Knebworth House, Knebworth, Herts, UK – Midsomer Murders, The Dark Rider (2012) - Movie Locations on Waymarking.com

The episode starts by Bentham de Quetteville falling off the roof of his house after seeing a headless horseman riding by. The headless horseman is believed to be the ghost of Sir Geoffrey de Quetteville, who, if he points a finger at someone, legend has it that they die. Barnaby isn’t convinced.

This isn’t the first death associated with the ghost. A few years earlier Toby de Quetteville’s first wife died after seeing the ghost, an event which has traumatised Toby’s son, Simon. Life for Barnaby gets more complicated when Toby’s bombastic brother, Julian, dies frombeing hit by a tree branch after seeing the ghost. The tree branch had obviously been used as a battering ram to hit Julian, leading Barnaby to conclude that the ghost would have needed an accomplice.

The neighbouring family, the Fleetwoods, come under suspicion when it is realised that Julian had made a wager with them shortly before his death. The wager would be won or lost dependent on the outcome of a civil war enactment battle to be held at the de Quetteville’s house. Apparently there has been antipathy between the Fleetwoods and the de Quettevilles since the civil war.

The final death occurs when Toby’s father, Ludo, is hit by a falling gargoyle. Inheritence becomes another possibility for Barnaby to consider. Could Betty, Toby’s wife be a possibility. That theory becomes somewhat cloudy when Diana de Quetteville offers the inheritance to the Harry Fleetwood if he leaves his wife. This can only be possible if Simon is actually Julian’s son.

Things come to a head when a motorcyclist is seen by Barnaby leaving the de Quetteville’s house after he had put a guard on the house. Obviously someone is using a secret passage. Barnaby follows the motorcyclist to a barn, where the motorcyclist shoots at the headless ghost costume that is hanging there. When Barnaby and Jones go inside the barn they find Sash Fleetwood hiding there. She confesses that she had been the original ghost, woth only the intention of frightening the de Quetevilles. Toby had found out and blackmailed her to continue as the ghost in his murderous plans to inherit the house. Barnaby goes back to the house and arrests Toby.

It is interesting that the de Quetteville house, Knebworth House, is supposed to be near to the Fleetwood house. In reality this cannot be as the Fleetwood House lies higher than Knebworth House, itself the highest point in the area and surrounded by trees. Obviously the Fleetwood House location is elsewhere, with an aerial shot of Knebworth used as a decoy in the filming.

Movie or TV Show: Midsomer Murders - The Dark Rider Year Released or First Aired: 2,012.00 IMDB Link: [Web Link]

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