A new instalment of fan favourite crime drama Midsomer Murders is just around the corner. This weekend the series returns for its 23rd run of episodes.

The first episode of the new series has been written by EastEnders veteran Jeff Povey and is called The Blacktrees Prophecy. DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), his sidekick DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix) and no-nonsense pathologist Dr Fleur Perkins (Annette Badland) all return for the new series.

Here’s everything you need to know about Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy.

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Who is in the cast of Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy?

As well as Neil Dudgeon as Barnaby and Nick Hendrix as Winter there's an all-star cast in Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy, including Robert Cavanah (Shetland, Outlander) as victim Warren Kaine’s friend and fellow survivalist Guy Burrows, and Holly Aird (Waking the Dead) as Guy’s bookshop-owning wife Paige.

Kate Robbins (Unforgotten, The Couple Next Door) plays Warren’s ex wife Lyra Kaine, and Nina Wadia (EastEnders) is Medora Salt, who runs the local pub The Huntsman’s Horn.

What is the plot of Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy?

A synopsis for the episode teases: “When a survivalist is found murdered in his bomb proof shelter, Barnaby unravels a dark conspiracy to reveal how far people will go to escape the end of the world.”

How can you watch Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy?

Midsomer Murders: The Blacktrees Prophecy airs on Sunday, April 14 at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. You can keep up to date with the latest TV and showbiz news by signing up to the newsletter here.