John Nettles plans low-key 'Murders' exit

John Nettles has insisted that there will be no "fuss" when he bows out from Midsomer Murders later this year.

The 66-year-old actor announced last February that he had decided to quit his role as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby in the ITV series. He is scheduled to shoot his final scene on August 19.

Speaking to the Daily Mail about his plans for the occasion, Nettles commented: "There won't be a lot of fuss. I'll say my last line and when the director shouts 'Cut!', I'll shake the hand of my sidekick, Jason Hughes, and give any corpses laying around a farewell kiss."

The star added that he will then go home and "open a rather nice bottle of Beaujolais" to reflect on his 14-year stint in the programme.

Revealing the reasons behind his decision to quit, Nettles continued: "My final episode will be the 82nd. That's enough for anyone. I've come to a natural end and the last thing I want to do is to bore people.

"I want to try other things before the Grim Reaper comes knocking. I will still work, but at a slightly less frenetic pace. Midsomer Murders has taken ten months out of every year and it's played havoc with my family life. Now it's time to restore some order."