ITV plc This article is more than 12 years old

Midsomer Murders co-creator to step down at end of current series

This article is more than 12 years oldBrian True-May had been reinstated by TV company after apologising for saying show was 'last bastion of Englishness'

The co-creator of Midsomer Murders, Brian True-May, is to step down from his role at the end of the current series after he sparked a race row by suggesting there was no place in the programme for ethnic minorities.

True-May, the co-creator and producer of Midsomer Murders which began on ITV in 1997, described the show as the "last bastion of Englishness" and said it "wouldn't work" if ethnic minorities appeared on screen.

The programme's production company All3Media, which launched an investigation into his comments in an interview with the Radio Times earlier this month, said True-May had been "reinstated" as producer of the show.

But ITV said it understood True-May would step down from his role at the end of the current production run. Midsomer Murders returns to ITV on Wednesday with a new leading man, Neil Dudgeon, replacing its former star John Nettles who quit after 82 episodes last month.

All3Media, in a statement on its website, said: "Brian True-May has been reinstated as the producer of Midsomer Murders. Brian apologises if his remarks gave unintended offence to any viewers."

An ITV spokesman said: "We welcome the apology from Brian True-May and understand that he will step down from his role on Midsomer Murders at the end of the current production run."

True-May told last week's edition of Radio Times: "We just don't have ethnic minorities involved. Because it wouldn't be the English village with them. It just wouldn't work.

"Suddenly we might be in Slough. Ironically, Causton (one of the main centres of population in the show) is supposed to be Slough. And if you went into Slough you wouldn't see a white face there.

"We're the last bastion of Englishness and I want to keep it that way."

ITV said at the time that it was "shocked and appalled" at the sentiments which were "absolutely not shared by anyone at ITV".

Midsomer Murders, based on the books by Caroline Graham, was launched in 1997 and has featured 251 deaths, 222 of which were murders.

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