Case file · Series 6, Episode 5 · Season 6, Episode 5
Birds of Prey
A suspicious drowning and an illegal birds'-egg inquiry converge on failed investments, a falconry centre and disputed research.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
Troy's wildlife case and Barnaby's murder inquiry begin on separate tracks before the same trade in rarity and credibility joins them.
- Best for
- Birds of prey · Scientific fraud · Estate rivalry
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DS Gavin Troy
- 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
Troy's wildlife case and Barnaby's murder inquiry begin on separate tracks before the same trade in rarity and credibility joins them.
Julian Shepherd appears to have driven into a lake while facing bankruptcy, but the post-mortem establishes that he was murdered. He had been trying to recover money invested in a supposedly lucrative scheme connected to wealthy local interests.
At the same time, Troy assists a wildlife officer investigating protected birds' eggs. A hit-and-run victim with an illegal collection and the theatrical killing of a historian bring both inquiries together around fraud, ownership and scientific claims.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in Birds of Prey? (spoiler)
The investment scheme and the traffic in rare specimens are linked by people selling credibility they do not possess; later deaths prevent that fraud being exposed.
Spoiler-safe viewing companion
Three questions to carry into the episode
Three spoiler-safe questions for your rewatch.
- Place
What does Midsomer Magna conceal?
- Theme
Which details could have more than one meaning?
- Teamwork
Watch DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy: who notices what?
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 6
- Episode number
- Episode 5
- Written by
- Michael Russell
- Directed by
- Jeremy Silberston
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 31 January 2003
- Reported filming period
- October–November 2002
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Gavin Troy
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Magna
- Casebook tone
- Eccentric
Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.
Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 2 mapped areas; 2 exact sites.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits5 episodes credited to Michael Russell
- Director credits9 episodes directed by Jeremy Silberston
- Release positionCase 28 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Birds of prey · Scientific fraud
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
Britwell House at Britwell Salome supplies the principal residence used for Naomi Sinclair.
Haddenham provides church, pond and butcher-shop views, while a Cuddington cottage becomes the Macpherson home.
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
Birds of Prey cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Jane Wymark
Laura Howard
Neil Conrich
Neville Phillips
Anton Lesser
Trevor Cooper
Rosalind Knight
Bernard Gallagher
Alexandra Gilbreath
David Calder
Jemma Churchill
Tim Treloar
Robert Morgan
Richard Todd
Harry Gostelow
Nicholas Pritchard
Candida Benson
Janet Maw
Kenneth Gilbert
Edward Clayton
Kate Buffery
Sheila Shand Gibbs
The performers behind this case
Core cast
Follow the cast links for full actor and character guides.
John Nettles
Tom Barnaby · Detective Chief Inspector- Bergerac
- Poldark
- Royal Shakespeare Company
Daniel Casey
Gavin Troy · Detective Sergeant · later Inspector- Our Friends in the North
- Steel River Blues
- Midsomer Murders on stage
Barry Jackson
Dr George Bullard · Police pathologist- Cathy Come Home
- Doctor Who
- Barry Lyndon
Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.
Forensic team
Dr George Bullard
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Barry Jackson
Spoiler-controlled deaths
Deaths recorded in this case
4 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
- Edward "Eddie" Darwin
Murder · Vehicle or machinery
Performer check- Edward “Eddie” Darwin: Anton LesserThe list of deaths uses Edward Darwin; the published cast record credits the familiar form Eddie Darwin, both retained here.
- Major George Hamilton
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Performer check- Major George Hamilton: David CalderThe list of deaths identifies ‘Major Hamilton’; the published cast record supplies the given name George, used here.
- Julian Shepherd
Murder · Drowning
Performer check- Julian Shepherd: Robert Morgan
- Charles Edmonton
Accidental, natural or other · Natural or unexplained
Performer check- Charles Edmonton: Richard Todd
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in Birds of Prey? (spoiler)
Dr Naomi SinclairNaomi drowned Julian Shepherd in his bath and staged the car in the river, ran down Eddie Darwin, and killed George Hamilton when the investment fraud was at risk of exposure. Her later attempt to kill Mallory Edmonton with the birds is kept separate, while Charles Edmonton's death remains unassigned rather than inferred.
Verified motive
Naomi killed the people who could expose or deprive her of the investment-fraud proceeds, which she wanted to escape dependence and finance her own life: Julian demanded his investment back, Eddie's break-in threatened discovery and George controlled the money. She then tried to make Mallory disappear and take the blame.
Verified important clue
Archive case 28 · checked 16 September 2026Julian Shepherd's unnaturally scrubbed bathroomJulian was notoriously untidy, yet his bath had been cleaned with bleach; the inconsistency directs the inquiry back from the river to the house and exposes the car crash as staging after he was drowned in the bath.
Verified decisive clue
Archive case 28 · checked 17 September 2026Julian's scrubbed bathroom and the trackless riverbankThere are no tyre or skid marks where Julian's car entered the river, while the notoriously untidy man's bathroom has been scrubbed with bleach. Together those facts show that he was drowned in the bath and the crash was staged, connecting Naomi to the fraud-driven sequence while keeping Charles's natural death separate.
Verified red herring
Archive case 28 · checked 17 September 2026Julian Shepherd's apparent suicide in the riverJulian's depression, family and money troubles make the submerged car look self-inflicted, and the absence of drink or a high-speed impact does not immediately contradict that reading. The car leaves no tyre or skid marks because Julian was drowned in his bath; Naomi staged the vehicle in the river after killing him.
Verified death and discovery order
Archive case 28 · checked 16 September 2026- deathCharles Edmonton dies
Charles dies from a heart attack; the episode does not assign his death to Naomi or any other killer.
- discoveryCharles is concealed in a freezer
His body is kept frozen so that a false death date can protect the investment launch.
- deathJulian Shepherd is drowned
Naomi drowns Julian in his bath after he demands the return of his investment.
- discoveryJulian's car is found in the river
The staged crash initially suggests suicide, but the absence of tyre marks and later evidence expose the deception.
- deathEddie Darwin is run down
Naomi kills Eddie after his break-in threatens to expose Charles's concealed body and the fraud.
- discoveryThe hit-and-run is traced to Casement Hall
Eddie's final movements connect the fatal collision to the freezer and the investment scheme.
- deathGeorge Hamilton is killed
Naomi kills George when his control of the fraud proceeds threatens her escape and access to the money.
- discoveryNaomi's sequence is exposed
The resolution connects the three murders and the interrupted attack on Mallory while leaving Charles's natural death unassigned.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was Birds of Prey filmed?
Britwell House
Used as: The country house becomes Naomi Sinclair's residence.
Ruislip Crematorium
Used as: The crematorium represents Midsomer Magna's crematorium for Charles Edmonton's funeral.
Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas
