track.

"If Bergerac can solve the case, then maybe he can also show he’s still capable enough to be a good father. And so, Bergerac becomes entangled in a knotty whodunnit that will keep the audience guessing across the first series. Will he be able to solve the crime and stay on track?"