Can Midsomer Murders Help to Build Your Business?

Thame lies at the heart of Midsomer County. About 80% of the filming locations for the popular ITV series, Midsomer Murders, are in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and the show is watched by millions, both in the UK and in over 100 countries worldwide. Visitors from all over the world want to experience for themselves the beautiful towns and villages seen in the TV series.

The Visit Midsomer website (www.visitmidsomer.com) receives 200,000 visitors, and around two thirds of these are from overseas.

Market demand continues unabated. The series is 20 years old but filming for new episodes is still happening (a new series started in May). There are re-runs in many countries and some places are seeing the early series for the first time. This means Thame and surrounding villages are regularly on screen.

Develop the Midsomer offering

Midsomer visitors come to Thame with coach tours or as private tourists exploring the area, and there are weekly walking tours of the filming locations in Thame between April and October, but more could be done to develop the visitor experience. Businesses directly engaging with the concept of Midsomer achieve quantifiable growth as a result. One example is Rumsey’s Chocolaterie in Thame, who introduced the Barnaby Bun to their menu a few years ago and have sold over 1700 Barnaby Buns in the last year alone. Nigel Rumsey comments, ‘We created the Barnaby Bun in celebration of our chocolaterie being used for filming. People visiting Thame for its Midsomer links love to come and enjoy the Barnaby Bun experience, and all our customers love learning about its history. It’s definitely a great talking point, as well as tasting delicious!’

Make Midsomer part of your website

Most people wanting to visit Midsomer will first search online – where to go, where to stay, what to do in Midsomer. So, to be part of this, why not add a Midsomer page to your website, use social media to get the word out that Thame – and your business – are in Midsomer.             

Show you’re part of the Midsomer experience

When people come to Thame, they want to arrive in Midsomer. So why not increase Midsomer visibility on the ground? This can readily be done by stocking the walking trail leaflets, displaying and stocking Midsomer books or souvenirs, promoting Midsomer in shop frontages. You could also develop a quirky product or experience, as Rumsey’s have done with their Barnaby Bun? For example – add a Midsomer dish to your menu, introduce a Midsomer ale to your range of beers.

Could Midsomer add another string to your bow?

If this article has encouraged you to introduce Midsomer into your business and reap returns in increased sales, get in touch with Becky Reid, market town coordinator, to discuss further. The effect on your business could be murderously good!

For more information

http://www.visitmidsomer.com ; https://www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/visit-thame/midsomer-murders/; http://www.thamemuseum.org/; https://www.rumseys.co.uk/pages/visit-midsomer