MIDSOMER Murders star Neil Dudgeon has hit out at ITV bosses and begged for them to make a huge change to the show.
Neil, 63, has said that the broadcaster is letting fans down by only airing a few episodes at a time and filling gaps with repeat episodes.
The Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason alum, who has now starred in over 50 episodes of the ITV crime drama, has warned that “no show is bulletproof” and reverting to the old format could be the thing that saves it.
Neil currently leads Midsomer Murders as its lead, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby. The actor has the utmost respect for the series and his role in it, but said that the fans deserve more consistency.
“Some years ago, ITV decided to schedule single episodes, or just two episodes from a series, so that Midsomer could take on rival shows on the other side,” Neil explained.
Midsomer Murders is currently in its 23rd season, with a new episode broadcast last night (July 16) and another to follow next Tuesday (July 23).
However, Neil has a major problem with this format.
He said: “I think this is a shame. For an audience with any programme, they like to know when their show is going to be on, say, for the next four weeks. But they stopped doing this some time ago.
“They started dotting them against whatever’s on the BBC, for instance. It’s been brilliant because we’ve kept our audience, and the audience is very loyal, and they love the show.
“But it would be nice if it went out as a series again, but we’ve got two [new episodes] this time.”
Neil also said he thinks viewers are getting confused or switching off because of repeat episodes.
“I think that’s terrible. Because you put a new episode on, and people think, ‘Oh, a new series’. And then the following week you follow it with a repeat. People sit there and start watching and say, ‘Hang on. I’ve seen this before,’” he said.
“If you keep messing with your audience, you’re going to lose your audience with just about anything.
“But we’re a victim of our success in a way.”
That said, the actor worries this format could become a problem for keeping their audience engaged long term.
He explained: “I don’t think any show is bulletproof. The better the quality of the show, the more likely you are to keep your audience and grow your audience.
“But if you make your audience unhappy, or if they can’t find the show, or if they get confused about it, you can alienate your audience – although it is easier to find it on catch-up now.”
The rate at which viewers are consuming content is continually increasing, though, and this became an issue during the pandemic.
“People were at home and they wanted the stuff. So broadcasters were generally using up their content more quickly than they expected. They were coming back to Midsomer HQ and saying, ‘Oh, we need more episodes,’” he revealed.
For Neil, the appeal of Midsomer Murders is the “escapism” it provides.
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“I find it rather marvellous that people were finding a kind of an escapist release in Midsomer, which is all about murder, but it’s kind of heightened reality, or a slightly different reality of its own, or something. So that even in these sort of terrible times people could escape from that,” Neil gushed.
He added that the whodunnits are exciting because they keep everyone guessing. Even he doesn’t know who the culprit is ahead of filming.
“Out of the 50 odd episodes that I’ve done, I’ve only picked one,” he said.
Midsomer Murders continues on Tuesday on ITV1 at 8pm and is available to stream in ITVX.
