The Village Murder Casebook

Case file · Series 25, Episode 2 · Season 25, Episode 2

Lawn of the Dead

A bowling-club groundsman and antiques dealer is murdered after a disputed friendly match exposes deeper club resentments.

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.

  • Shiplake Village Bowling Club · Binfield Heath, Oxfordshire

    The real bowling green becomes Midsomer Deverell Lawn Bowling Club.

    Filming source ↗
  • The Bottle and Glass Inn · Binfield Heath, Oxfordshire

    The inn appears under the fictional café identity Midsomer Mocca.

    Filming source ↗

Map lookup by place name. A private house’s exact address is not marked.

Selected episode credits

Lawn of the Dead cast

These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.

The 60-second case card

Should I watch this one?

The genteel order of lawn bowls provides an ideal surface for competitive grievance and disputed valuables.

Best for
Lawn bowls · Antiques · Club rivalry
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 genteel order of lawn bowls provides an ideal surface for competitive grievance and disputed valuables.

Wilf Worrell serves as groundsman and referee at the Midsomer Deverell Lawn Bowling Club while also trading antiques. His death follows a match that ended in a public argument over his decision, giving Barnaby and Winter an immediate circle of sporting and commercial suspects.

A missing painting, an attack inside Wilf's home and a second death expand the inquiry beyond a bad refereeing call. As the club championship approaches, the investigation turns towards jealousy, possession and the possibility that one victim was killed in another person's place.

  • Lawn bowls
  • Antiques
  • Club rivalry
Break the seal: reveal the finding

Who was the killer in Lawn of the Dead? (spoiler)

The final explanation rests on jealousy, a disputed object and an intended target whose identity is obscured by the timing of the second killing.

More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information

Credits, context and checked facts

Production and cast

TV series
Series 25
Episode number
Episode 2
Written by
Maria Ward
Directed by
Roberto Bangura
Listed transmission date(s)
15 December 2025
Reported filming period
April–May 2025
Detective
DCI John Barnaby
Partner
DS Jamie Winter
Pathologist
Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
Principal setting
Midsomer Deverell
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 credits4 episodes credited to Maria Ward
  • Director credits4 episodes directed by Roberto Bangura
  • Release positionCase 142 of 144
  • Story characterEccentric · Lawn bowls · Antiques
  • Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
A real bowling green

Shiplake Village Bowling Club provides the fictional Midsomer Deverell club and its playing surface.

Coffee stop

The Bottle and Glass Inn at Binfield Heath appears as Midsomer Mocca, connecting the sporting story to the village's wider social world.

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.

Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.

Forensic team

Dr Fleur Perkins

Credit
Resident pathologist
Played by
Annette Badland
Meet the Casebook pathologists →

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
  1. Wilf Worrell

    Murder · Stabbing or impalement

    Performer check
    • Wilf Worrell: Frazer HinesThe earlier list expanded the victim’s given name to Wilfred; the published cast record and episode dossier use Wilf Worrell, retained here.
  2. Dale McManus

    Murder · Other recorded death

    Performer check
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Series 25 · episode 2 · checked 15 September 2026

Who was the killer in Lawn of the Dead? (spoiler)

Jack Pollock

Jack killed Wilf Worrell and staged the scene to implicate Harry Chatwyn, then killed Dale McManus after Dale arrived in the woods instead of Jack's intended target Harry. Jack also faked his father Archie's kidnapping and planned to kill Harry; Archie's earlier injury during the painting theft was accidental.

Verified motive

Jack's failed investments, tax exposure and need to prove himself to an emotionally absent father and provide for Jenny drove the scheme. He killed Wilf after the refused bailout and feared exposure, accidentally killed Dale in a trap meant for Harry, then faked Archie's kidnapping to clear his debts and planned to kill Harry, whom he wrongly believed Jenny would leave him for.

Search the complete deaths index →

Real place → fictional identity

Where was Lawn of the Dead filmed?

Binfield Heath, Oxfordshire

Shiplake Village Bowling Club

Used as: The real bowling green becomes Midsomer Deverell Lawn Bowling Club.

Binfield Heath, Oxfordshire

The Bottle and Glass Inn

Used as: The inn appears under the fictional café identity Midsomer Mocca.

Sources accompany the identified filming places.

Wider filming areas

Places connected to this file

Location research remains open.

No real filming place is confirmed for this case.