Ring Out Your Dead
- Episode aired Sep 15, 2002
- TV-14
- 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Someone is killing off parish church bell ringers in the week before a big bell-ringing competition takes place in the village of Midsomer Mallow.Someone is killing off parish church bell ringers in the week before a big bell-ringing competition takes place in the village of Midsomer Mallow.Someone is killing off parish church bell ringers in the week before a big bell-ringing competition takes place in the village of Midsomer Mallow.
Jamie de Courcey
- Marcus Steadman
- (as Jamie De Courcey)
Lyndsey Marshal
- Emma Tysoe
- (as Lyndesy Marshal)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaReggie's comment about pilots shooting at the Luftwaffe with their service revolvers is actually based in fact. During a daylight raid against Bergen in January 1945, Flight Lieutenant Ray Harris, flying Lancaster Willing Willie with 9 Squadron, drew his service revolver and fired at White 11, the FW-190A-8 of Unteroffizier Heinz Orlowski, who had flown alongside the Lancaster to salute the pilot, in the belief that the damage that had been inflicted would prevent the aircraft from returning home. (Chapter 1 of 'Lancaster: The Biography' by Sqd Ldr Tony Iveson, DFC and Brian Milton. ISBN 978-0-233-00270-5)
- GoofsNear the beginning the bell ringers unlock the church for practice but Joyce is inside doing a brass rubbing.
- Quotes
Sue Tutt: Sorry, Reggie. We're closed. Greg and I are just terminating our marriage!
Reggie Barton: That's the spirit! You're worth ten of him!
Featured review
The perils of bell-ringing
A very well-written script. Previous reviewers seem surprised that there is a competitive element to bell-ringing (though often the "competition" is with the past, as witness the plaques on the wall of the ringing chambers), and indeed that not all those who ring are members of the host church congregation.
As a former churchwarden it may be helpful to explain that many pearl of bells are of 8 or 10 bells. There would be very few churches who could muster a sufficiency of ringers from their own congregation, so it is quite normal to offer membership of the tower to bell-ringers from other parishes and to those who are not regular church-goers. There are of course some, such as the Chairman of the Parochial Church Council (not incidentally a deacon), Reggie, who would rather have no bells at all, but they are a in a minority.
The one thing that does not ring true is the idea that the bells could be sold simply by asking the bishop to agree. As a matter of church law, the sale of church bells and almost everything else in a church requires an order, called a faculty, from a church court. These are not lightly granted and in a case such as this the likelihood that the court would allow the sale of the bells is negligible. Reggie would probably have known this, but the others might not.
Many church clocks show the same time constantly. They are complex and expensive. There are very few clock-makers in England who are able to service the turret clocks in all the churches, town halls etc throughout the country, so delay is inevitable. They are also expensive to maintain, and the expense is not likely to sit high on the church's priority list if the roof is leaking. It used to be the custom to set the hands manually to 12 noon if the clock was not working, but that is seldom done these days.
Finally I was advised that if I was going into the church on a weekday to do something in the vestry, or somewhere else out of sight of the door, to lock the door behind me. At one time parish churches were commonly left open all day and all night. It is however a sad fact of our current times that if you do you soon find all the candlesticks missing, so the church insurers insist on keeping the church locked except during the times of services unless there is someone stationed in the church to watch the door.
A very good and accurate episode.
As a former churchwarden it may be helpful to explain that many pearl of bells are of 8 or 10 bells. There would be very few churches who could muster a sufficiency of ringers from their own congregation, so it is quite normal to offer membership of the tower to bell-ringers from other parishes and to those who are not regular church-goers. There are of course some, such as the Chairman of the Parochial Church Council (not incidentally a deacon), Reggie, who would rather have no bells at all, but they are a in a minority.
The one thing that does not ring true is the idea that the bells could be sold simply by asking the bishop to agree. As a matter of church law, the sale of church bells and almost everything else in a church requires an order, called a faculty, from a church court. These are not lightly granted and in a case such as this the likelihood that the court would allow the sale of the bells is negligible. Reggie would probably have known this, but the others might not.
Many church clocks show the same time constantly. They are complex and expensive. There are very few clock-makers in England who are able to service the turret clocks in all the churches, town halls etc throughout the country, so delay is inevitable. They are also expensive to maintain, and the expense is not likely to sit high on the church's priority list if the roof is leaking. It used to be the custom to set the hands manually to 12 noon if the clock was not working, but that is seldom done these days.
Finally I was advised that if I was going into the church on a weekday to do something in the vestry, or somewhere else out of sight of the door, to lock the door behind me. At one time parish churches were commonly left open all day and all night. It is however a sad fact of our current times that if you do you soon find all the candlesticks missing, so the church insurers insist on keeping the church locked except during the times of services unless there is someone stationed in the church to watch the door.
A very good and accurate episode.
helpful•203
- cp-779-687407
- Jun 23, 2018
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Old Lodge, High Street, Taplow, Berkshire, England, UK(Sue Tutt's tea-room "Cosy Kitchen")
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3
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