A fresh wave of sinister intrigue descends upon the picturesque English countryside tonight as the long-running drama Midsomer Murders returns for a new series on ITV1 at 8.30pm. The episode throws DCI John Barnaby, played by Neil Dudgeon, and DS Jamie Winter, portrayed by Nick Hendrix, into a bitter family dispute with deadly consequences.
A Family Feud Turns Fatal
The mystery begins with the death of family patriarch Henry Shirewell in the village of Stourwick. The plot thickens when his eldest son, Lucian, a ceramicist, reveals plans to evict his siblings and transform the ancestral home into a residential artists' community. However, the discovery of a mysterious letter casts doubt on Lucian's motives and actions, prompting a police investigation. What starts as a suspicious death quickly escalates into a full-blown murder case for Barnaby and Winter to unravel.
Tonight's TV Highlights: From Lapland to the Kitchen
Beyond Midsomer, Tuesday evening offers a diverse slate of programming. For a gentler pace, Celebrity Escape to the Country (BBC One, 6.30pm) sees Nicki Chapman help broadcaster Angellica Bell and her husband Michael Underwood find a dream home in Devon.
Quiz fans can tune into Richard Osman’s Festive House of Games (BBC Two, 7pm), where Alex Brooker, Rhys Darby, Joanna Page, and Molly Rainford battle it out in the Christmas edition. Meanwhile, the kitchen heats up for a MasterChef Festive Extravaganza: Champion of Champions (BBC One, 8pm). Former winners Natalie (2013), Thomas (2020), Chariya (2023), and Brin (2024) compete to cook a meal fit for royalty, judged by food critic Tom Parker Bowles.
Celebrity Apprentice Heads to Lapland
The evening's major entertainment comes from The Celebrity Apprentice: Christmas Special (BBC One, 9pm). In a two-part special for Children in Need, Lord Alan Sugar tasks a roster of famous faces with business challenges in a wintry Lapland. Viewers can expect to see Rob Rinder, Eddie Kadi, AJ Odudu, and former contestant Tom Skinner cracking under the pressure in a bid to impress the formidable Sugar.
Finally, for a more classical note, Classic FM Live: 25th Anniversary Concert (Sky Arts, 9pm) airs a performance recorded at the Royal Albert Hall last October. The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and its chorus will perform anthems including Jerusalem, Zadok the Priest, and Nessun Dorma.
