MIDSOMER MURDERS
DEATH IN CHORUS
FILMING MEMORIES
JASON HUGHES
Plans to show off Jason's baritone voice in a version of O Sole Mio, which Jones sings in the shower, suffered a setback when producers came up against the Elvis Presley estate.
"Jones sings in Barnaby's house but my bit had to be dubbed over because the Elvis estate owns the lyrics. It's a Neapolitan love song but the translation is owned by them and it would have cost us tens of thousands of pounds to use it. Bentley Productions got in an opera singer to sing the original Italian version and dubbed it over mine, so my moment of glory was snatched away!"
Jones can be seen singing with the Midsomer Worthy choir instead.
Says Jason: "I've always loved singing and music. I still play in a band and do backing vocals. Lee Ross is one of the writers and singers and he's such a talented guy, and Ralph Brown, who played Spider in Withnail & I is our keyboard player. We do lots of gigs in the area where I live as there is a strong, vibrant music scene there."
"I did pause when I came to the bit in the script where Carolyn walks into a lake in her nightgown. I was thinking of a heated pool at Pinewood but unfortunately they went for the lake.
They tried to use a stunt double but her face kept being seen so I had to do it myself, wearing a flesh-coloured wet suit. When the director shouted 'action' I had to put my face down into the lake and my lungs felt like they were clamped.
When John Nettles rescued me, I was not acting, I was genuinely gasping for air, as my lungs weren't working. The stunt double told me that when you get that cold your lungs die, and that is how you can die.
Afterwards, everyone was trying to give me towels, tin foil and slippers but I ran as fast as I could to a shower and threw myself under it. It was quite exhilarating and the hot water got my circulation going again. I hope it looks good as I was really suffering for my art. I am genuinely blue in the shot with bits of seaweed hanging from my hair!"
The lake incident is triggered when a member of the Midsomer Worthy choir, for whom Carolyn also sings, is murdered.