"Inspector Morse" (1987) TV series 1987-2000

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Release Date:

4 February 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

A grouchy but cultured police detective and his easy going partner investigate crimes around the British community of Oxford.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Oxford | Police | Murder | Sergeant

Awards:

9 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse (33 episodes, 1987-2000)
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis (32 episodes, 1987-2000)
Colin Dexter	...	College porter showing Morse and Lewis to John Brewster / ... (30 episodes, 1987-2000)
James Grout	...	Chief Superintendent Strange (22 episodes, 1987-2000)

Runtime:

120 min (33 episodes)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (some episodes) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Abersoch, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company:

Zenith Entertainment

Trivia:

Ailish Hurley was the bar manager of Chapter's Bar (now the Morse Bar), Randolph Hotel, Oxford. She was a good friend of Colin Dexter and was a continual source of inspiration to him, persuading him to carry on writing the Inspector Morse novels on which the TV series is based. As a mark of respect, he asked for her to be given a cameo role in the final Inspector Morse film, "Inspector Morse: The Remorseful Day (#12.1)" (2000), where she is briefly seen serving coffee to Morse and Sandra Harrison. Sadly, she died of cancer on 25 September 2005.

Quotes:

Morse: Drink that, Lewis, and loosen some brain cells.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comic Relief: Behind the Nose (1992) (TV)

The epitome of quality

I think most people would agree, whether British or not, that Inspector Morse represents everything that is good about British television. In January 1987, the first television episode of Colin Dexter's intelligent series of novels was broadcast. Inspector Morse was perfect - the beautiful scenery of Oxford, the classic red Jaguar, the classical music and a superb, and at times moving, central performance by the man his co-star Kevin Whately would later describe, after his untimely death in 2002, as Britain's finest screen actor.

Until it finished in 2000, Inspector Morse captivated large audiences, intrigued by its complex plots, the towering performance of John Thaw and its amazing roll call of quality guest actors. The series oozed class from every pore, and will always be the greatest jewel in the magnificent career of the late John Thaw. I really cannot find enough words to explain just how good I think Thaw was in so many of his television and film roles, but Morse was the character in which he proved to television viewers that he was not only versatile but had a rare depth.

The early episodes are certainly my favourites, as they were adapting the existing stories. Later, as they ran out of Dexter's stories, they began writing stories to keep the popular series going. But throughout, we learn more and more about the mysterious, emotionally repressed and rather sad Inspector. Without doubt, this is the greatest modern murder mystery franchise, and the series so many have tried, and failed, to emulate since.