An important race at a boys' school is a background for murder in "Murder on St. Malley's Day," from season 5 of Midsomer Murders, starring John Nettles and Daniel Casey as Barnaby and Troy. The boy who is murdered, Daniel Talbot, has recently lost his grandfather, who ran the school and was succeeded by Daniel's father (Jeremy Child), a cold, demanding man. After the boy collapses and dies near the finish line of a race, it becomes apparent that there are lots of secrets. Chief of them is the Pudding Club, of which Daniel was a member, and which seems to have a life all of its own.
Two more murders follow as Barnaby and Troy dig to find out what all these people are hiding, who met Daniel and killed him while he was racing, why did he wander off his route during the race, and why is everyone in the Pudding Club so uptight? Very good mystery with an unexpected ending, one of the better ones in the series. These stories tend to be complicated and require one to focus - it's not easy, mindless entertainment, and I like that about them. For some reason, I've always been partial to Barnaby's first partner, Troy, and it's easy to see why in this episode. He's delightful and very attractive.
John Nettles manages to bring warmth to Barnaby despite the severity of his questioning and the seriousness of the case.
Very good - recommended.