Case file · Series 20, Episode 3 · Season 20, Episode 3
Drawing Dead
A comic convention appears to predict a sequence of killings connected to the night a local woman was badly injured.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The episode turns panels, costumes and comic-book violence into a trail whose most important event happened before the convention opened.
- Best for
- Comic convention · Illustrated prophecy · Old accident
- 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 episode turns panels, costumes and comic-book violence into a trail whose most important event happened before the convention opened.
Francesca Lounds has spent two years in a coma following a riding accident. Shortly after she wakes, somebody ends her life and leaves a rolled comic as part of the staging; her son Barrett is then killed using equipment that belongs in a print room.
Carver Valley is hosting a comic festival, and published images seem to anticipate the crimes. Barnaby and Winter examine the artists, collectors and family members behind the event while reconstructing what really occurred on the night Francesca was injured.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in Drawing Dead? (spoiler)
The apparently prophetic drawings are a route back to Francesca's accident, the people present that night and a sequence designed to silence what she might reveal.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 20
- Episode number
- Episode 3
- Written by
- Jeff Povey
- Directed by
- Toby Frow
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 8 June 2018 19 May 2019
- Reported filming period
- May–June 2017
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
- Principal setting
- Carver Valley
- Casebook tone
- Eccentric
Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.
Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 0 mapped areas; 2 exact sites.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits8 episodes credited to Jeff Povey
- Director credits3 episodes directed by Toby Frow
- Release positionCase 119 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Comic convention · Illustrated prophecy
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
The village green at The Lee becomes the centre of Carver Valley's comic convention.
Dorney Court supplies the exterior of Lord Argo's house.
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
Drawing Dead cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Bill Bailey
Darwin Chipping is an enthusiast within the comic-book and graphic-art world examined in Drawing Dead. Bailey's offbeat delivery is a natural fit for the episode's collision of fandom, commerce and village eccentricity.
Open actor profile →
Jemma Redgrave
Redgrave plays Dr Juno Starling in Drawing Dead, a case set around comic-book art and the fictional Midsomer convention scene. Her role gives the episode a recognisable dramatic performer amid its more playful setting.
Open actor profile →Fiona Dolman
Nicholas Farrell
Ruby Bentall
Nicholas Burns
Ellen Thomas
Will Brown
Elena Saurel
Ben Caplan
Heather Wright
Eloise Joseph
Joshua Williams
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
- Francesca Lounds
Murder · Suffocation
Performer check- Francesca Lounds: Heather Wright
- Barrett Lounds
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Performer check- Barrett Lounds: Nicholas Burns
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in Drawing Dead? (spoiler)
Timothy Argo · Dr. Juno StarlingTimothy killed his father Conrad Argo with a poker, and Juno staged a burglary to protect her son. Years later Juno killed Francesca Lounds when Francesca emerged from her coma, killed Barrett Lounds after he recognised the evidence and tried to silence Stella. Isaac Starling had accidentally caused Francesca's original injury and concealed it, but did not commit either present-day murder.
Verified motive
Timothy killed Conrad after years of contempt and ridicule, triggered by Conrad laughing at the festival Timothy had worked to sustain. Juno then killed Francesca when she might remember seeing Timothy flee and Barrett when he recognised Juno's handkerchief, framing both as the parental protection of her son at all costs; Isaac and Stella's concealment remains separate.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was Drawing Dead filmed?
Dorney Court
Used as: The Tudor house appears as Lord Argo's residence.
The Lee village green
Used as: The green becomes the Carver Valley comic-con site.
Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas
Places connected to this file
No real filming place is confirmed for this case.