A Tale of Two Hamlets is the fourth episode of the sixth series of Midsomer Murders and originally aired 24th January 2003.
The villages of Upper and Lower Warden have been feuding since the days of Cromwell and the Civil War, but now the feud has taken a deadly turn. Larry Smith, the star of a horror film titled The House of Satan, is murdered. Some residents of Lower Warden object to the fact that an important piece of local history has been turned into a cheap horror film. DCS Tom Barnaby and DS Gavin Troy delve into the family history to find the solution.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Danny Pinchel is drowned by having his head held down in a pot full of gazpacho; a cold tomato soup.
- High-Voltage Death: Frank Webster, the second Victim of the Week, is murdered when the killer hooks up his exercise bike in the gymnasium to the mains power.
- Non-Indicative Name: The hamlet of Lower Warden is actually at a higher elevation than the hamlet of Upper Warden.
- Pop The Tyres: While visiting the Hamlet of Lower Warden, Barnaby and Troy discover that one of the locals has let down all four tyres on their car. At the end of the episode, after Barnaby has figured out who the killer is, Troy returns the favour by letting down the tyres on the killer's motorbike. When the killer attempts to escape Barnaby, he runs to his bike only to discover it immobilised and Troy waiting to arrest him.
- Two Dun It: The first two murders were committed by Danny Pinchel and Phil Harrison working in concert. The third murder was Phil Harrison disposing of his partner-in-crime.
