Ring Out Your Dead

"Ring Out Your Dead"
Midsomer Murders episode
Episode no.	Series 5 Episode 3
Directed by	Sarah Hellings
Written by	Christopher Russell
Original air date	15 September 2002 (2002-09-15)
Running time	99 minutes
Guest appearances
Gemma Jones (Masie Gooch) Hugh Bonneville (Hugh Barton) Dugard Bruce Lockhart (Greg Tutt) Gwen Taylor (Frances Le Bon) Jamie de Courcey (Marcus Steadman) Graham Crowden (Reggie Barton) Carmen du Sautoy (Rosalind Parr) Adrian Scarborough (Peter Fogden) Lyndsey Marshal (Emma Tysoe) Clare Holman (Sue Tutt)
Episode chronology

"Ring Out Your Dead" is the third episode of the fifth series of Midsomer Murders and the twentieth episode overall. It stars John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and Daniel Casey as Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy.

Synopsis

The Midsomer Wellow bell-ringing band is stalked by an elusive serial killer on the eve of a major tournament. A cute new member distracts some of the bell ringers of Midsomer Wellow from concentrating on the upcoming striking competition, but they still manage to place a group bet on a horse called Ring-A-Ding, which wins them 30,000 pounds. This combination of gambling and church bell ringing enrages some portions of the village. When one of the ringers is found in the tower, shot through the heart and clutching the ironic words "Ding Dong Bell", Barnaby isn't amused. As another murder takes place, Chief Inspector Barnaby wonders if he should be looking for a maniac, or the rather more rational nemesis of a rival team.

Murders

Throughout the episode, there are 4 murders, one of which is historical. There is also a death by natural causes.

1. Greg Tutt: Lured to his death by a letter supposedly from another character asking to meet at the bell tower, then shot through the heart.
2. Emma Tysoe: Shot through the heart on the day of her wedding.
3. Marcus Steadman: Fears that he is being followed which brings on a panic attack, inflaming his asthma. After collapsing on a footbridge he is then pushed in a river with a walking stick, where he subsequently drowns.
4. The Reverend Jonathan Ebbrel : This murder takes place in 1860. The legend goes that the bellringers murdered him and hid his body in a well because he imposed strict rules on the bell ringers.

Other deaths

Reggie Barton: Dies of natural causes in his sleep.