Midsomer, the fictional place where TV detective Insp Barnaby solved countless murders, has taken on a life of its own. It was even mentioned in reviews of the Olympics opening ceremony: “According to Danny Boyle, England was basically Midsomer Murders until some northerners invented the mill.”

For those who have been living on planet Zog, or don’t watch TV repeats, the series offers classic whodunnit plots against a backdrop of thatched cottages, churches, village greens, fetes and duck ponds.

In Exploring Midsomer: The Towns and Villages at the Murderous Heart of England (History Press, £12.99) photographer Chris Behan has painstakingly tracked down the real places where the TV series was filmed.

He knows the area well and includes history and architectural details which illuminate his stunning photographs. His home village of Haddenham, one of the few to be mentioned on the programmes by its real name, features, as does nearby Long Crendon, whose manor house, pictured here, is a favourite with location scouts. A keen walker, he has included tantalising views of the Ridgeway long-distance footpath, which might encourage a few couch potatoes to explore the countryside. In line with the Midsomer ideology, he exhorts walkers: “Please ignore the sight of Didcot Power Station.”