Summary
"Inspector Morse" is a landmark ITV crime drama based on the detective novels of Colin Dexter. It stars John Thaw as Chief Insp Morse and Kevin Whately as his trusty sidekick Sgt Lewis. Morse, a difficult man to get along with, likes a drink, is cultured to the point of being a snob and often arrests the wrong person or comes to a wrong conclusion before eventually solving a case. The show's other star attraction is Oxford, a setting that provides the backdrop to all the episodes. James Grout is a strong presence as Chief Supt Strange. Throughout the series, Morse drives a red Jaguar Mark 2 2.4L car. In the opening story, Morse investigates the apparent suicide of a lady friend. "Inspector Morse" broke the mould for crime dramas when it premiered in 1987 because each episode ran for two hours (something largely unheard of at the time but very common today) and the production values were very high. As a consequence only 33 episodes were made. It ended with the main character's death in 2000. Two spin-offs have been made, with "Lewis" arriving on ITV in 2006 and prequel "Endeavour" landing on the same channel in 2011.
