To think John Nettles ...

[MyNameIsElizaDay]

...is really rather sexy in Midsomer Murders.
Is this something I can repeat outloud in public?
Anyone else have an eye for him or any other actor not usually considered 'hot'?

My dad went to University with him in Southampton in the early 60s: they weren't friends, but were on friendly terms. Dad married a local girl and they had a baby in his final year, and he had a photo of John Nettles holding my half-sister at a party. Dad said that he was the best-looking man he'd ever seen in the flesh.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

Having recently binged on all ten series of Vera on Britbox, I was gutted when her first sergeant moved on. The current one is a nice enough young man but the first one was very, very lovely.

Nice

I've never watched Vera. Wish I had

Oh he was tasty in Bergerac and then matured nicely in MM. You just know Barnaby and Joyce were still At It.

I remember Judy Finnegan going on about John Nettles. OP is that you Judy?

Poor long-suffering Joyce, always attempting to look happy but in reality thinking what hard work he is

Oh come on, we all know that Joyce is having a whale of a time running about impaling people with medieval pikes behind Barnaby's back while he and his sidekicks spend ages tying themselves in knots, arresting the wrong person.

@Velcropaws

Poor long-suffering Joyce, always attempting to look happy but in reality thinking what hard work he is

Oh come on, we all know that Joyce is having a whale of a time running about impaling people with medieval pikes behind Barnaby's back while he and his sidekicks spend ages tying themselves in knots, arresting the wrong person.

Yes! Haven't watched MM for years but when I did, we were always of the view that Joyce was behind the murder epidemic in Midsomer. It's a wonder the Home Office didn't spot the highest murder rate in the Western world.

How the fuck was Joyce long-suffering? I'm sure the writers didn't give her a job so she could flit from evening class (painting) to evening class (welding) in order to provide a new setting and rosta of suspects for the murders. But all she had to do was be a housewife and she was pisspoor at that: couldn't cook; couldn't deal with tradesmen. I've just seen an episode where poor old JN has to get home in time to deal with the window fitters, or something. Why couldn't she do that, the lazy sow?

I've always liked him in Midsomer Murders from when it was first on and always preferred him to Troy.

@CoronaPeroni

Any extra-old people on here? He was Nerys Hughes' boyfriend in The Liver Birds in the 60s. God, he was insipid.

Hang on a minute??? John Nettles was in The Liver Birds? Ok mind blown!

@ChocolateCakeYum

I always preferred Troy myself (Barnaby’s first partner).

He was so wet, and an incompetent driver.

I do like that the Barnabys are - unlike every other lead role detective in existence afaik - just ordinary solid family blokes with no inner demons, no substance abuse issues etc. They're the solid centre which allows murder in villages with bizarre inhabitants and customs to be comfortable Sunday night entertainment rather than gothic horror.

Tom Barnaby is such a crap detective though, bumbling about. He seems to talk through gritted teeth and never opens his eyes properly. I'd much rather shag Columbo

I have found my people

I miss Joyce and her endeavours! The new Mrs Barnaby is so dull (as is the new Barnaby), no evening classes in painting by numbers or flower arranging for her, no dead bodies for her to find in a bush, dear old Joyce always held the key to Barnaby’s lightbulb moment of solving the murder after some profound words of wisdom from her whilst she was putting on her night cream.

I've always felt the same! Never admitted it in RL though

I was just thinking how much better Mrs B 2 is. Not just 'the wife'.

I remember saying on another AIBU that Joyve didn't seem to do much and should have got a job and someone replied very indignantly that Joyce was key to Tom's advancement in the police, raising Cully and sacrificing her own financial independence etc so I'm glad that a PP has also voiced the opinion thag Joyce was a lazy cow who lived a charmed life.

I grew up living next door to his Mum and he went to the school I went to...but he's a lot older than me.

@Nitgel

I remember Judy Finnegan going on about John Nettles. OP is that you Judy?

No, being Judy would mean married to Richard😶 A step far too far😁

This thread is hilarious, thank you.
My mind is blown by the revelation that John Nettles was in the Liver Birds, will go and see if I can find it on iplayer.

I had a liking for Robbie Coltrane but only as Cracker
I don't know why. He was the worst kind of bloke, drinking, gambling, affairs

I prefer the new Barnabys. They are a more convincing present day family; a wife with a job, a cute little daughter, a dog. The old ones seem a throwback to the 1950s. Has anyone read the original books?

@ErrolTheDragon

I was just thinking how much better Mrs B 2 is. Not just 'the wife'.

But she is just a spare part to the plot, she’s not involved in anyway at all just sat at the dinner table feeding Betty or occasionally dashing off to work, she’s just background, I must admit I don’t watch it so much these days so her involvement may have changed.

YABU for not realising that John Nettles has always been sexy 🤷‍♀️

Sykes was such a cute, clever dog. I miss him although Paddy is cute too.

I prefer the new Barnabys. They are a more convincing present day family; a wife with a job, a cute little daughter, a dog. The old ones seem a throwback to the 1950s. Has anyone read the original books?

I don’t prefer them, I like both families, but I get what you mean. I do laugh at how extraordinarily well behaved a toddler Betty is, though. No tantrums and such a good sleeper.