Not quite as good as the previous episode "The Green Man", which saw us bidding farewell to Sergeant Troy. "Bad Tidings" sees the debut of Barnaby's new sergeant, Sergeant Scott.
And a good debut it is too. Quite often new characters don't fit instantly and take a while to settle and to warm to, but Scott fits very well at first sight and doesn't make one miss Troy too much at all John Hopkins brings charm and intensity to the part, and works like a glove with John Nettles who is as always a joy as Barnaby. All the cast do great jobs, with Helen Grace a standout.
The production values are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's occasional grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
Meanwhile, the script is smart and thought-provoking with some nice quirky humour, a suitable dark grimness and colourful characters. The story is compelling, and never simplistic and never losing any of the maturity of most of the previous episodes. There is a lot going on mostly without being cluttered or rushed (remarkable for an episode that as ever is heavy in exposition), and that nothing is what it seems, or very few people are who they seem adds to the complexity, while there are no out of kilter scenes.
"Bad Tidings" twists, red herrings and turns, in classic 'Midsomer Murders' tradition, keep coming, and while there could have been more suspects and a couple of them are a touch obvious there's hardly a shortage of them. The characters are lively enough.
It is agreed though that the motives are on the dull side, prefer the more twisted ones myself, and there are a few loose ends at the end not tied up particularly well.
Otherwise, a very good episode and debut for Barnaby's new sergeant. 8/10 Bethany Cox