Midsomer Murders star Neil Dudgeon has revealed that stepping into John Nettles' shoes in the ITV series was a "hard" challenge. He took on the role of DCI John Barnaby during the programme's 14th series and recently spoke candidly about his concerns over being "cancelled" following his debut series.
Fear of Being Replaced
"It was hard at the beginning because John [Nettles] had done it for 14 years," Neil confided to Radio Times magazine in a previous interview. "If they'd cancelled me after one series, that would have been embarrassing! It gets easier, but I try to keep it fresh. Even if I've gone through the script 50 times, I'll look at it again and have another thought."
He went on to say: "It's still extremely pleasant and I'm extremely grateful," reports the Mirror. This isn't the first occasion Neil has discussed the prospect of being replaced as the lead detective.
Taking It Year by Year
While he has no immediate plans to leave the ITV drama, Neil previously spoke exclusively to Reach PLC about his time on the show. When asked whether he'd like to hold onto the part for "as long as possible," Neil said, "I think so, I mean I wouldn't want to do it to the point where it's embarrassing, and he's just too old. I just take it a year at a time."
"When they first came to me, I was asked, 'How do you feel if John leaves Midsomer Murders?' and I said, 'It would be fantastic, and I'd love to'," Neil recalled when questioned about stepping into the role. "I started off thinking, 'I'll do the first episode and see how it is,' and then they might think, 'Oh, we made a terrible mistake, or he's awful'."
Vindication and Longevity
Neil revealed he was delighted when ITV renewed the long-running series, which is filmed in Oxfordshire. He continued: "At the end of the first series, they recommissioned it, and I thought it was great because that sort of vindicates that people had faith in me to give me the job in the first place."
"So that was great to have the first recommission and do a second series. When I first started, somebody said to me, 'I think everybody would be happy if you did another three years or so,' and 15 years later, I am still doing it. So, I think everyone is pleased that it is still going, but I always take it a year at a time, and at the end of every series, I think, 'Are there going to be more?'"
"Sooner or later, somebody is going to say there can't be any more stories in Midsomer, but we keep coming up with them, and people seem to like it."
Midsomer Murders is available to watch on ITVX.
