User:Frickative/Inspector Morse (TV series)

Inspector Morse
250px Morse (left) as played by John Thaw, with Lewis (right) as played by Kevin Whately.
Genre	Crime drama
Created by	Colin Dexter Tony Warren
Starring	John Thaw Kevin Whately James Grout
Country of origin	United Kingdom
No. of series	7
No. of episodes	33 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers	Zenith Central Independent Television Carlton Television WGBH-TV
Running time	Two hours
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	6 January 1987 (1987-01-06) – 15 November 2000 (2000-11-15)
Related
Lewis

Inspector Morse is a British crime drama television series. Based on the Chief Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter, the series originally aired on ITV from 6 January 1987 to 15 November 2000. It ran for seven series, with 33 two-hour episodes produced, including five specials. The first 28 episodes of the series were produced by Zenith Entertainment for Central Independent Television, while the final five special episodes were produced by Carlton UK Productions and WGBH. Dexter's novels were selected for television adaptation in 1986, when Central Television came under pressure to produce drama with strong regional identity. It was hoped that Morse's "stereotypically British values" would appeal to international as well as domestic viewers. The series was produced by Kenny McBain and Chris Burt, and attracted a variety of writers and directors including Alastair Reid, Julian Mitchell, Anthony Minghella and Daniel Boyle. It was filmed primarily in Oxfordshire, and features a number of local landmarks, including many of the college buildings of Oxford University, and the Randolph Hotel, which renamed its main bar the Morse Bar in honor of the series. The theme and incidental music for Inspector Morse was written by Barrington Pheloung and utilises a motif based on Morse code. Classical music was an important element of the series, with episodes regularly featuring an operatic score.

John Thaw and Kevin Whately star as the series' main characters, the titular Inspector Morse, and his partner Sergeant Lewis respectively. Morse's main character traits are semi-autobigraphical reflections of Dexter's, from his penchant for real ale to his appreciaton of crosswords and Richard Wagner. Some elements of the character's personality were altered from Dexter's novels, as it was felt that Morse's interest in pornography was "too grubby" for television audiences. Lewis was significantly altered in the television series: in the novels, he is an older Welshman, while in Inspector Morse he is a younger man from the north-east, as producers felt viewers would prefer Morse to have a younger partner. Central themes of the series are Morse's anti-establishment leanings, and regular classical and erudite allusions.

The first series of the show received mixed critical reception, but it became a slow-burning hit, and attained almost 20-million prime-time viewers in the United Kingdom at its peak. It became the most exported drama series in the history of British television, with international broadcasting rights sold to 200 countries. Morse's Jaguar Mark 2 became an iconic aspect of the series, and sold at auction in 2005 for over £100,000. Inspector Morse attracted a notably middle class fanbase, and a 700-strong Morse Society make annual trips to the series' filming locations. The series won a number of awards, including a Queen's Award for Export, and was nominated for 16 British Academy Television Awards, winning six. In July 2005, the spin-off series Lewis was launched, featuring Morse's former partner in the titular role.

Production

Origins

After reading a "disappointing" crime novel while on holiday in 1972, former English teacher Colin Dexter became convinced he could write a better novel, and began developing the Inspector Morse series. Dexter's first Morse novel, Last Bus to Woodstock, was published by Macmillan in 1975, and in 1986, Central Television began planning a television adaptation of the series. The possibility of an adaptation was suggested to Central Television's then head of drama, Ted Childs, by Kenny McBain, at a time when the company was under pressure to produce drama with strong regional identity. Childs and McBain felt that the combination of a "complex" lead character and a series entwined with "stereotypically British values" such as "donnish academia", the city of Oxford and Morse's classic car were "ideal" for development, and hoped that the "Englishness" of the series would also appeal to international markets. Although chronologically fifth in Dexter's book series, McBain recommended "The Dead of Jericho" as the opening episode of the television series. He and Childs felt that the book offered "the most suitable introduction" to the series. Dexter was closely involved with the series' production, and makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes.

Crew

From 1987 to 1995, Inspector Morse was produced by Zenith Productions for Central Independent Television. From 1995-1996 it was produced by Carlton UK Productions, and from 1996 to the series end, it was produced by Carlton and WGBH. Under producer Kenny McBain, the series had a budget of £800,000 per screen hour—the largest budget of any British television drama at the time. When McBain left the production at the end of the second series, the budget decreased while working hours increased, which caused some friction amongst the crew. McBain was replaced as producer for the third series by Chris Burt, an old colleague of Thaw and Childs' from The Sweeney. Burt also produced the seventh series of Inspector Morse, as well as the five special episodes between 1995 and 2000.

Inspector Morse attracted a variety of writers and directors over its seven series run, including Alastair Reid, Julian Mitchell, Anthony Minghella and Daniel Boyle. Mitchell was one of the series' most prolific screenwriters, writing 10 of the series' 33 episodes. He was initially reluctant to become involved with the series, and recalls: They may have asked me because of my Oxford background. There was also a lot of literary stuff in the scripts, and I enjoy doing crosswords, but I had doubts about doing it. I met Kenny McBain and his assitant Patrick Harbinson. Such was Kenny's charm and enthusiasm that in the end he talked me round." Mitchell made cameo appearances in every episode he wrote, apart from "Service of All the Dead". Edward Bennett was the youngest director to work on Inspector Morse, directing "Last Seen Wearing" at the age of 38. The episode was his sole work for the series, though he was asked to direct another episode, and approached by Whately about the possibility of returning. Bennett recalls, however, that he "made a conscious decision not to" as he "was young and artistically ambitious."

Locations

The main bar of the Randolph Hotel was renamed the Morse Bar in honour of the detective.

Inspector Morse was filmed primarily on location in Oxford and neighbouring county Berkshire, and features many local landmarks, including Didcot Railway Centre, the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, and the Sheldonian Theatre. Filming locations were often fictionalised within the series. Combe Road in Jericho became Canal Reach in "The Dead of Jericho", St Michael's Church in Berkshire became St Oswald's in "Service of All the Dead", and Reading Blue Coat School became Homewood School in "Last Seen Wearing". Oxford colleges were often used as filming locations, though their names were also fictionalised for the series. Brasenose College became Lonsdale College, Pembroke College became Arnold College, New College became St Saviours, Oriel College became Courtney College, and Corpus Christi College became Beaumont College. Robert Gasser, a former burser of Brasenose College, became a point of contact between the colleges and the Inspector Morse production crew, and made cameo appearances in several episodes. One location whose management agreed to its real name being used was the Randolph Hotel, where Dexter was a regular patron. Bar manager Ailish Hurley is referenced in the final Morse novel as Morse's "favourite barmaid", and makes a cameo appearance in the television adaptation of the novel. The hotel's main bar, formerly the Chapter's Bar, was renamed the Morse Bar in honour of the detective.

Music

The theme and incidental music for the series was written by Barrington Pheloung and utilises a motif based on the Morse code for "M.O.R.S.E." (-- --- ·-· ··· ·). Pheloung won a "Best Original Television Music" BAFTA for his composition. He would occasionally spell out the name of the killer in Morse code in the music, though would just as often spell out the name of a different character as a red herring. The Inspector Morse scores regularly incorporated classical music— Morse would often attend concerts in the course of episodes, or listen to records by Wagner while contemplating cases. Opera singer Leslie Garrett has observed: "The show wove classical music and into plots in a fascinating way. It was almost like opera, and exposed people to classical music in a way they otherwise never would have been."

In April 2007, the Royal Albert Hall hosted a concert of music inspired by the show, attended by 5,000 Inspector Morse. The event was hosted by Michael Parkinson, and included performances by Garrett, Sir Willard White and Alfie Boe. Music selections included Wagner, Mozart, Handel and Haydn. The event sold-out, and according to the venue's box office, could have done so twice over. Producer Ben Weston felt that the music of Inspector Morse was "well observed" and owes its success to the fact it uniquiely "touches a nerve" with viewers.

Episodes

Main article: List of Inspector Morse episodes

Inspector Morse ran for 33 episodes. Seven series originally aired from 1987-1993, made up of 28 episodes, with a further five special episodes aired from 1995-2000. Episodes of Inspector Morse are 100 minutes long, and are broadcast in the United Kingdom a in two-hour, feature-length format. When the series first aired in 1987, the two-hour format was new to British television, and was undertaken by ITV as a "trial run", with the show's producers uncertain whether a second series would be commissioned. When Inspector Morse began airing in 1987, Dexter had written seven of what would eventually become a 13-book series. The first series of the television show comprised direct adaptations of Dexter's novels "The Dead of Jericho", "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn" and "Service of All the Dead". It became apparent to the show's producers that, if the series were to continue, new material would be needed. Of the four episodes which comprise the second series, two are adapted from Dexter's novels "Last Seen Wearing" and "Last Bus to Woodstock", while two are based on original storylines Dexter devised for the screenwriters. The first of these episodes was "The Wolvercote Tongue", which Dexter subsequently novellised as "The Jewel That Was Ours". Dexter supplied Mitchell with a 16-page treatment, which he developed into a two-hour screenplay. Mitchell recalls "The Wolvercote Tongue" as "the beginning of Inspector Morse becoming more and more 'our' show as it started to move away from Colin's novels."

The final episode of Inspector Morse, "The Remorseful Day", aired on 15 November 2000. Dexter's final Morse novel was released on 15 September 1999, and featured the titular character dying from complications arising from diabetes. Dexter explained: "With the body count in books and on TV risen to almost 80, Oxford has become the murder capital of the UK, and the time has come to put an end to this. Various possibilities suggested themselves. Retirement perhaps; perhaps less probable, marriage; failure in a case; the sack; nervous breakdowns; death while performing CID duties, or death when he was not on duty. I decided myself that Morse must die." Thaw commented that although it was a "great pity" Morse had been killed off: "if Colin Dexter says Morse is dead, that is good enough for me. I would not make any more films about Morse after his death."

Characters and cast

John Thaw was cast as Morse, partly due to prior association with Childs, having played a lead role in his previous production, The Sweeney. Childs commented: "I had remained a friend and a great admirer of his talent. In my view, it was John's skill in making the irascible and intellectually arrogant Inspector Morse engaging and emotionall vulnerable, as well as an intuitive sleuth, that lay at the centre of the success of the television series." Dexter's principal character was semi-autobiographical in terms of his key character traits: his penchant for real ale, crosswords and Richard Wagner were all aspects of Dexter's own personality, as was Morse's "cheerful optimism". Dexter explained: "Above all, I wanted him to be a really clever person. I wanted Morse to be able to read the clues where no one else could." Some aspects of Morse's personality in the Dexter novels were altered for the television adaptation. The production team were concerned by Morse's interest in pornography, and decided not to retain this in the television series as, according to Mitchell: "we decided it made him too grubby. Morse's yearnings were literary, artistic and spritual, although he was very fond of women."

Kevin Whately was cast as Morse's partner, Sergeant Lewis. In the Dexter novels, Lewis was an older Welshman, however Childs felt that for the television adaptation to be successful and appeal to the popular audience, Morse's partner should be younger than him. McBain suggested Whately for the role, and as he had a north-east accent, it was decided that the Welsh aspect of Lewis's character should be dropped. Morse has a paternal relationship with Lewis. Thaw has discussed how: "Lewis has got qualities that Morse admires. He wished he could be like that - go to football matches, do a lot of normal ordinary things. But, of course, he can't. Never will. They're very fond of each other, for all that Morse puts him down and is patronising. There's a sort of mutual respect." Morse and Lewis' partnership was further developed under producer Chris Burt, who was responsible for injecting more humour into the series, and increasing Whately's dialogue.

Burt also introduced the recurring character of Dr Grayling Russell, played by Amanda Hillwood, describing her as "a deliberate attempt to compensate for the lack of women in the series." Mitchell recalls that: "Apart from the guest cast, we only had WPCs standing around in the background. There was also the potential there for a different kind of relationship with Morse. The idea was that he would resent a woman taking over from his friend Max, and in turn she would take him on." The Max Mitchell refers to is Dr. Max DeBryn, a recurring character throughout the first two series of the show, played by Peter Woodthorpe. Max was one of Morse's few friends, and was replaced by Grayling after suffering a stroke. The show's longest-serving recurring character was Chief Superintendent Strange, who appeared in all seven series, played by James Grout. Grout felt that Strange had a fraternal relationship with Morse, despite being his superior. Morse and Strange had a "fractious" relationship, but Strange respected Morse and his skills and was "deeply affected" by his death.

Themes

Inspector Morse has a recurring anti-establishment theme. Mitchell has explained: "It's quite easy to be anti-establishment in Oxford, as there are so many establishment people around. Morse hates hypocrisy. He's an atheist and he doesn't like all this God stuff." Series three episode "Ghost in the Machine" furthers this theme by putting Morse into conflict with the aristocracy. Mitchell feels that Morse blames the establishment for his own failures, and thus is jealous of figures such as the episode's artistocratic Hanbury family for not having to earn their place in society. He explained: "I always made him quite a radical and deliberately played the class card in this one." Another recurring element of Inspector Morse is the series' classical and erudite references. Morse has a penchant for classical mythology, and often draws classical parallells to his cases. Screenwriter Peter Buckham has commented that: "One of the great appeals of Morse is that you feel you're in what might be called high-table company. Colin Dexter was a keen classicist, and so he was eager to see these allusions in the script." Dexter feels that this theme impacted on the show's success in capturing the Zeitgeist, reflecting: "In the 1980s, big detective stories all involved people falling off cranes or speeding through the South of France with their car tyres four inches from the floor. It was all cars and shoot-outs and I think people thought it was time for something a little more cerebral."

Impact

Critical reception

The first series of Inspector Morse received mixed critical reception upon its original broadcast. Reviewers felt the plot was too slow, while the characters were too complex. However, audiences took to the show and it became a "slow-burning hit", attaining almost 20-million prime-time viewers in the United Kingdom at its peak. Guy Adams of The Independent has described Inspector Morse as a "staggering, almost unbelievable commerical success", responsible for turning the titular character into a "global icon". Adams feels that the crux of the show's appeal was the dynamic between Morse and Lewis, which he has likened to that of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. The Guardian's Laura Barnett had opined that "Few detective dramas can match Morse for characterisation, subtlety, and sheer intelligence", praising the acting, screenplays and direction.

Legacy

Inspector Morse is one of the most exported drama series in the history of British television. International broadcasting rights were sold to 200 countries, winning Central Independent Television won a Queen's Award for Export. According to ITV, a billion people worldwide have viewed at least one episode of the series. Three companies in Oxford offer Inspector Morse-themed tours to tourists, including one lead by Oxford City Council's tourism department since 1997. As the first two-hour television drama, Inspector Morse launched a new viewing format which would become common for crime dramas such as Prime Suspect, Cracker and Midsomer Murders. ITV detective series A Touch of Frost was, according to Jenny Sheridan, Deputy Drama Controller at the Network Centre, directly commissioned "on the back of Morse". Adams of The Independent has described Inspector Morse as "the first detective series to bring the high production values traditionally associated with cinema to the small screen." Dexter's novels became bestsellers as a result of the show's success, released as a Macmillan Classics range in 2007. The Randolph Hotel has a Morse bar, with a commemorative plaque dedicated to Thaw. Inspector Morse was parodied in a series of adverts for a British Telecom share campaign in 1993, starring Mel Smith as "Inspector Morose" and featuring an appearance by Thaw.

Morse's Jaguar Mark 2 became an iconic aspect of the series. In Dexter's novels, Morse originally drove a Fiat Lancia, however the cost of a Lancia exceeded the show's budget, so the Jaguar was purchased instead for £1,500. As a reflection of the series' success, Dexter went on to change Morse's car to a Jaguar in his later novels. Thaw disliked the vintage vehicle, as steering was problematic and it often failed to run correctly. A full-time mechanic was employed by the show's producers to keep the car operational. Once production of Inspector Morse concluded, the car was given away in a promotional raffle. It was sold on by its new owner for £53,200, and in November 2005, was sold again for more than £100,000. In 2004, the Jaguar beat Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and James Bond's Aston Martin in a Post Office poll to find the UK's "all-time favourite, famous, car". Corgi have produced a line of replica models of Morse's Jaguar, and both Morse and the car feature on commemorative stamps issued by the Royal Mail in September 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ITV.

Fandom

Inspector Morse has a notably middle class fanbase. Anthony Richards, the founder of the Morse Society, has described the majority of his 700 members as being "professional uppers", aged forty and over. Amongst society members are retired Admirals, a member of the House of Lords, doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Richards attributes this to the show's "intelligent" tone, attracting viewers who wanted more than "just another cop show", without car chases and profanity. The society have named Linday Silver as Inspector Morse's biggest fan. She appeared in several 1990s episodes of the show as a result of her dedication, which saw her attend Oxford Brookes University because the series was filmed in Oxford. The Morse Society holds a week-long annual outing, allowing members to visit prominent filming locations from the series, and in 2007 even travelled to Australia, where the series five episode "Promised Land" was filmed.

Awards

Inspector Morse was nominated for a number of awards during its 13-year run. The series received 16 British Academy Television Awards nominations, winning "Best Actor" in 1990 and 1993, "Best Drama Series" in 1992 and 1993, "Best Sound (Fiction)" in 1992 and the Lew Grade Award for "The Remorseful Day" in 2001. It was additionally nominated for "Best Film Cameraman" and "Best Drama Series" in 1990, "Best Actor", "Best Film Cameraman", "Best Drama Series" and "Best Film Sound" in 1991, "Best Film or Video Photography", "Best Actor" and "Best Original Television Music" in 1992, and "Best Film/Video Editor (Fiction)" in 1993. The series was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for "Best Episode in a TV Series" in 1994, for "Promised Land", written by Julian Mitchell. It won the 1998 National Television Award for "Most Popular Actor" in 1998, and was nominated in the same category in 2001. Central Independent Television won a Queen's Award for Export for high international sales of Inspector Morse.

Spinoff series

In 2005, Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis went into production, starring Whately as Morse's former partner, the now-promoted Inspector Lewis. The pilot episode was broadcast on ITV on 29 January 2006. The remainder of the first series aired in 2007, with a second and third series broadcast in 2008 and 2009 respectively. Dexter had three provisions in allowing the Morse franchise to continue: Lewis must be played by Whately, the series must be set in Oxford, and as with Inspector Morse, he must be involved in the production process, consulting with the series' directors and producers. He also insisted that no actor but Thaw, who died in 2002, could play Morse, commenting: "John was Morse and that's it. He's not James Bond."

Whately had previously resisted the idea of a Morse spin-off, but was convinced by Childs and Michele Buck, controller of ITV drama, who persuaded him that the production values would be as high as with Inspector Morse. He felt that the series was somewhat hindered by the fact that Lewis' function in Inspector Morse was as a "foil" and "sounding board" for Morse, but this issue was circumvented by the writers, Stephen Churchett and Russell Lewis, who introduced Laurence Fox as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, a character with "many of the attributes of Morse", such as knowledge of Latin and cryptic crosswords. Grout was too ill to reprise his role as Strange, so was replaced by Rebecca Front as Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent. Dexter admitted to being apprehensive about the spin-off, but commented when the pilot episode was in production: "whatever happens in the future, this is a good start."

Bibliography

Books

• Allen, Paul; Allen, Jan (1 February 2007). Endeavouring to Crack the Morse Code. Exposure Publishing. ISBN 184685511X.
• Bird, Christopher (9 October 1998). The World of Inspector Morse: A Complete A-Z Reference for the Morse Enthusiast. Boxtree. ISBN 0752221175.
• Bishop, David (8 October 2009). The Complete "Inspector Morse". Reynolds & Hearn Ltd. ISBN 978-1905287918.
• Goodwin, Cliff (2 September 2002). Inspector Morse Country: An Illustrated Guide to the World of Oxford's Famous Detective. Headline Book Publishing. ISBN 978-0755310647.
• Leonard, Bill (6 June 2008). The Oxford of Inspector Morse. The History Press. ISBN 978-0752446219.
• Richards, Anthony (20 June 2008). Inspector Morse on Location. Irregular Special Press. ISBN 1901091309.
• Richards, Anthony; Attwell, Philip (December 1997). The Oxford of Inspector Morse (9th ed.). Irregular Special Press. ISBN 978-1901091038.
• Sanderson, Mark (10 January 1992). The Making of Inspector Morse. Macmillan. ISBN 0333575032.

Documentaries

• Bob Gregg (director), Brian Redhead (narrator), Colin Dexter (1993). "Morse's Oxford". ITV. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
• Ted Clisby (director), Ted Childs (executive producer) (1995). "The Mystery of Morse: The Making of Inspector Morse". ITV. ITV1. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• "The Last Morse". 2000-11-15. ITV. ITV1. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• Jack Gold (director) (2002-09-05). "The John Thaw Story". ITV. ITV1. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
• Nick Bray (director), Jon-Barrie Waddell (director), Jason Barlow (narrator) (2004-12-23). "TV's Greatest Cars". Sky. Sky One. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• Katie Kinnaird (director) (2006-10-10). "Inspector Morse". Super Sleuths. ITV. ITV1.
• Julie Bradshaw (director), Barbara Flynn (narrator) (2007-04-28). "There's Something About... Morse". ITV. ITV3. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• Grainne Jordan (director), Kevin Whately (narrator) (2007-04-28). "The Music of Morse". ITV3. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• Ross Young (director), James Nesbitt (presenter) (2008-07-02). "From Jewel in the Crown to Band of Gold". Drama Trails. ITV. ITV3.
• Gareth Jones (director), Nathaniel Parker (narrator) (2008-09-01). "Colin Dexter". Profiling. ITV. ITV3.
• Charlie Stuart (director), Angus McIntyre (director), Peter Capaldi (narrator) (2008-12-29). "The Perfect TV Detective". BBC. BBC Two. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• Richard Mortimer (director), Philip Glenister (narrator) (2009-04-10). "Top of the Cops". ITV. ITV3. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
• "How to Solve a Cryptic Crossword". Time Shift. 2009-12-11. BBC. BBC Four.

External links

• Official Inspector Morse website
• Granada International's Official Inspector Morse website
• Inspector Morse at itv.com
• Inspector Morse at the British Film Institute
• Inspector Morse at the BFI's Screenonline
• Inspector Morse at the MBC's Encyclopedia of Television
• Inspector Morse at IMDb
• Inspector Morse episode guide

Category:1980s British television series Category:1990s British television series Category:2000s British television series Category:1987 in British television Category:1987 television series debuts Category:2000 television series endings Category:Crime television series Category:Inspector Morse Category:ITV television programmes Category:Television shows based on novels Category:Television shows set in Oxford

da:Inspector Morse fr:Inspecteur Morse (série télévisée) nl:Inspector Morse no:Inspektør Morse sv:Kommissarie Morse