S4·E4 Who Killed Cock Robin?

Episode recap

The episode opens with Dr. Burgess leaving a party at the riding school owned by Francesca Ward. While travelling home he strikes a stranger on the road outside the village of Newton Magna. The man collapses, but when Burgess looks again the figure has vanished without a trace. The incident draws the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, who begins to trace the identity of the missing individual. Barnaby’s inquiry reveals that the man was Sean O’Connell, a disgraced Irish veterinarian whose reputation in the community has been tarnished.

Further investigation leads Barnaby to the village’s newly appointed squire, Melvyn Stockard, a man described as a retired villain. Stockard’s arrival in Newton Magna coincides with a series of unsettling events, prompting Barnaby to scrutinise his background and motives. While examining the local well, the detectives uncover a body that had been concealed for some time. The corpse is identified as the father of the young man whom Stockard’s daughter intends to marry. The deceased had been a vocal opponent of the forthcoming marriage, a fact known to many in the village.

The discovery raises a series of questions that drive the investigation forward. Barnaby must determine whether Stockard, with his history as a former villain, is capable of murder, and whether he had any involvement in the death of the father who opposed his daughter’s union. At the same time, the disappearance of Sean O’Connell remains unexplained, and the connection between the vanished veterinarian and the newly uncovered homicide is unclear. The episode weaves these threads together as Barnaby and his partner piece together motives, alibis, and the hidden relationships that bind the villagers.

Set against the backdrop of the fictional English county of Midsomer, the case exemplifies the series’ pattern of tranquil rural settings being disrupted by violent crime. The investigation culminates in a confrontation that reveals the truth behind the well‑hidden body, the fate of the missing Irish vet, and the extent of the squire’s involvement, providing the resolution typical of the long‑running crime drama.