User:Frickative/Inspector Morse (TV series)

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It has been suggested that this page be merged into Inspector Morse (TV series). (Discuss) Proposed since October 2020.

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.