Case file · Series 18, Episode 4 · Season 18, Episode 4
A Dying Art
The opening of a sculpture park is followed by murder, an explosive inheritance announcement and questions about who created its art.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Ownership applies to almost everything in the case—the land, the sculptures, the artistic ideas and the future promised to a family.
- Best for
- Sculpture park · Inheritance · Plagiarism
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Charlie Nelson
- Spoiler guidance
- Read the premise freely; open the marked sections only after watching. Check the linked provider advisory for further viewing information.
Why it matters
Ownership applies to almost everything in the case—the land, the sculptures, the artistic ideas and the future promised to a family.
Brandon Monkford is murdered beside a centrepiece work on the opening night of the Angel's Rise sculpture park. His decision to disinherit his wife Alexandra and their children places the park and its unexpected beneficiary at the centre of the inquiry.
Tony Pitt's plans for the site provoke anger before he becomes the next victim. Barnaby and Nelson then uncover doubts about whether celebrated artist Lance Auden created the work carrying his name, adding intellectual theft to the disputes over land and money.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in A Dying Art? (spoiler)
The murders grow from disputed inheritance and stolen artistic identity, with the park preserving evidence of who created—and who claimed—the work on display.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 18
- Episode number
- Episode 4
- Written by
- Jeff Povey
- Directed by
- Matt Carter
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 3 February 2016
- Reported filming period
- July–August 2015
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Charlie Nelson
- Pathologist
- Dr Kam Karimore · Manjinder Virk
- Principal setting
- Angel's Rise
- Casebook tone
- Eccentric
Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.
Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 1 mapped area; 1 exact site.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits8 episodes credited to Jeff Povey
- Director credits8 episodes directed by Matt Carter
- Release positionCase 108 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Sculpture park · Inheritance
- Location evidence1 exact screen-use match
The local pub at Fingest appears as the pub in fictional Angel's Rise.
A Colstrope cottage is documented as another filming site, but the published reference does not assign it a reliable fictional identity.
Sources for the production file
Published episode chronology and credits ↗Official ITV programme page ↗Filming-location reference index ↗Credits follow the linked chronology. Dates can differ between territories. Consult original credits for story, teleplay and adaptation wording. External synopses may contain spoilers.
Selected episode credits
A Dying Art cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Fiona Dolman
Adrian Scarborough
Saskia Reeves
Ramon Tikaram
David Bamber
Cara Horgan
Charlotte Beaumont
Cherie Lunghi
Michael Wildman
Denis Lill
John Hollingworth
David Gant
Jolyon Coy
Cat Simmons
The performers behind this case
Core cast
Follow the cast links for full actor and character guides.
Neil Dudgeon
John Barnaby · Detective Chief Inspector- Messiah
- Life of Riley
- The Mrs Bradley Mysteries
Gwilym Lee
Charlie Nelson · Detective Sergeant- Bohemian Rhapsody
- The Great
- Jamestown
Manjinder Virk
Dr Kam Karimore · Police pathologist- The Arbor
- Trigger Point
- Out of Darkness
Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.
Forensic team
Dr Kam Karimore
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Manjinder Virk
Spoiler-controlled deaths
Deaths recorded in this case
3 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
- Brandon Monkford
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Brandon Monkford: David Gant
- Tony Pitt
Murder · Crushing
Performer check- Tony Pitt: Adrian Scarborough
- Lance Auden
Murder · Other recorded death
Performer check- Lance Auden: Ramon TikaramThe earlier synopsis-derived list printed Lance Orden; the published cast record supports Lance Auden, used here.
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in A Dying Art? (spoiler)
Summer PittSummer killed Brandon Monkford when he dismissed her claim that Lance Auden had stolen her designs, killed her husband Tony when he would not remove Lance from their lives, and killed Lance to protect their daughter Helena. Her attempt to burn Daniel Fargo with the stolen works was stopped; Brin Dunne destroyed a sculpture but was not the killer.
Verified motive
Summer acted from the erasure of her artistic identity after Lance stole her portfolio, including work honouring her mother, and received the recognition denied to her. She killed Brandon when he mocked her claim, Tony when he refused to remove Lance from their lives and Lance when she saw him repeating the same exploitation with Helena; destroying the stolen works was meant to erase his false legacy.
Verified decisive clue
Archive case 108 · checked 25 September 2026Lance's portfolio of stolen death-scene designsNone of the works he sold appear in his portfolio, and the art college confirms he took another student's ideas. The drawings point to Summer, who explains how Lance stole her memorial sculpture and why she attacked Brandon, Tony and Lance. Her attempted attack on Daniel is interrupted; the sculpture's separate destruction does not identify the killer.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was A Dying Art filmed?
The Chequers
Used as: The village pub appears as the pub in fictional Angel's Rise.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas