Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon appeared on This Morning to discuss the 23rd series of the show. However, he was left squirming after being asked if he’d been axed.
Moments after joining Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning on Friday, Neil was grilled about whether the 23rd series would be his final appearance.
Alison inquired: “I think the question on everybody’s lips is this the end of DCI Barnaby?”
A perplexed Neil responded: “Why? ” as Alison continued, “There have been rumours that this could be the end.”
The actor retorted: “Somebody knows something I don’t,” adding: “Somebody is trying to get rid of me.”
The ITV presenter went on to point out that Midsomer Murder fans had to vote for their favourite episode, and Neil wasn’t in it.
Alison remarked: “You lost out,” adding: “That is the reason I am asking.”
In a light-hearted response, Neil quipped: “Does this mean I am getting the elbow? And this is how I find out.”
Clarifying his situation, he assured: “As far as I know, I am still here. We are shooting again next year, and the last I heard, I am in it, but I haven’t read the script yet, so I don’t know.”
When questioned about his long-standing role on the show, the actor behind John Barnaby acknowledged: “If you’re going to make TV shows, it is just great.
“You’re talking about the wonderful guests that we have in, the amazing stories that our writers come up with. I think things like, you know, you say drag queens and dominoes, and you don’t think, ‘Oh, maybe that is Line of Duty,’ that is comedy, and we do the most interesting things.
“We film in all the most beautiful places, we have those wonderful guests. So why would I move on?”
“That’s very true,” Alison agreed, which led Neil to joke: “Unless somebody pushes me out.”
The much-anticipated finale, airing on Sunday night, will see lead detective Neil Dudgeon, Nick Hendrix, Fiona Dolman, and Annette Badland, along with special appearances from Ace Bhatti, Suzanne Packer, Nigel Lindsay, and LJ Johnson.
This final episode marks the end of the 23rd series, while series 24 is already causing a stir overseas, and series 25 has been confirmed.
The storyline for the episode, titled ‘Dressed to Kill’ reads: “Residents of Elverton-Cum-Latterly engage in a dominoes competition that has been a tradition for decades, but when the event coincides with a drag queen fundraiser for a terminally ill teenager, the resulting culture clash is both monumental and fatal.”
Midsomer Murders returns on Sunday at 8pm on ITV.