Hidden Depths is the sixth episode of the eighth series of Midsomer Murders and was originally aired on 13th March 2005.
DCI Barnaby and DS Scott investigate the death of Nick Turner who fell — or was pushed — off the roof of his house. Turner was a well-known local solicitor but the investigation reveals that there is considerable sum of money missing from clients' accounts. As well, his downstairs neighbour, Jack Wilmot, has been missing since the day Turner died. Not only is Wilmot's wife Antonia acting strangely but Turner's wife may not be as aggrieved as she is making out to be. In searching for Wilmot, they also become suspicious of his team mates in the local pub quiz league, Otto Benham and Mike Spicer. When one of them is killed, the police are sure they are dealing with murder. The solution to the crime rests with locating a hidden wine cellar, uncovering a clever con and resolving a case of mis-identification.
Tropes:
- Awful Wedded Life: Bernie Benham was not only a witness to her husband's bizarre murder, she calls out corrections when the murderer misses.
- Bizarre Beverage Use: Has-been quiz show host Mike Spicer is forced to answer questions and slowly drowned in wine as he gets them wrong.
- Cell Phones Are Useless: Barnaby and Scott get locked in a cellar where there is no cell reception.
- Death by Irony: Otto Benham is murdered with a combination of his hobbies of crochet, model siege equipment and wine, while has-been quiz show host Mike Spicer is forced to answer questions and slowly drowned in wine as he gets them wrong.
- Death Faked for You: Nick Turner exploits his resemblance to Jack Wilmot to kill Jack while pretending he was murdered, leaving him free to bump off the other culprits in the scam that left him so out of pocket without suspicion.
- Forced to Watch: Otto Benham, a snobby wine lover, is tied to his lawn while the murderer is catapulting wine bottles at him. His wife, Bernie, has been taken to the window and her wheelchair disabled in order to make her watch the whole thing (though the murderer remains unidentified). When she sees the bottle miss, she calls out corrections in aim to the murderer. The next morning, the police arrive but she, of course, didn't see anything.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Otto Benham is tied down to the lawn while the murderer uses a small catapult to hurl filled bottles at him. His wife, Bernie, sees the whole thing and corrects the murderer's aim.
- Happier Home Movie: A has been celebrity who used to host a TV quiz show is shown at home watching a video of a command performance where he got to meet Princess Diana. He constantly rewinding and re-watching the part where Diana shakes his hand.
- Murder by Inaction: Otto Benham, a snobby wine lover, is tied to his lawn while the murderer is catapulting wine bottles at him. His wife, Bernie, has been taken to the window and her wheelchair disabled in order to make her watch the whole thing (though the murderer remains unidentified). When she sees the bottle miss, she calls out corrections in aim to the murderer. The next morning, the police arrive but she, of course, didn't see anything.
