The Sleeper under the Hill is a solid early episode of the show for John Barnaby. It starts off with a very macabre opening, crows pecking away at a body on a sacrificial stone, quite graphic, certainly very visual.
I liked this story, I know others have mentioned a few technical flaws, I think reality has long since vanished in Midsomer, this show now very much represents escapism.
Dudgeon is very good here, he's witty and sarcastic, bouncing very well off Jones, who's still clearly unsure of his new boss. It has some nice humour, with a few sharp lines and comedy falls, but they seem to work quite well. Robert Pugh is very charismatic in it, a very strong personality, his scenes were very good.
The introduction of new Mortician Kate, I was never a huge fan of her character to be honest, none of them have been as good as George.
Very good overall, better then some of the reviews would lead you to believe. 8/10