EAGLE-EYED viewers have spotted a new Channel 4 comedy show was recently shot in the area as Midsomer Murders came to Essex.
New comedy show Complaints Welcome, which is hosted by comedian Tom Allen, saw its presenter visit the village of Finchingfield for a comedy sketch.
Complaints Welcome sees the audience and hosts review increasingly bizarre complaints by TV audiences, with the cast deciding if the complaints should be rejected or upheld.
The fun show, which contains adult humour, strong language and, in some cases, full frontal nudity, selected the long-running TV series Midsomer Murders as a recent target.
The panel received a complaint the murder mystery show featured unrealistic and far-fetched methods of dispatching dead characters.
Examples included being killed with a block of cheese, being force fed pesto, being crushed by a stack of newspapers and being put in a tumble dryer.
Host Tom Allen then proceeded to feature a cutaway clip which saw him travel to “Buckinghamshire”.
However, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed the skit was actually filmed in Finchingfield and not in Buckinghamshire, where the drama has been filmed, or the fictional county of Midsomer where the series is set.
The idyllic village’s green, historic bridge, church and shops are clearly recognisable as Allen speaks to the camera.
The village features in the second episode of the first series.
In the show, Tom said: “To find out just how unrealistic Midsomer really is, I put myself in one of the most dangerous places on earth.
“Forget Chernobyl, I took myself to Buckinghamshire.
“So, if the show is to be believed, this place is an absolute death-fest.
“Pretty risky of Channel 4 to send their least expendable presenter.
“To help with my investigation, I need to get in amongst the locals and find out if they think this is an extremely dangerous place to live.”
Tom then proceeded to quiz bemused locals who answered that Finchingfield was a great place to live and completely safe.
The skit continued to see Allen speak to a local estate agent, with a sign visible in the background showing Braintree and Witham - oops - before showing real absurd death scenes from the show to a forensic expert.
The scene ends with Allen trying to get residents of the village to murder him before it is shown he killed a man on the village green to fit in.
Complaints Welcome can be watched online on All 4.
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