Case file · Series 7, Episode 5 · Season 7, Episode 5
The Maid in Splendour
Two shootings at a beloved village pub leave Barnaby asking whether the first victim was ever the intended target.
The 60-second case card
Should I watch this one?
One pub appears in two visual forms, neatly echoing a case in which ownership and intended victims are both contested.
- Best for
- Village pub · Family business · Mistaken target
- Mood
- Classic
- Team
- DCI Tom Barnaby with DS Dan Scott
- 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
One pub appears in two visual forms, neatly echoing a case in which ownership and intended victims are both contested.
The Maid in Splendour remains popular under former landlord Michael Bannerman, but control has passed to his severe son Stephen. Young barman Jamie Cruickshank is shot outside the pub, shocking a staff and clientele already divided over how the business should be run.
Stephen is then killed with the same weapon, forcing Barnaby and Scott to reconsider the first shooting. Family expectations, an undeclared relationship and plans for the pub all depend on deciding whether Jamie was the target or simply in somebody else's place.
Break the seal: reveal the finding
Who was the killer in The Maid in Splendour? (spoiler)
The order of the shootings matters: the first death is part of a plan centred on the Bannerman family, the pub's future and a relationship kept from view.
Spoiler-safe viewing companion
Three questions to carry into the episode
Three spoiler-safe questions for your rewatch.
- Place
What does Midsomer Worthy conceal?
- Theme
Which details could have more than one meaning?
- Teamwork
Watch DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Dan Scott: who notices what?
More episode detailsProduction, cast, deaths and filming information
Credits, context and checked facts
Production and cast
- TV series
- Series 7
- Episode number
- Episode 5
- Written by
- Andrew Payne
- Directed by
- Richard Holthouse
- Listed transmission date(s)
- 25 January 2004
- Reported filming period
- September–October 2003
- Detective
- DCI Tom Barnaby
- Partner
- DS Dan Scott
- Pathologist
- Dr George Bullard · Barry Jackson
- Principal setting
- Midsomer Worthy
- Casebook tone
- Classic
Sources accompany the production credits and filming links.
Fictional settings and real filming places are listed separately. Filming links include 4 mapped areas; 3 exact sites.
Credits and archive connections
- Writer credits11 episodes credited to Andrew Payne
- Director credits16 episodes directed by Richard Holthouse
- Release positionCase 33 of 144
- Story characterClassic · Village pub · Family business
- Location evidence3 exact screen-use matches
The George Hotel at Dorchester-on-Thames supplies The Maid in Splendour, while Nettlebed's White Hart represents its refurbished appearance.
Dorchester Museum becomes the conservation society office, and a Haddenham house supplies the Cruickshank garage.
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
The Maid in Splendour cast
These selected cast entries link to their published profiles. They do not include every name shown in the end credits.
Jane Wymark
Laura Howard
Frances Tomelty
William Gaunt
Dave Hill
Freddie Jones
Alan Cox
Siobhan Hewlett
John Sackville
Sophie Hunter
Rachel Power
Leon Ockenden
Raymond Coulthard
Peter-Hugo Daly
Elaine Donnelly
Stephen Beresford
The performers behind this case
Core cast
Follow the cast links for full actor and character guides.
John Nettles
Tom Barnaby · Detective Chief Inspector- Bergerac
- Poldark
- Royal Shakespeare Company
John Hopkins
Dan Scott · Detective Sergeant- Royal Shakespeare Company
- Poldark
- Horizon game series
Barry Jackson
Dr George Bullard · Police pathologist- Cathy Come Home
- Doctor Who
- Barry Lyndon
Image credits identify the licence used. No programme publicity stills are reproduced.
Forensic team
Dr George Bullard
- Credit
- Resident pathologist
- Played by
- Barry Jackson
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
- Jamie Cruickshank
Murder · Gunshot
Performer check- Jamie Cruickshank: Leon Ockenden
- Stephen Bannerman
Murder · Gunshot
Performer check- Stephen Bannerman: Alan Cox
Break a second seal: reveal the verified killer
Who was the killer in The Maid in Splendour? (spoiler)
Michael Bannerman · Audrey Monday (accessory)Michael shot Jamie Cruickshank after mistaking him for Stephen Bannerman, then deliberately killed Stephen. Audrey supplied the shotgun, fed Michael information and was charged as an accessory to both murders; she is labelled by role rather than presented as the physical shooter.
Verified motive
Michael's jealousy over Stephen's relationship with Bella, and anger at Stephen's plan to sell the pub, drove the intended attack; Jamie died because Michael mistook him for Stephen. Audrey supplied the gun and information because she believed Stephen's removal would return Michael to her.
Verified important clue
Archive case 33 · checked 16 September 2026The obsolete Wilkinshaw shotgun cartridgesThe spent cartridges could only come from an old, unregistered weapon, directing the inquiry to Audrey's late husband's shotgun and then to the gun she supplied Michael; this links the same weapon to both shootings without erasing Jamie's mistaken-target status.
Verified decisive clue
Archive case 33 · checked 17 September 2026The obsolete Wilkinshaw cartridges and the old shooting photographThe spent cartridges require an old, unregistered shotgun, and the photograph shows Audrey's late husband with just such a weapon. Following that gun proves Audrey supplied it to Michael, preserving Michael as the shooter, Audrey as an accessory and Jamie as the victim mistaken for Stephen.
Verified red herring
Archive case 33 · checked 17 September 2026Jamie Cruickshank as the intended shooting targetThe first inquiry centres on Jamie's relationships, work and possible enemies because he alone is found shot outside the pub. His new cap and jacket closely resemble Stephen Bannerman's: Michael attacked the figure he believed was Stephen, making Jamie a mistaken victim rather than the person the murder plan was built around.
Verified death and discovery order
Archive case 33 · checked 16 September 2026- discoveryAudrey supplies the shotgun and information
Audrey gives Michael the gun and tells him about Stephen and Bella, expecting Stephen's removal to reunite her with Michael.
- deathJamie Cruickshank is shot
Michael mistakes Jamie for Stephen outside the pub and kills the unintended victim.
- discoveryThe first target is reconsidered
Jamie's movements and knowledge of Stephen's affair show why Michael could have mistaken him for the intended target.
- deathStephen Bannerman is shot
Michael deliberately kills Stephen on the path after Audrey reports Stephen's meeting about selling the pub.
- discoveryAudrey's accessory role is established
Her lies, the supplied weapon and the information she passed to Michael lead to an accessory charge for both murders.
Real place → fictional identity
Where was The Maid in Splendour filmed?
The George Hotel
Used as: The hotel first appears as The Maid in Splendour pub.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Dorchester Museum
Used as: The museum becomes the Midsomer Worthy conservation society's premises.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.
The White Hart Hotel
Used as: The hotel supplies The Maid in Splendour's refurbished screen appearance.
Representative photograph of the real filming location; the exact camera angle or building may differ.Sources accompany the identified filming places.
Wider filming areas
