Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit

Annette Badland plays Fleur Perkins in Midsomer Murders (Image: (Image: ITV))

Annette Badland, famed for her role as Fleur Perkins in Midsomer Murders, has been at the heart of speculation regarding her potential replacement on the ITV drama. Despite no current plans to exit the series, bookies have been busy calculating odds on who might fill her shoes, with Happy Valley's Sarah Lancashire tipped at 3/1 by Betway.

Other contenders include Imelda Staunton at 7/2, Lesley Manville at 8/1, and Penelope Wilton at 12/1. Ruth Jones of Gavin and Stacey fame is also in the running with odds of 14/1, followed by Miriam Margoyles at 20/1.

Fans have expressed concerns about Annette's possible departure online, with one anxious viewer posting on a Facebook fan page: "Has Annette Badland left Midsomer? Please let me know."

Other fans' replies echoed this sentiment, with comments such as "I hope not; she is brilliant."

"I hope not I love her," and "Hope not she is great.", reports Leeds Live.

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Annette Badland has been on the show for three years (Image: ITV)

Since joining Midsomer Murders in 2019 as the motorcycle-enthusiast chief pathologist, Annette has become an integral part of the show, which is now in its 20th season.

In an interview with Express.co.uk, Annette discussed her character, Fleur, and addressed the topic of being replaced.

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The seasoned actress revealed: "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.

Sarah Lancashire is the bookies' favourite (Image: PA Media)

"It's terrific, you know, and there should be more - and they exist in real life - characters like that, really."

Expanding on the role, she disclosed: "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.

"Then they said, 'Oh, I know, we'll have them send a fax 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 declared with pride.

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Annette isn't alone in pondering her replaceability within Midsomer Murders. Neil Dudgeon, John Nettles's successor as the show's chief investigator, felt uncertain about his security in the early days.

He confessed to Radio Times: "If they'd cancelled me after one series, that would have been embarrassing! It gets easier, but I try to keep it fresh. Even if I've gone through the script 50 times, I'll look at it again and have another thought."

"I still find the job exceptionally enjoyable and am profoundly thankful for it."

Midsomer Murders is available to watch on the ITV Hub.

Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit

Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit

Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit

Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit

Midsomer Murders' Fleur Perkins star 'to be replaced' by Happy Valley icon after exit