Endeavour (TV series)

Endeavour

Morse in front of an Oxford University building.

Endeavour Morse
Created by Russell Lewis (as deviser)
Based on Characters created by Colin Dexter
Starring Shaun Evans
Roger Allam
Composer(s) Barrington Pheloung
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 3
No. of episodes 13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Michele Buck Damien Timmer (Mammoth Screen)
Rebecca Eaton (Masterpiece)
Producer(s) Dan McCulloch
Location(s) Oxford, Oxfordshire, England
Cinematography Gavin Struthers (pilot)
Stephan Perhrsson
Zac Nicholson
Running time 98 minutes (pilot)
90 minutes (Series 1-3)
Production company(s) Mammoth Screen and Masterpiece co-production for ITV Studios
Release
Original network ITV, STV, UTV
Picture format 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original release 2 January 2012 (2012-01-02) – present
Chronology
Preceded by Inspector Morse
Related shows Lewis

Endeavour is a British television detective drama series. It is a prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse and, like that series, is set primarily in Oxford. Shaun Evans portrays a young Endeavour Morse beginning his career as a Detective Constable with the Oxford City Police CID. The series is produced for ITV by Mammoth Screen and Masterpiece co-production for ITV Studios. Following a pilot episode in 2012, the first series was broadcast in 2013, the second in 2014 and the third in January 2016. A fourth series has been ordered by ITV and began filming in late spring 2016.[1]

Production

ITV broadcast a pilot episode in the UK on 2 January 2012; in the United States, PBS aired it on 1 July 2012. It starred Shaun Evans as the eponymous police detective in his early career.[2] Abigail Thaw, daughter of original Morse actor John Thaw, played the part of Dorothea Frazil in a scene at the Oxford Mail newspaper.

ITV commissioned a first series of four new episodes, filmed during summer 2012,[3] and aired them from 14 April to 5 May 2013.[4]

It was announced on 5 June 2013 that due to the success of Series 1, including consistently high ratings, ITV had commissioned a second series of four episodes.[5] Filming commenced in Oxford in September 2013.[6][7] On 24 September 2014, ITV confirmed that a third series of Endeavour had been ordered.

Before that third season of Endeavour screened on ITV, Evans told the Oxford Mail: "It's not like we have a six-year contract, there's none of that. It's day by day, year by year. I think this one is really good. We'll know when it airs if there's an audience for it and if we feel there's another place to take these characters."[8]

In February 2016, ITV announced that a fourth series of Endeavour had been commissioned, which Roger Allam confirmed to Oxford Mail,[9] with filming to begin in late spring 2016.[10] To mark the 30th anniversary of Morse on television, the series will feature several early Morse characters and cameos by actors from the original series.[11]

Plot

Set in mid to late 1960s Oxford, England, the series centres on the early career of Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) after he has left Lonsdale College of Oxford University late in his third year without taking a degree, spent a short time in the Royal Corps of Signals as a cipher clerk, and then joined the Carshall-Newtown Police. In the pilot episode, having been transferred to CID after only two years as a uniformed police constable, the young DC Morse soon becomes disillusioned with law enforcement and begins writing a resignation letter. Before he can resign, Morse is sent with other detectives from the Carshall-Newtown Police to the Oxford City Police's Cowley Police Station to assist in investigating the case of a missing fifteen-year-old schoolgirl.

Having studied at Oxford gives Morse advantages and disadvantages when dealing with Oxford's "town and gown" divide. During the pilot episode, he tenders his resignation but his superior, veteran Detective Inspector Fred Thursday (Roger Allam), the "guv" at the Oxford City Police's CID, sees in him an unblemished detective whom he can trust and takes him under his wing to be his new "bag man" meaning assistant, replacing a corrupt Detective Sergeant.

Series 1 (2013)

Series 1 begins with Morse transferring to the Oxford City Police in 1965 following a double-murder investigation that took place during the pilot episode. Morse is taken under the wing of Inspector Thursday. Thursday names Morse his designated "bag man" and shows him the ropes as Morse begins to solve a string of complex multiple-murders, much to the envy and annoyance of some of his superiors, particularly Detective Sergeant Jakes and Chief Superintendent Bright. Morse displays his obvious genius in solving intricate murders, including several with opera connections. Thursday and fellow officer, Police Constable Strange, try to steer the young Endeavour into taking his Sergeant's exam, so that he may be relieved of "General Duties" and become Thursday's official "bag man" with the appropriate rank and title. In the Series 1 finale, Morse is shot while attempting to apprehend a murderer and is placed on light-duty. At the same time, Morse comes to terms with the death of his cold and unfeeling father in December 1965.

Series 2 (2014)

Series 2 begins in 1966 with Morse returning to active duty at Cowley Police Station, after spending several months on light duty at Oxfordshire (County) Police's Witney Station, under the direction of D.I. Bart Church. Morse is received warmly by C.S. Bright and D.S. Jakes, as D.I. Thursday begins to keep a more watchful eye on the young Endeavour. As a result of the shooting, Morse begins to suffer from delayed stress and paranoia, as well as an increase in alcohol consumption. Upon return to active duty, Morse is confronted first by three cases, which he tries to tie in together. Morse makes several mistakes in the investigation, but despite his errors, he solves the cases, impressing his superiors. During the investigation he suffers a concussion after being struck over the head and is cared for by his nurse neighbour, Monica Hicks, in whom he takes an interest. At the same time, P.C. Strange enters into Freemasonry with many of Oxford's elite, and D.I. Thursday's daughter, Joan, begins to take an interest in Endeavour. During the course of several cases, pieces of circumstantial evidence go missing, and a murder suspect threatens Morse by claiming association with powerful men who will not take kindly to interference.

In the final episode, the looming merger of city and county police and misgivings about corruption, lead Thursday to consider retirement, in response to strong hints from C.S. Bright about age and health. Disheartened by this, Morse speculates to Monica about leaving the police and going abroad with her. Assistant Chief Constable Clive Deare asks Thursday and Morse to covertly investigate corruption within the police and council. Morse is sent to a rendezvous where he is ambushed by corrupt officers and Thursday is lured to Blenheim Vale, a derelict former wayward boys home, where there was rampant sexual and physical abuse (of which Jakes was a victim). Morse escapes the ambush and goes to support Thursday, who is shot by Deare, a participant in the abuse at Blenheim Vale. Deare tells Morse he has framed him for the murder of Chief Constable Rupert Standish. Deare is about to kill Morse when he is shot dead by a girl who had also been abused at Blenheim Vale, who then kills herself. Bright and Strange show up with backup and an ambulance. As Thursday is being loaded into an ambulance, Morse is arrested by officers from another force for the murder of Chief Constable Standish. The series ends with Thursday's fate unknown and Morse in a jail cell.

Series 3 (2016)

Series 3 begins in Spring 1967. D.C. Morse has been cleared of the murder of Chief Constable Standish and the case of Blenheim Vale is discontinued for 50 years. D.I. Thursday has been discharged from hospital, but the bullet could not be taken out of him and has resulted in recurring coughs. Monica has come to realize that she and Morse have gone their separate ways. Strange has been promoted to Sergeant and Morse considers his future after his time in prison, but with Thursday's encouragement, Morse returns to active duty investigating a murder following a disappearance at a funfair on Cowley Green. After solving a faked kidnapping and tainted fruit being sold at a local supermarket, D.S. Jakes retires from the Force and leaves Oxford. Strange takes Jakes' place as Detective Sergeant but assures Morse that they're still friends even though he's now his superior. Detective Inspector Thursday shows frequent signs of outbursts against suspects unwilling to co-operate during the investigations, and even uses violence as a way of extracting information. Although Morse is unsure about becoming Sergeant, Thursday assures him he's more of an Inspector.

In the final episode, Morse finally sits his Sergeant's exam and completes his paper well within the time allowed. An armed robbery takes place at a bank where Joan Thursday works and the armed robbers become trapped themselves along with Morse during an investigation into a killing and payroll robbery. After the robbers are arrested, Joan, emotionally affected by the ordeal, leaves Oxford for pastures new despite encouragement to stay from Morse. Realizing that Joan has gone, Thursday encounters Morse outside his house, and figures that he saw Joan leave. Thursday returns to his house and Morse follows him.

Cast

Actor Character Position
Shaun Evans Endeavour Morse Detective Constable (DC), Oxford City Police CID, Cowley Police Station
Roger Allam Fred Thursday Detective Inspector (DI), Oxford City Police CID, Cowley Police Station
Anton Lesser Reginald Bright Police Chief Superintendent (PCS), Oxford City Police, Cowley Police Station
Jack Laskey Peter Jakes Detective Sergeant (DS), Oxford City Police CID, Cowley Police Station
Sean Rigby Jim Strange Detective Sergeant (DS), Police Constable (PC) Oxford City Police CID, Cowley Police Station
James Bradshaw Dr. Max DeBryn Home Office Pathologist
Abigail Thaw Dorothea Frazil Editor, Oxford Mail newspaper
Caroline O'Neill Win Thursday Inspector Thursday's wife
Sara Vickers Joan Thursday Inspector Thursday's daughter
Jack Bannon Sam Thursday Inspector Thursday's son
Shvorne Marks Monica Hicks Morse's neighbour, a nurse with whom he slowly enters into a relationship
Simon Kunz Bart Church Detective Inspector, Oxfordshire Police CID, Witney Police Station
Dakota Blue Richards Shirley Trewlove Woman Police Constable, Oxfordshire Police CID, Witney Police Station

Reception

Noting that the series received upwards of 6.5 million viewers, Mark Sweeny writing in The Guardian stated that any decision to commission a subsequent series should be easy.[12] Upon its American premiere, Los Angeles Times critic Robert Lloyd called it a "suitably complicated and pictorially engaging work of period suburban mystery."[13]

Critics have been generally favourable,[14] though even positive reviews have commented that the show's murder-mystery plots are occasionally unsatisfying convoluted puzzles[15] or come to a "rushed, melodramatic and fairly preposterous conclusion."[16]

References to earlier series

Main article: Lewis (TV series)

TV movie

A number of references to the Inspector Morse series were included in the TV film of Endeavour, serving to introduce younger versions of characters who appeared in the original series or to place iconic series or character elements into the film.

Among these are:

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Episode guide

TV movie: 2012

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers (millions)[19]
includes ITV HD and ITV +1
11"Endeavour"Colm McCarthyRussell Lewis2 January 2012 (2012-01-02)8.21
The murder of a 15-year-old schoolgirl and the apparent suicide of her boyfriend lead an investigation by the Oxford City Police to the discovery of sex parties where under-age girls are procured for politicians, businessmen, Oxford dons and policemen, which in particular make the sifting of evidence very difficult. Endeavour's superior, Detective Inspector Fred Thursday, recognising the young constable is a detective he can trust, takes him under his wing and is determined to break the case and, with Morse's help, bring it to a successful conclusion.

Series 1: 2013

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers (millions)[19]
includes ITV HD and ITV +1
21"Girl"Ed BazalgetteRussell Lewis14 April 2013 (2013-04-14)7.43
The sudden death of a secretarial student and the shooting of a doctor appear unconnected despite Morse's theories. Chief Superintendent Bright, the new commanding officer of the Oxford City Police, unimpressed with Morse's zeal, protests to Thursday that the bagman's position is a Detective Sergeant's job and the young constable is too inexperienced. Following the shooting of a vicar, Morse is reduced to general duties for dismissing a beautiful, but mentally unstable girl as a suspect and must continue his investigations alone despite warnings of termination from his superiors.
32"Fugue"Tom VaughanRussell Lewis21 April 2013 (2013-04-21)7.00
The strangulation of a married woman and the brutal poisoning of an elderly lady botanist, backed with clues of an operatic connection, leads Thursday to have Morse taken off general duties for his specialist knowledge of opera to bring a serial killer to justice.
43"Rocket"Craig ViveirosRussell Lewis28 April 2013 (2013-04-28)7.07
An unpopular fitter is murdered during a royal visit at a family owned munitions factory. Thursday and Jakes lead the investigation while Morse is given routine tasks of inquiry. Due to the royal visit, Chief Superintendent Bright fears for his position unless the case is solved quickly.
54"Home"Colm McCarthyRussell Lewis5 May 2013 (2013-05-05)6.62
Morse, still on general duties and studying for his forthcoming sergeant's exam, investigates an apparent hit-and-run accident that has claimed the life of an Oxford don. The victim had been at odds with his peers over the sale of a piece of college-owned land to a development company in conjunction with the town council. The case is complicated by the appearance in Oxford of an East London gangster named Vic Kasper, an enemy from DI Thursday's past, which reignites a personal feud as Thursday thinks Kasper is somehow involved with the case. In the meantime, Morse makes a trip back home to Lincolnshire to visit his dying father.

Series 2: 2014

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers (millions)[19]
includes ITV +1
61"Trove"Kristoffer NyholmRussell Lewis30 March 2014 (2014-03-30)6.48
In the spring of 1966, after returning from sick leave for several months at County (Oxfordshire) Police's Witney Station under D.I. Church, Morse investigates a suspicious suicide during an Oxford parade, a missing girl from Oxfordshire, and the theft of historical artefacts from a college. On the 900th anniversary of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, a beauty pageant and local by-election draw Morse into disagreement with Inspector Thursday and Superintendent Bright when he believes they are connected to the crimes, despite the evidence. A missing notebook and a Freemasonry lodge hamper the investigation.
72"Nocturne"Giuseppe CapotondiRussell Lewis6 April 2014 (2014-04-06)6.19
In July 1966 at the almost empty, save for some schoolgirls, Museum of Natural History, Adrian Weiss, a specialist in heraldry and genealogy, is murdered. The similar murder of a 12-year-old girl at her boarding school leads Morse to delve into a 100-year-old murder mystery involving a wealthy family with connections to India and an inheritance. A masonic ring connected to the case goes missing.
83"Sway"Andy WilsonRussell Lewis13 April 2014 (2014-04-13)5.93
In the period before Remembrance Sunday in November 1966, a housewife found strangled with a silk stocking in her own home becomes the third such death in Oxford in a month. All the women were married, alone and their wedding rings missing. Tracing the stockings to the sole supplier, Burridges Department Store, a number of suspects surface, and for Inspector Thursday, a face from the past he thought was dead leading to complications in his family life and with Morse.
94"Neverland"Geoffrey SaxRussell Lewis20 April 2014 (2014-04-20)6.01
In December 1966, a boy with a brutal father is reported missing from his home. The body of a journalist is found on a railway line and within days an escaped convict, with only a month of his sentence remaining, is found dead. The two men have connections with Blenheim Vale, a disused correctional facility for boys in Kidlington, soon to be redeveloped as a new police headquarters in a reorganisation of the local forces to form the Thames Valley Police. Thursday's and Morse's investigation leads to a property developer and corruption in high places including missing police evidence in Morse's last three investigations.

Series 3: 2016

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers (millions)[19][20]
includes ITV HD and ITV+1
101"Ride"Sandra GoldbacherRussell Lewis3 January 2016 (2016-01-03)6.84
March 1967. Morse is disillusioned and ponders his future after spending time in prison, with the police following his last case even though he was exonerated. He is befriended by an unhappy millionaire and his friends. At a funfair on Cowley Green a young girl, Jeannie Hearne, is spirited away into the night, seemingly without explanation. When her body is found the next morning Inspector Thursday investigates and discovers that Morse's new friends are involved. When Morse's millionaire friend is killed but then appears the next day Morse realises his future is as a detective and the solution lies at the funfair where Hearne went missing.
112"Arcadia"Bryn HigginsRussell Lewis10 January 2016 (2016-01-10)7.16
April 1967. The death of an artist in a horrendous house fire leaves Oxford City Police baffled as to the cause of the blaze. A housewife dies of a ‘tummy bug’ that has seen half of Chief Superintendent Bright’s men go on sick leave. Tainted food sold at a local supermarket, Richardson's, and the blackmail of the wealthy owners who refuse to pay culminating in the kidnap of their daughter with a ransom demand from the dead artist. Morse strives to connect these elements to solve the deaths and kidnapping.
123"Prey"Lawrence GoughRussell Lewis17 January 2016 (2016-01-17)6.89
Early June 1967. The missing persons case of Danish au pair Ingrid Hjort proves far from routine, pulling Endeavour into the duelling worlds of Oxford scientific academia, the city's vast parks, Night School and the untamed wilderness of the Oxfordshire countryside.
134"Coda"Oliver BlackburnRussell Lewis24 January 2016 (2016-01-24)6.38
Mid June 1967. Gangland loyalties are tested when they vie to replace their deceased boss. Police loyalties are tested when Fred Thursday is suspended for hitting an informant. Bank staff loyalties are tested at the bank where Joan Thursday works when armed robbers are trapped along with Morse investigating a killing and payroll robbery. As hostages are taken he and Joan try to conceal their identities. Trapped in the bank Morse realises he is part of someone else's plan to conceal another crime.

Home media

A region 2 DVD of the pilot at 89 minutes long was released on 9 January 2012, but, as reviewers on Amazon.co.uk have noted, does not contain the full show and many scenes aired on ITV have been cut out.[21] A complete edition running at 98 minutes was released on 26 January 2012.[22]

Series 1 was released on DVD on 6 May 2013, Series 2 on 5 May 2014, and Series 3 on 1 February 2016.[23]

References

  1. "Endeavour will return to ITV". ITV. 9 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  2. "Morse is back!". Daily Mail. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  3. "ITV commissions full series of Morse drama Endeavour". Metro. 12 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  4. "ITV Sets Premiere Date For 'Endeavour'". 3 April 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. "ITV recommissions Endeavour for a second series". ITV.com. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  6. "Endeavour gets second series from ITV". Digital Spy. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  7. "'Endeavour goes back into production for second series". ITV. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-14.
  8. Luke Sproule (2015-12-24). "Bank heists and love stories- Oxford-based detective drama Endeavour is back for a third series (From Oxford Mail)". Oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  9. Luke Sproule. "Endeavour set to return for a fourth series (From Oxford Mail)". Oxfordmail.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  10. "Endeavour will return to ITV". Itv.com. 2016-02-09. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  11. "Endeavour to mark Morse anniversary with 'tips of the trilby' - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  12. Sweeny, Mark (3 January 2012). "Endeavour pays off with 6.5m viewers". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  13. Lloyd, Robert (29 June 2012). "Review: A welcome 'Endeavour' to the Inspector Morse world on PBS". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  14. "Endeavour - Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. 2012-06-30. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  15. Gail Pennington, TV review: 'Masterpiece Mystery! Endeavour' on PBS, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  16. Mike Hale, No Zombies, Just a Pint and an Aria Inspector Morse Returns in ‘Endeavour,’ a Prequel, The New York Times
  17. Gem Wheeler. "Endeavour series 3 episode 4 review: Coda". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  18. "Endeavour, Series 3 Finale". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Weekly top 10 programmes". BARB.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  20. based on 28 day data from BARB for ITV and ITV+1 and 7 day data for ITV HD
  21. "Endeavour (The Origins of Inspector Morse) (DVD)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  22. "Endeavour (The Origins of Inspector Morse) — Complete Edition (DVD)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  23. "Endeavour - Series 3 [DVD]". Amazon.com.
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