Neil Dudgeon and Nick Hendrix have become the best of friends on Midsomer Murders. Whether they’re shooting the series in Oxfordshire, or teaming up on press tours, the co-stars can barely keep a straight face. “Nick and I get on very well, [we] have a very lovely time together. He’s a terrible giggler, which always makes me laugh,” Neil, 63, revealed to PBS.
For 13 years, Neil has fronted Midsomer Murders as DCI John Barnaby, while Nick, 39, signed on as his partner in crime, Detective Sergeant Jamie Winter, in 2016.
“Neil is an inspiration, he is a mentor figure really, a father figure. I have learned so much from him both from acting and in life,” Nick raved to This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in 2024.
While they’d already met each other in chemistry reads, Neil and Nick became particularly close on the set. “We spend so much time together. We’re together 12 hours a day, five days a week for seven or eight months of the year,” Neil previously explained.
Echoing this sentiment, Nick quipped that he and Neil had become like a “married couple” after working together for so long. “Sometimes you’ll find us just quietly reading the paper and not talking to each other, or deep in [a] political debate,” he remarked to the Express.
Prior to Nick’s arrival in Midsomer, Neil’s character had worked with two other sidekicks, starting with Jason Hughes – aka DS Ben Jones.
“I love Neil; I have such a soft spot for him. He’s a wonderful man, so intelligent, bright and funny and one of the easiest people I have had the pleasure of working with,” Jason told Great British Life in 2017.
“He is very open and willing to try anything and always comes up with some great suggestions. I’m glad he hasn’t changed or become too grand. He’s very humble and it’s so nice to be around someone with such humility.”
Following Jason’s 2013 exit, which he attributed to exhaustion, Neil was partnered up with Gwilym Lee for three seasons. Cast as DS Charlie Nelson, the character solved crimes alongside Tom Barnaby up until series 18.
After introducing Barnaby to DS Jamie Winter in the 19th instalment, the characters have become a winning duo, but when will see them back on our screens? Following the release of season 24, viewers are hoping for a milestone 25th, but ITV has yet to confirm any news.
In the meantime, Neil has stated that he has “no intention” of quitting his role and would only step down as the lead when he retires from acting. “I think if I stopped doing Midsomer, I’d kind of stop doing things entirely,” he explained, adding: “It’s like Dr Johnson said about London: when a man is tired of London he’s tired of life. I think when an actor’s tired of doing Midsomer he’s tired of acting.”
