As someone with their finger firmly on the pulse of modern trends, you’ll be aware that the streaming service ITVX has started to put a (Oh, how I just love the expressions!) ‘Trigger Warning’ before they screen every old episode of Midsomer Murders.
Since it began on ITV One in 1997 there have been 133 episodes of Midsomer Murders across 23 series.
I’m not a massive fan, but I’ve watched quite a few and they make pleasant enough Sunday evening viewing with a pot of tea and a pile of sandwiches filled with chicken leftover from Sunday lunch – especially those made during the John Nettles years.
The episodes, I mean. Not the chicken sandwiches!
I don’t know if ITV One are making a new series, but ITVX are warning viewers that their repeats of a show called Midsomer Murders, which feature the depiction and investigation of murders (usually a minimum of two – maximum of three per episode) . . . ‘May contain scenes of violence’.
‘May’?
Frankly, when I watch murder mysteries, I’d be disappointed if there wasn’t a murder in it that featured a splash of the red stuff.
Because it’s a TV drama and not a documentary!
We know the actors aren’t really murdered, get up to ask “Was that alright?” and unless they’re required to die again, they go home.
‘Midsomer’ is well known with fans of this genre for dispatching victims by ludicrously contrived methods, which include being fired from a giant catapult and being pelted by bottles while staked out on a lawn.
To be clear – they were two different murders in two different episodes!
If this amiably daft series has a trigger warning, shouldn’t other TV programmes?
Like party political broadcasts?
“The following programme features a professional windbag full of empty promises!”
Or any of those ‘Psychological thrillers’ spread over four nights . . .
“This terrible series is badly written, atrociously acted and you’ll guess the ending within the first 10 minutes!”
And let’s not forget “The One Show” . . . although I try.
“Doing the washing-up will be more entertaining and enlightening . . . so go and do that instead!”