A former guest star on Midsomer Murders has expressed bafflement that ITV has put a trigger warning on some episodes.
Endeavour actor Anton Lesser, who appeared in two episodes of the long-running crime drama, declared his surprise that ITV has decided to put warnings on some episodes when you watch them on its streaming service, ITVX.
Curiously for a show clearly featuring murders one of the warnings reads: "Contains some violence and crime scene images".
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Lesser, whose credits also include The Hour and Game of Thrones, said: "I understand the good intentions of broadcasters who take care to warn of effects like flashing images, but I'm surprised something like Midsomer Murders warrants a warning. I do remember my character in 'Birds of Prey' hurling a plate of sausages to the floor — perhaps there should be a disclaimer, 'No sausages were hurt in this film'."
The 2003 episode of Midsomer Murders Lesser refers to starred John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby and that particular episode on the ITVX site comes with the warning: "This programme contains scenes that some viewers may find distressing." No mention of the sausages.
An ITVX spokesman told the paper: "Programming that contains potentially sensitive or distressing themes, content or language has carried appropriate guidance since our launch. We regularly review our catalog to ensure the right guidance is in place."
There's been plenty of debate as to whether TV shows, movies and theatre productions should come with trigger warnings or not. Earlier this year, Harry Potter actor Ralph Fiennes said trigger warnings put out before plays had made audiences go "soft". While he was happy with warnings for scenes that may affect people physically, he told the BBC: "The impact of theatre should be that you're shocked, and should be that you're disturbed, I don’t think you should be prepared for these things." Matt Smith, also speaking to the BBC, added his voice to the debate, saying he agreed with Fiennes.
Midsomer Murders 2024 continues with a new episode called "The Debt of Lies" airing on Tuesday, July 16 at 8.15 pm on ITV1. And, yes, it will feature crime scene images! Indeed, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) investigates a murder at a police retirement community. Tom Conti is among the guest stars.
