Case file · Series 25, Episode 3 · Season 25, Episode 3
Death Strikes Three
A booby-trapped cuckoo clock kills a guest after an engagement party at Godley Manor, leaving the intended target uncertain.
Verified filming locations
Every filming site currently documented in this Casebook file is listed here. The published evidence does not establish a complete production itinerary.
- The Cricketers · Littlewick Green, Berkshire
The pub exterior is used as The Raging Stag in Godley Buzzard.
Site guide → Filming source ↗ - Colwyn Cottages · Littlewick Green, Berkshire
The cottages supply Kimonie Bullitt's home and flower-shop exterior.
Location guide → Filming source ↗ - Fawley Hill · Fawley, Buckinghamshire
The Georgian house stands in for the Bruce family's Godley Manor.
Filming source ↗
Map lookup by place name. A private house’s exact address is not marked.
Selected episode credits
Death Strikes Three cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Fiona Dolman
Kevin McNally
Rebecca Front
Emily Barber
Andi Osho
Joe Dixon
Joseph Ollman
Sanjeev Kohli
Elizabeth Bower
Libby Mai
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
An extravagantly mechanical opening method gives way to a more intimate mystery about belonging to a family.
- Best for
- Cuckoo clocks · Engagement party · Family secret
- 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
An extravagantly mechanical opening method gives way to a more intimate mystery about belonging to a family.
Brad Furbank dies at Godley Manor after receiving the full force of a rigged cuckoo clock. Because the clock was a gift brought by a newly acknowledged relative, Barnaby and Winter must first decide whether Brad, his host or another member of the Bruce family was meant to trigger it.
The engagement celebration has also brought an unfamiliar branch of the family into view. Messages about a woman believed to have returned to Godley Buzzard draw the investigation towards a childhood loss, a fatal road accident and identities maintained for many years.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in Death Strikes Three? (spoiler)
The clock trap and later violence protect a family story shaped by a child's death, a concealed identity and fear of what a returning witness can prove.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 25
- Episode number
- Episode 3
- Written by
- Jeff Povey
- Directed by
- Darcia Martin
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 22 December 2025
- Reported filming period
- May–June 2025
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
- Principal setting
- Godley Buzzard
- 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 credits8 episodes credited to Jeff Povey
- Director credits1 episode directed by Darcia Martin
- Release positionCase 143 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Cuckoo clocks · Engagement party
- Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
The Cricketers at Littlewick Green appears as The Raging Stag, while nearby cottages supply a village shop and home.
Fawley Hill stands in for Godley Manor, the Bruce family estate and scene of the opening clock attack.
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.
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
3 people die in this case, according to the linked death record.
Break the seal: reveal the list of deaths
- Brad Furbank
Murder · Vehicle or machinery
Performer check- Brad Furbank: Joseph Ollman
- Aggy Marlowe / Nessie Copeland
Murder · Blunt force
Performer check- Aggy Marlowe / Nessie Copeland: Elizabeth BowerThe list of deaths records the character’s Aggy Marlowe alias alongside her Nessie Copeland identity; the published cast record credits Elizabeth Bower as Nessie Copeland.
- Kimonie Bullitt
Murder · Suffocation
Performer check- Kimonie Bullitt: Andi Osho
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in Death Strikes Three? (spoiler)
Frankie BruceFrankie rigged the clock that killed Brad Furbank, killed Nessie Copeland, also known as Aggy Marlowe, in revenge for her brother Francis's death, and killed Kimonie Bullitt when Kimonie's driving record threatened to expose her. Sylvia Bruce's earlier hit-and-run death of Laurence Lister remains a separate accident and concealment.
Verified motive
Frankie's lifelong rejection by parents who wanted a replacement for Francis shaped all three killings. She rigged the clock after recognising that Brad wanted the manor rather than her, killed Nessie in mistaken revenge for Francis, then killed Kimonie because the driving record would expose her use of Cordelia's car; the episode separates these acts from Sylvia's earlier hit-and-run.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was Death Strikes Three filmed?
The Cricketers
Used as: The pub exterior is used as The Raging Stag in Godley Buzzard.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Colwyn Cottages
Used as: The cottages supply Kimonie Bullitt's home and flower-shop exterior.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Fawley Hill
Used as: The Georgian house stands in for the Bruce family's Godley Manor.
Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas