Introduction:
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Colin Dexter's character, Inspector Morse, was introduced to the public in 1975 in the novel
"Last Bus To Woodstock". Dexter has published many novels which centre around Inspector Morse
and it was only in the late 1980s that a television producer recognized the potential of Dexter's
novels.
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This unconventional police Inspector is portrayed on the small screen by John Thaw, who
also starred in another police drama, "The Sweeney" in the 1970s. Much of Morse's thinking is done
whilst drinking a pint of real ale from one of the local pubs in and around Oxford. Morse claims
that the beer "helps" him to think about his various cases and so in many of
the episodes, pubs appear quite frequently. In addition, Morse loves his classical music, his
favourite being Wagner. Consequently, much of the incidental music in the series is classical music.
Morse is also very fond of reading classical literature, therefore references to books appear
throughout the episodes. In the series Morse drives a red Jaguar which has been in the series from
the very first episode.
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The character of Sergeant Lewis is similar to Dr.Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories, as he is
Morse's "sidekick" which is essential to a classic detective series. Lewis is portrayed to not be
as clever as Morse, and he has to do much of the "spade" work, such as searching through files,
driving the car, and telephoning people. In addition, it is normally Lewis who has to buy the round
of drinks!
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Chief Superintendent Strange, played by James Grout, appears throughout the series. The viewer
does not see a great deal of this character, but quite often he is seen in a humourous light.
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"The Way Through The Woods"
This episode was screened in 1995 as a special one-off episode. It revolves around a hitchhiker who has disappeared and the death of a murder suspect. Part of the story is concerned with Lewis and the strained relations with Morse, and about half way through the episode there is a major row between the two characters. The final scenes involve Lewis digging a make-shift grave whilst being held at gunpoint by a woman in the woods, who has just shot her husband. Morse arrives at just the right moment and averts the death of Lewis.
"Masonic Mysteries"
The plot is centred around somebody's attempt to frame the Inspector after the death of one of his friends, whose body he discovers at a rehearsal for Mozart's Masonic opera, The Magic Flute, which they are both involved in. A wave of personal attacks follow, including the defacement of his beloved Jaguar, and an arson attack at his house, which destroys his living room, and possibly more importantly to Morse, his record collection.
The whole episode is focused on Morse and there are several moments where the viewer simply does
not know what will happen next.
It often feels like a rollercoaster ride as shown in the conclusion of the episode as there are so
many twists and turns in the plot. In the conclusion, the viewer is made to believe for a few
seconds at least, that the Inspector has been killed by a character called De Vries, who was
behind the framing of Morse. Then it appears that De Vries has shot himself, however when the
Inspector leaves the room to let his Sergeant in, De Vries has disappeared out of the window.
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Click on the link below to hear the theme music from the series.
Inspector Morse theme (6.91 Kb, MIDI file)
Please click on the link below to view links to my favourite Inpsector Morse websites:
 E-mail Claire Leadbetter
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