ITV Midsomer Murders future confirmed after show disappears from TV schedule

ITV has responded to concerns about the future of Midsomer Murders after it vanished from the TV schedule. The first episode of series 23 aired last night and was met with criticism, leading some viewers to demand "Bring back Vera!"

The detective thriller returned on Sunday night but sparked outrage when it was labelled as "far-fetched" on Twitter and then disappeared from the upcoming programming schedule. However, ITV has reassured fans that rumours of the show's cancellation are "inaccurate".

An ITV spokesperson told Express.co.uk: "We only ever had one episode of Midsomer Murders scheduled as they are standalone stories and there'll be more episodes in the coming months."

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Three more episodes from series 23 are yet to be broadcast, and series 24, filmed last summer, is set to start airing at an unconfirmed date. While plans for a 25th series have not been revealed, it seems unlikely that the show, which debuted 17 years ago, will conclude anytime soon, reports the Express.

It comes after bookied put the series at 8/11 odds to be cancelled after the airing of the new series. Lee Astley, spokesperson for betideas.com, said: “The new series of Midsomer Murders was met with a mixed reception last night and with no confirmed date for its second episode, it appears ITV could be losing patience with its long-running drama.

“Series 23, whenever it does resume, could well be the last one to hit our screens, with the show now just 8/11 to be canned after the latest season is aired. Meanwhile, ITV bosses could look to keep hold of the show but instead give it a major revamp to appeal to new viewers, including a new cast, with Midsomer Murders 6/4 to receive a significant rebrand.”

The latest instalment of Midsomer Murders saw soap legend Nina Wadia make her mark, joining stalwarts Neil Dudgeon (DCI John Barnaby) and Nick Hendrix (DS Jamie Winter). The drama escalated when a survivalist's body was found in a bomb shelter.

Yet, some viewers weren't buying the episode's authenticity, with one viewer lamenting: "Don't know why, but no matter how hard I try to like this show I can never get into it. Just bring back Vera."

"Jonesy needs to come back as DCI and get rid of the wokeness, then it might be ok again. #midsomermurders," another fan suggested. A third added their take with a hint of sarcasm: "Catching up with last night's #Midsomermurders and absolute classic murder weapons - a self-inflating dinghy and a tin of chopped ham and pork. Bring on the cheese wheel! ".

Joining in the banter, another quipped: "Death by Spam! ". While many mocked the "unrealistic" storyline, one viewer didn't mince words: "Possibly the worst #midsomermurders I've ever seen... and let's face it, it's been dire for many seasons now."

But it wasn't all negative feedback, as some fans expressed on Twitter that the fresh plot had "made their weekend" Voicing frustration over the erratic airing schedule, one fan exclaimed: "Why oh why only one episode #MidsomerMurders? Getting really p***** off with ITV doing this!"