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Midsomer Murders: The Fans’ Favourites
Midsomer Murders: The Fans' Favourites“Against the setting of idyllic villages,
  the brilliant and critically-acclaimed
  television drama series Midsomer
  Murders follows a top detective as he
  solves a number of unusual, seemingly
  unsolvable, bizarre and complicated
  cases that inevitably involve false trails,
  clever plots and red herrings...”

INDULGE IN A SPOT OF MIDSOMER MAYHEM with the release of two fabulous box sets featuring the best of the television series Midsomer Murders.

Given the choice of Midsomer Murders: The Fans' Favourites, featuring the four episodes voted most popular by the fans, and Midsomer Murders: The Crystal Collection, with the 15 highest-rating episodes taken from each of the series — we chose both!

“Riveting storylines,
likeable characters and
keep-you-guessing
plots give the mystery
crime drama series
Midsomer Murders an
irresistible appeal...”
DCI Tom Barnaby (the superb John Nettles) has his work cut out for him as he tries to rein in the inexperienced Sgt Troy (Daniel Casey), deal with his would-be cordon bleu cook wife Joyce (Jane Wymark) and find time for his daughter Cully (Laura Howard).

Midsomer Murders: The Fans' Favourites includes the intriguing The Killings At Badger's Drift, which is the pilot episode of the series involving elderly spinster Emily Simpson (Renee Asherson) who is murdered in her cottage after witnessing something shocking while searching for a rare orchid, the Spurred Coral Root, in the woods — part of a competition with her friend Lucy bellringer (Rosalie Crutchley).

A number of the residents of Badger's Drift are hiding secrets, but what do the camp young undertaker Dennis Rainbird (perfectly portrayed by Richard Cant) and his strange mother Iris (the equally clever Elizabeth Spriggs) know about it? And why is the wife of Dr Lessiter (Bill Wallis), Barbara (Diana Hardcastle) being blackmailed?

Perhaps young Katherine Lacey (Emily Mortimer), who is to marry the wealthy Henry Trace (Julian Glover) knows more than she will admit to? And why does she continually fight with her artist brother Michael (Colin Firth's equally talented brother Jonathan)? Does the murder have any connection with the death of Henry's wife Bella, years before? And why is Bella's sister Phyllis (Selina Cadell) so nervous?

Music composed by Jim Parker; Produced by Betty Willingale and Brian True-May; Director of Photography is Nigel Walters; Directed by Jeremy Siberston.

Also included is Ring Out Your Dead, where Midsomer Wellow's bellringers are about to enter the local Striking Competition. The obsessive Peter Fagan (Adrian Scarborough) is determined that Midsomer Wellow should win — but suddenly the bellringers are being bumped off one-by-one.

The lovely Jen Ebbrell (Caroline Lintott) is about to marry Liam Brocker (Siamus Whitty) but womaniser Gregg Tutt (Dugald Bruce-Lockart), whose wife Sue (Clare Holmes) has just thrown him out after finding him in bed with the sexy lady of the manor Rosalind Parr (Carmen du Sautay), is also interested in her.

When Gregg is killed, Liam is led to believe that Jen had made an assignation with him and he calls off the marriage. As more bodies pile up, each bears part of the nursery rhyme Ding Dong Dell, and Barnaby begins to believe the deaths have something to do with a 19th Century killing where some bellringers despatched their vicar.

Ring Out Your Dead also features: Hugh Bonneville as Hugh Barton, a once-successful businessman who has fallen on hard times; Jamie de Courcey as Marcus Steadman; Gwen Taylor as Frances le Bon and Julia Swift as Angie Blumstone. This episode is written by Christopher Russell and Directed by Sarah Hellings.

The other two episodes are: Orchis Fatalis, where the arrival of a beautiful rare orchid smuggled into Midsomer Malham seems to be the trigger for a spate of murders; and The Sword of Guillaume where during a trip to Brighton, Barnaby's cousin DCD John Barnaby helps him to investigate the beheading of a local businessman at a fair.

• Midsomer Murders: The Fans' Favourites | Release Date: 7 May 2012 | Running Time: 386 minutes approx on 4 discs | RRP: £25.99 | Catalogue Number AV8023.

Special features: Biography of the writer | Cast Filmographies.

Midsomer Murders: The Crystal CollectionFans of the superb Midsomer Murders will have cause to celebrate further with a second DVD boxed set celebrating the 15th anniversary of Britain's most popular crime drama — Midsomer Murders: The Crystal Collection.

in addition to the thrilling pilot episode The Killings At Badger's Drift and Ring Out Your Dead, this contains an amazing 13 more episodes of this brilliant series: Written In Blood; Dead Man's Eleven; Sauce For The Goose; Vixen's Run; Left For Dead; Fit For Murder; Strangler's Wood; Destroying Angel; The Maid In Splendour; A Tale Of Two Hamlets; They Seek Him Here; Secrets And Spies; and Dark Secrets. Enough to satisfy even the most avid Midsomer fan.

• Midsomer Murders: The Crystal Collection | Release Date: 7 May 2012 | Running Time: 1,440 Minutes approx on 15 discs | RRP: £99.99 | Catalogue No: AV8022.

Special Features: Biography of the Writer | Fascinating Facts | Cast Filmographies | Midsomer Map | Interview with John Nettles & Jason Hughes.

"Riveting storylines, likeable characters and keep-you-guessing plots give the mystery crime drama series Midsomer Murders an irresistible appeal" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar