Prior to the Mitchell decision the easiest way for a claimant to come to grief on a procedural issue was to make a mistake with service of the claim form. The decision Murrills –v- Berlanda [2014] EWCA Civ 6 shows that failing to serve properly can still cause an action to fail.
THE FACTS OF MURRIL...
The reported decision makes for horrible reading. My sympathies to Mrs. Murrills.
What makes it worse is that I am certain Lawtel has a litigation section with templates and a procedural guide to cover service outside of the jurisdiction from the cradle to the grave.