Case file · Series 20, Episode 2 · Season 20, Episode 2
Death of the Small Coppers
A butterfly collector is displayed like one of his specimens, drawing Barnaby into an exclusive society for exceptional minds.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The series hides anniversary references throughout a murder staged with extravagant precision.
- Best for
- Butterflies · High-IQ society · Anniversary clues
- Mood
- Eccentric
- Team
- DCI John Barnaby with DS Jamie Winter
- 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
The series hides anniversary references throughout a murder staged with extravagant precision.
Butterfly collector Mahesh Sidana is found fixed to a wall like one of his specimens. His membership of the elite Circulus society brings Barnaby and Winter into a competitive circle whose intellectual tests, personal rivalries and international connections all appear relevant to the elaborate display.
Further attacks repeat the imagery of trapped insects. The detectives receive help from a familiar overseas police contact while working out why the killer has chosen both the victims and the precise anniversary-themed staging.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in Death of the Small Coppers? (spoiler)
The society's apparent intellectual contests conceal a personal history; the insect displays transform that grievance into a carefully controlled pattern.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 20
- Episode number
- Episode 2
- Written by
- Chris Murray
- Directed by
- Paul Harrison
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 1 June 2018 17 March 2019
- Reported filming period
- April–May 2017
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
- Principal setting
- Little Crosby
- 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; 3 exact sites.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits6 episodes credited to Chris Murray
- Director credits1 episode directed by Paul Harrison
- Release positionCase 118 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Butterflies · High-IQ society
- Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
The production placed twenty references to earlier cases through the episode to mark the programme's twentieth-anniversary series.
Penn School becomes Circulus School, while The Cricketers at Littlewick Green appears as Little Crosby's local pub.
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
Death of the Small Coppers cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Fiona Dolman
Ann Eleonora Jørgensen
Mark Benton
John Light
Ellie Haddington
Chance Perdomo
Niamh McGrady
Thusita Jayasundera
Peter Egan
Ella Kenion
Ray Fearon
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
Nick Hendrix
Jamie Winter · Detective Sergeant- Black Mirror
- Marcella
- The Crown
Annette Badland
Dr Fleur Perkins · Police pathologist- Ted Lasso
- Doctor Who
- EastEnders
Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.
Forensic team
Dr Fleur Perkins
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Annette Badland
Spoiler-controlled deaths
Deaths recorded in this case
2 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
- Mahesh Sidana
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Performer check- Mahesh Sidana: not listed in the current published cast recordNo Mahesh Sidana performer appears in the current published cast record; Anika Sidana is a different character.
- Grady Palmerston
Murder · Electrocution
Performer check- Grady Palmerston: Peter Egan
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in Death of the Small Coppers? (spoiler)
Grady Palmerston · Leo ScottGrady pushed Anders Nisson from the Øresund Bridge after Anders discovered Circulus's espionage and the other founders concealed it. Leo later killed Mahesh Sidana and Grady while trying to remove the people and secrets he believed stood between his father Carlton and Penny Kingdom; his crossbow threat to Jamie was interrupted.
Verified motive
Grady killed Anders after Anders uncovered Circulus's use as a front for exchanging intelligence, then coerced the other founders into concealment by threatening to implicate them. Leo's later murders had a different motive: grief and a fixation on restoring the family bond he had felt with his father and Penny. He killed Mahesh because the planned dismissal could make Penny leave, killed Grady over the article that could ruin her, and targeted Jamie as another perceived rival.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was Death of the Small Coppers filmed?
The Cricketers
Used as: The pub appears as the local in fictional Little Crosby.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Penn School
Used as: The school becomes Circulus School for the high-IQ society story.
The Deanery
Used as: The house stands in for Mahesh Sidana's home.
Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas