ITV slaps Midsomer Murders with utterly bizarre trigger warning

ITV has found itself under fire for including trigger warnings on some episodes of Midsomer Murders.

The British crime drama series has been on screens since 1997 and is based on the novels in the Chief Inspector Barnaby book series created by Caroline Graham.

It focuses on various murder cases that take place within small country villages across the fictional English county of Midsomer, and the efforts of police to solve them.

Over the years it has featured two lead stars – John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby from 1997 until 2011 and then Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby, Tom’s younger cousin, since 2011.  

All 23 seasons of the series are available to watch on ITVX, however viewers have been left scratching their heads after noticing warnings about ‘violence’ and ‘crime scene images’.   

Midsomer Murders’ 140 episodes have seen 388 murders, 423 deaths in total and 250 attempted murders.

Over the years, some of the more unusual demises of victims included being crushed by a massive round of cheese, being shoved into a tumble dryer and being smeared with truffle oil, tied to a tree and left to the mercies of wild boars.

So, when noticing the warnings, many were quite confused.

‘I always thought the clue was in the name… #MidsomerMurders,’ Alan Davies posted on X.

‘Beyond ridiculous,’ Linda Floyd shared.

One such warning is included on the 2001 episode The Electric Vendetta, with viewers told it ‘contains some violence and autopsy nudity’.

Game Of Thrones actor Anton Lesser appeared in two episodes, Talking To The Dead and Birds Of Prey, both of which now have content warnings.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Anton said he ‘understood the good intentions of broadcasters’ who took care to warn of effects like flashing images but was ‘surprised’ Midsomer Murders ‘warrants a warning’.

‘I do remember my character in Birds Of Prey hurling a plate of sausages to the floor – perhaps there should be a disclaimer, No sausages were hurt in this film,’ he added.

Meanwhile Dame Siân Phillips, who starred in the 2006 episode Vixen’s Run and which now features the warning ‘contains mild language and some violence’, told the publication: ‘Is the word “murder” in the title not enough to warn people there’s a chance they might encounter a spot of violence?’

However, Toby Draper commented on one X post slamming the warnings: ‘Why is this a problem?’

Poking fun at the outrage, actress Fiona Dolman, who has played John’s wife Sarah since 2011, posted on X: ‘May contain violence. You have been warned.’

In a statement to , an ITV spokesperson said: ‘The guidance for episodes of Midsomer Murders streaming on ITVX has always been in place and is also included for ITV1 transmission.’

The matter was also discussed on Monday’s episode of Lorraine, with the host frustrated by the warnings.

Although she said trigger warnings can be important additions in many cases, the title of the show made the content obvious.

‘Yeah, but we know! It’s called Midsomer Murders. We know there will be a murder- even more than one!’ she said.

She added that warning about violence in Midsomer Murders ‘is like saying today watching Wimbledon there may well be bouncing balls’.