Midsomer Murders cast members who left the show and why they did so

Midsomer Murders, a mainstay of British prime-time television for the past 27 years, has become one of ITV’s most successful shows since its inception in 1997, with nearly 150 episodes.

The program focuses on a series of murder cases that take place in the picturesque villages of the fictional English county of Midsomer. It chronicles the efforts of a senior police detective and his partner from the fictional Midsomer Constabulary as they strive to solve the case by identifying the perpetrator and their motives.

Throughout its run, the series was led by two detectives Tom Barnaby, followed by his cousin John Barnaby, who were ably supported by a number of cast members.

The Barnabys have partnered with several sergeants throughout the show: Detective Sergeant (DS) Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey), DS Dan Scott (John Hopkins), DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), DS Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee), and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix).

The crime drama has introduced many memorable characters to our screens, including those played by John Nettles and Neil Dudgeon. However, the ITV series has seen a revolving door of stars, the Express reports.

Here are some of the key cast members who chose to leave and the reasons why they did so.

John Nettles – DCI Tom Barnaby

John Nettles played the role of DCI Tom Barnaby since his debut in 1997, before stepping down 14 years later in 2011. Explaining his decision to quit the show, John told The Telegraph: “I didn’t never thought when I was shooting the pilot for The Killings at Badger’s Drift in 1996 that I would go on to film so many episodes.

“It was a joy to be involved in such a long series with so many good actors and great stories. It’s the end of an era for me.

He continued: “I suddenly realized I’m going to be the oldest detective in the business now that David Jason has stepped down. But it was a very difficult decision to make.

“I’ll be doing Midsomer Murders for 14 years until Barnaby goes. We have formed family bonds with the people involved in the show and they will be hard to break. It’s always wise to leave people wanting more than to be booed off the stage for boring them.”

Jane Wymark – Joyce Barnaby

Like her on-screen husband John, Jane made her series debut in the first episode in 1997 and also left in 2011. Speaking about her reason for leaving, the actress said she was excited to “do things different”.

At the time, she told the Birmingham Mail: “I’m relieved I don’t have to be the nicest person in the world anymore! It is a heavy burden to bear. I want to be completely evil now, a very bad person with no redeeming qualities and a terribly good cook!”

She continued: ‘Tom’s retirement will be hard on Joyce – when he mentioned it before she was horrified. I certainly would be if my husband said he was retiring. But John and I have talked about him leaving for a long time, it didn’t come out of nowhere and I agree, that’s enough, I like Joyce, but now I can do different things.

Laura Howard – Cully Barnaby

Laura Howard played Tom Barnaby’s inquisitive daughter Cully from the premiere episode until 2011. Laura left the show in season 13 when her character married Simon Dixon and her father retired.

Speaking about quitting the drama, Laura told the Evening Standard: ‘I was 19 when I filmed the first episode and 30 when I filmed the wedding last summer. Midsomer Murders was quite prohibitive in terms of being able to do other work and it felt like the right time to say goodbye.”

Daniel Casey – DS Gavin Troy

Daniel Casey played Tom’s loyal companion Gavin Troy from the first episode until season seven in 2003. He later returned briefly in season 11. On his decision to leave, he told the magazine Saga: “I knew I didn’t want to stick with the same thing for too long and I wanted to branch out.”

Barry Jackson – Dr. George Bullard

Barry Jackson played Causton’s resident pathologist, Dr. George Bullard, until season 14. The actor left the show when his character decided to take a break and left the fictional south Oxfordshire town for Ireland.

However, when he left the role behind, Barry shared some frustrations with the scripts. “My complaint is that I would like to do a bit more,” he told Birmingham Live. “I hate it when Bullard just says ‘died between 12 and 2.30.’ It’s a bad show if I can’t write anything.”

Jason Hughes – DS Benjamin Jones

Jason Hughes joined the show in season nine, portraying DS Benjamin Jones. He left the show after five seasons, departing in season 15 before making a brief return in series 19.

His exit came when doctors told him he was suffering from exhaustion. He told the Daily Mail: ‘I was completely exhausted getting up at 4.30am in Brighton to catch the train to London and then to wherever I was filming in Buckinghamshire, then making the journey back and getting home at 9pm.

“It was starting to affect my health and I was so tired that I wasn’t good to anyone, not at home or at work.” He went on to add, “My doctor told me I was suffering from exhaustion and the only answer was rest.”