Case file · Series 20, Episode 6 · Season 20, Episode 6
Send in the Clowns
A touring circus loses a performer in the ring before a sabotaged sword act turns another volunteer into a victim.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
The big top supplies the spectacle, but the real pressure comes from a family arguing over whether the circus has a future at all.
- Best for
- Touring circus · Family business · Revenge
- 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 big top supplies the spectacle, but the real pressure comes from a family arguing over whether the circus has a future at all.
Performer Terry Bellini intends to leave Ferabbee's Circus with his wife and daughter after receiving another offer, but he is shot during his act. A volunteer is then killed when the swords in a stage illusion are deliberately altered.
The Ferabbee brothers disagree about whether the circus should survive, and a third death at an abattoir pulls a local business into the same history. Barnaby and Winter investigate the performers' loyalties and an earlier death that somebody believes the family never answered for.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in Send in the Clowns? (spoiler)
The murders form a revenge sequence connected to an earlier death, while disagreements over the circus's future help conceal who can move freely behind the acts.
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 20
- Episode number
- Episode 6
- Written by
- Julia Gilbert
- Directed by
- Nick Laughland
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 13 July 2018 14 January 2020
- Reported filming period
- August–September 2017
- Detective
- DCI John Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Jamie Winter
- Pathologist
- Dr Fleur Perkins · Annette Badland
- Principal setting
- Swynton Magna
- 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; 2 exact sites.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits7 episodes credited to Julia Gilbert
- Director credits9 episodes directed by Nick Laughland
- Release positionCase 122 of 144
- Story characterEccentric · Touring circus · Family business
- Location evidence2 exact screen-use matches
Jay Miller's Circus appears as the fictional Ferabbee's Circus rather than the production building a permanent village location.
The Angel in Long Crendon is used as Ashley Denton's restaurant in fictional Swynton Magna.
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
Send in the Clowns cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Fiona Dolman
Isabel Shaw
Andrew Gower
Kevin Eldon
Lorraine Ashbourne
Neil Stuke
Andrew Knott
Lorraine Burroughs
Terence Maynard
Mike Grady
Jonathan Bonnici
Joni Kamen
Frankie McLaughlin
George Paish
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
- Terry Bellini
Murder · Gunshot
Performer check- Terry Bellini: Kevin EldonThe published cast record includes Terry Bellini’s circus nickname, Groucho; the concise list of deaths retains the name without the nickname.
- Ashley Denton
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Performer check- Ashley Denton: Terence Maynard
- Curtis Ferabbee
Murder · Stabbing or impalement
Performer check- Curtis Ferabbee: Neil Stuke
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in Send in the Clowns? (spoiler)
Daniella BelliniDaniella replaced the blanks in Terry Bellini's act to kill him, sabotaged the sword illusion intending to kill Les Morrison but killed Ashley Denton instead, and killed Curtis Ferabbee at the abattoir. Les's original plan to frighten Terry, Mostyn Cartwright's thefts and Ashley's scheme against the circus remain separate from Daniella's revenge killings.
Verified motive
Daniella took revenge for twin sister Elsa's fatal circus accident after learning Terry had skipped the safety checks and Les had falsified the log to protect the show. Terry was killed as the person she held responsible, Ashley died in the trap meant for Les, and Curtis was killed so Joe would feel the loss of a sibling that Daniella blamed the circus family for causing.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was Send in the Clowns filmed?
Jay Miller's Circus
Used as: The working circus appears under the fictional Ferabbee's Circus identity.
The Angel
Used as: The restaurant appears as Ashley Denton's restaurant in fictional Swynton Magna.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas