The organisers of Wallingford Cycling Festival are working together with the producers of Midsomer Murders to film a new episode set in the midst of a community cycling event, taking place on Sunday 21 June.

The festival organisers are also working in tandem with Oxfordshire County Council, South Oxfordshire District Council and Wallingford Town Council to deal with the larger crowds expected for the event. One of the organisers, Tony Sefton, had this to say about the news: ‘It is a nice headache to have especially as we already have our brilliant Rugfest on the Friday/Saturday and our fabulous Carnival also on Saturday’.

The cycling event was originally set up to encourage participation in cycling by all ages. Organised chiefly by RP Racing Team, the festival will feature a number of cycling events, including 50km sportive road rides, 17 mile mountain bike rides as well as open Wallingford Rides. It’s sure to be an entertaining affair, with plenty to watch and get involved in. It will be made even more exciting by the presence of a film crew and some of the Midsomer Murders’ cast who will be filming around the event.

Cycling has become an increasingly popular sport in the UK in recent years, largely driven by the success of Great Britain’s cyclists at various world and Olympic championships. The high profile of riders such as Sir Chris Hoy and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins has done a huge amount for the sport. Festivals like this in South Oxfordshire will add to the buzz around the sport and hopefully encourage more young people to get involved in this great form of exercise.

Midsomer Murders producer Phil Hunter said: ‘I’m thrilled we are able to produce an episode of Midsomer Murders with elite cycling as the backdrop. We are very excited about working with the Wallingford Festival of Cycling - I’m a keen cyclist myself, although I seem to spend more time on my Brompton than my road bike these days’.

Wallingford is the original town filmed as Causton. Events on the day in the town start at 12 noon and will feature a closed off circuit, so it will be safe for all ages and abilities.

More details about the filming schedule and how this will fit around the day’s cycling festivities will be released soon. There’s even a chance for you to sign up to be an extra on the show. Check the Wallingford Festival of Cycling event website.