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Former Midsomer Murders star John Hopkins has opened up on what life was really like playing the role of Sergeant Dan Scott on the ITV crime drama. He shared that, in a way, he "wishes he could do it again" as he shared the real reason behind his exit.

He left the show in 2005 after series eight. His character was not formally written out but simply mentioned as being "ill" in one episode before disappearing permanently, with DS Ben Jones taking over as DCI Barnaby's partner. Now, speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, the 50-year-old actor shared: "I started off in theatre with the Royal Shakespeare Company and then I sort of segwayed into Midsomer Murders, which a lot of people know me for. It was a funny job, because looking back on it now, I almost wish that I could do it again.

"At the time, I was so young and hungry, it was almost the wrong time for me in some ways. I loved doing it but I was always wanting to be on the stage again, full of arrogance and energy. But then I was in a field with pensioners, arguing about somebody who has been murdered in jam!

"So, as soon as my contract ran out, I ran back to the theatre. But, going complete full circle, I now narrate the audiobooks for Midsomer Murders, which are amazing novels."

He continued: "I almost wish I could go back and do the job again from a different perspective. But at the time I wanted to be out socialising but found myself up the M40 in a field instead! I look back at it now with enormous fondness but maybe it was like the right job at the wrong time."

When speaking about what it was like to work with John Nettles, who played the role of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, the star said: "He treated everyone so well and there was no ego at all and no arrogance.

"He was warm and friendly and made everyone feel welcome. He was so professional and he had to learn big, big speeches. My job was just to get things wrong so that he could get them right!"

John is currently taking on the role of Walter Franz in Arthur Miller's intimate family drama The Price at the Marylebone Theatre. The role centres on two estranged brothers confronting decades of resentment, sacrifice and buried truths.

On the eve of selling their late father's possessions, two estranged brothers meet in a cluttered New York attic for the first time in years. What begins as a simple transaction becomes a fierce emotional reckoning, as decades of resentment, sacrifice and buried truth erupt into the open.

Explaining the story and the role, John said: "What's interesting about The Price is that it is very autobiographical and the character that I play is sort of based on Arthur Miller and his own relationship to his family. He came from a lot of money and then his family lost everything in the Great Wall Street Journal crash.

"It's a very interesting play and I think anyone who has a family to care for can relate to it. Those people who have to make a choice between pursuing their own life and choosing to look after the people who gave them life in the first place. It's also really funny and has some good comedy."

The Price runs at London's Marylebone Theatre from Friday April 17 to Sunday June 7 2026. Tickets are available online.