(Photo: Getty Images)
The new season of Midsomer Murders begins Monday (December 12) on Acorn TV, so we're taking the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the show's longtime lead actor. Here are just seven reasons why we can't get enough of Neil Dudgeon.
1. He's really earned his stripes on Midsomer Murders.
From 1997 to 2011, John Nettles led the crime drama series as DCI Tom Barnaby, a character who was truly beloved by viewers. When Nettles decided to depart, Dudgeon took over as DCI John Barnaby, Tom's younger cousin. Since then, he's really made Midsomer Murders his own: so much so that the show's upcoming season, its 23rd, will be his 10th at the helm.

2. And John Barnaby isn't his only Midsomer Murders role.
Yes, really! More than a decade before he joined the cast full-time, Dudgeon made a guest appearance in the 2000 episode "Garden of Death" as a character called Daniel Bolt. We have the evidence below.

3. He's also a fine comic actor.
From 2009 to 2011, Dudgeon starred opposite Caroline Quentin in The Life of Riley, a hit BBC sitcom about a dysfunctional family that was popular with viewers of all ages. The cast also included Marcia Warren, who can currently be seen as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in The Crown.

4. He popped up in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Dudgeon has a small but memorable role as the London "cabbie" who takes Renee Zellweger's title character to meet Colin Firth's Mark Darcy in the pouring rain. It's such a romantic moment.

5. He hasn't let success go to his head.
Midsomer Murders is popular in the U.K. and U.S., but did you know it's really, really popular in Sweden? In this interview on British daytime show This Morning, Dudgeon talks charmingly about being mobbed by fans when he visited the Scandinavian nation.

6. He definitely has a playful streak.
His co-star Nick Hendrix, who plays DS Jamie Winter, has revealed that Dudgeon has a very crafty way of making him "corpse" – or burst into laughter while delivering lines. "I've heard talk that DCI John Barnaby is accusing me of being a bit of a corpser and giggler on set," Hendrix told the Daily Express. "And I will say that my giggling, which does happen sometimes, it’s rife, around 4.30/5pm where you start to go a bit strange because you have been filming since 8am. I would say that Neil keeps a very straight face but he does it to trap me..."
Pretty sneaky, right?
7. And finally, he has no intention of saying goodbye to Midsomer Murders.
Hearteningly, Dudgeon has suggested that the only way he'd leave the show is when retirement beckons. "As long as people want to keep watching it, it's a great show to do," he told Radio Times in 2020. "So I can't imagine why I would – I think if I stopped doing Midsomer, I'd kind of stop doing things entirely. It's like Dr. Johnson said about London: when a man is tired of London he's tired of life. I think when an actor's tired of doing Midsomer, he's tired of acting."
Are you looking forward to the new season of Midsomer Murders?