Surely not in Audlem!

Most of us out in the country think of big cities as where most violence is to be found. But writer Anthony Horowitz says it's villages where you need to look for grisly murders and worse. Surely not in Audlem but if you do harbour such thoughts, do let AudlemOnline know. It would make for fascinating reading.

The popular depiction of English villages on television as being riven by jealousy and murder is not as fantastical as it sounds, the screenwriter of Midsomer Murders has said.

Anthony Horowitz, who wrote scripts for the early episodes, says that the genteel exterior of most villages belies an incubator for the worst human traits.

The author, speaking at The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival to promote his crime novel Magpie Murders, said that killings were a natural consequence of small communities.
"Sherlock Holmes says a line about English villages, that nowhere is more evil than an English village.

They have been made home to hundreds of grisly murders and appalling crimes, with the suspect nearly always turning out to be a well-known face in the community.
 
But viewers should not be surprised that many crime dramas are set in English villages because they are places of hatred, mistrust and bitterness, Anthony Horowitz has suggested.

The screenwriter, 61, who has worked on detective series including Sherlock Holmes and Foyle's War, described villages as "special places" where many residents live a life of secrecy behind closed curtains.

"I love the fact that in a village everybody is hiding something and people are far more curious about what is going on behind their net curtains"

He added that he is fascinated with the idea that ordinary people, such as vicars and elderly residents, can be associated with "appalling things".

Speaking at Cheltenham Literature Festival, he said: "Sherlock Holmes says a line about English villages – that nowhere is more evil than an English village. I live in Norfolk so I should know. They are special places where hatred and mistrust and suspicion and anger and bitterness have a natural place to grow."

Mr Horowitz said residents in London and other major cities do not harbour the same feelings – and therefore are perhaps not as likely to commit the same crimes – because "it is too loud, there are too many people and life is too fast".

"In an English village it can all fester slowly," he said. "I love the fact that in a village everybody is hiding something and people are far more curious about what is going on behind their net curtains."

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