Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
Midsomer Murders star Annette Badland previously opened up to Express.co.uk on why she believes her iconic character Fleur Perkins is irreplaceable. The actress shared a glimpse behind the scenes, explaining her conviction that Fleur is here to stay ahead of the latest 2024 series.
Joining the cast in 2019 as the motorcycle-loving chief pathologist Fleur Perkins, Annette became part of Midsomer Murders in its 20th season, while the ITV favourite has been gracing screens for a quarter of a century. The latest instalment, entitled The Debt of Lies, saw Fleur return alongside Neil Dudgeon's DCI John Barnaby, Nick Hendrix's DS Jamie Winter and Sarah Barnaby, who is portrayed by Fiona Dolman.
Annette, 73, previously discussed the origins of her character Fleur, providing an intriguing explanation for her belief that Fleur "won't be replaced" in an exclusive interview from 2022. Annette mused: "It's brilliant to play an older woman who's got a very interesting private life and who is very good at her job and can send the blokes up and intrigue them and things.
"It's terrific, you know, and there should be more - and they exist in real life - characters like that, really."
Annette Badland plays Fleur Perkins on Midsomer Murders (Image: ITV)Fleur then recounted how the show's producers came to create the character of Fleur after reaching an unexpected decision.
"When the producer asked me to do it, they said that one time the person playing the pathologist had been ill and they didn't know how to get around it when they were filming," Annette recalled.
"Then they said, 'Oh, I know, we'll have them send a fax through with the details and Barnaby can read it out.'
"And he said, 'I wanted a new character who could not be replaced by a fax machine.'
"So Fleur certainly can't be replaced by a fax machine!" the actor proudly stated.
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Working alongside prominent actors such as the enduringly-popular Neil, Annette confessed she thoroughly enjoyed her role.
When quizzed on the reason for Midsomer Murders' impressive 25-year run on ITV, Annette responded thoughtfully.
She asserted: "I think it's quite quirky and English because the deaths are often extraordinary and the fans like that."
Adding onto this point, she mentioned: "There's humour and the calibre of actors they usually have on it is great - all the guests are tremendous."
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Annette Badland also stars in EastEnders and Outlander (Image: GETTY) window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240709.min.js"Annette's colourful career counts a plethora of memorable characters across the television landscape. These include her portrayal of tough-talking landlady Mae at Richmond Football Club's local pub in Apple TV+'s acclaimed series Ted Lasso.
In addition, she played feisty character Babe Smith in EastEnders until 2017. Her character was famously cast out from The Queen Vic after she placed a curse on her own family.
Her versatile acting extends further with roles such as Mrs Glenna Fitzgibbons in Outlander's debut season, and the nefarious slitheen Margaret Blaine in BBC's Doctor Who.
The third episode of Midsomer Murders series 23, A Grain of Truth, airs Tuesday at 8pm on ITV and ITVX.
Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
Midsomer Murders star defends 'irreplaceable' fan favourite character ahead of new season
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