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Endeavour: Connections to Morse and Lewis, Part 1.Pilot Episode.

Chris Sullivan

endeavour_pilot2

This is the first of thirteen posts (there being thirteen episodes of Endeavour) on the connections, people, places etc, between the Endeavour series and both the Morse and Lewis series.

I had first intended to make one large post about all thirteen episodes and their connections with Morse and Lewis but soon realised that not only would that be a huge undertaking for me (having to watch all 26 hours of Endeavour over a few days being one of the huge undertakings) but also a big undertaking for you the reader.

So, as we can see I have decided to break it down into manageable chunks, i.e. a post per episode.

So, I hope you all enjoy and that you find something of interest in the post. If there is anything that I have missed then please let me know and I will add it to the post.

I suppose the first connection to be mentioned should be the writer, Russell Lewis who wrote and devised the Endeavour series.

He has also written the following Lewis episodes;

Lewis (TV Series) (screenplay – 4 episodes, 2010 – 2012) (story – 1 episode, 2006)
– Fearful Symmetry (2012) … (screenplay)
– Old, Unhappy, Far Off Things (2011) … (screenplay)
– Falling Darkness (2010) … (screenplay)
– The Dead of Winter (2010) … (screenplay)
– Reputation (2006) … (story)

He also wrote the Morse episode, ‘The Way Through the Woods’.

CHARACTERS

Let’s start with the characters who connect Endeavour with the Morse and Lewis series.

First we have the character of Max de Bryn the pathologist. The character of Max has appeared in all 13 episodes of Endeavour and appeared in seven episodes of Morse;

The Dead of Jericho (6 January 1987) For my review of this episode click here.
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (13 January 1987) For my review of this episode click here.
Service of All the Dead (20 January 1987) For my review of this episode click here.
The Wolvercote Tongue (25 December 1987) For my review of this episode click here.
Last Seen Wearing (8 March 1988) For my review of this episode click here.
The Settling of the Sun (15 March 1988) For my review of this episode click here.
Last Bus to Woodstock (22 March 1988) For my review of this episode click here.

In the Endeavour series he is played by James Bradshaw (born on March 20, 1976) and the original Morse series he was played by indomitable Peter Woodthorpe (Born: September 25, 1931 – Died: August 12, 2004)

Peter Woodthorpe as Max in Morse

James Bradshaw as Max in Endeavour

Our final character to appear is Alexander Reece. This character first appeared in the Morse episode ‘The Last Enemy’ (first aired in 11th January 1989) For my review of this episode click here. Alexander Reece was played by Barry Foster (Born: August 21, 1927 –  Died: February 11, 2002) in the Morse episode. In the Endeavour series he was played by Christopher Brandon (Born: March 3, 1981).

Christopher Brandon as Alexander Reece in Endeavour.

Barry Foster as Alexander Reece in the Morse episode, ‘The Last Enemy’.

Another character does appear in both the Endeavour pilot and the original Morse series the great love of Morse’s life and the woman who all other woman were compared against is Wendy/Susan. In Colin Dexter’s novel ‘The Riddle of the Third Mile’ (Originally published: October 27, 1983 and filmed under the title of ‘The Last Enemy’ for the Morse series) she is known as Wendy Spencer (this is what Alexander Reece calls her in Endeavour. Endeavour corrects him by saying that she preferred to be known as Susan, as she is called in the Morse episode, ‘Dead on Time’ (first aired 26th February 1992). In the Morse episode her full name is Susan Fallon. Wendy/Susan only appears in a daydream of Endeavours but it is never stated but only implied that she is Wendy/Susan. Fans of Morse will know who she is but those new to the world of Morse will be none the wiser.

Wendy/Susan as seen in the Endeavour episode when Endeavour is daydreaming after moving into his new abode. The actress is unknown.

Susan Fallon as played by Joanna David (born on January 17, 1947) in the Morse episode ‘Dead on Time’.

Actors who appeared in the Endeavour Pilot Episode and/or Morse or Lewis.

Firstly, of course, we have the brilliant Roger Allam (Born: October 26, 1953) who plays DI Fred Thurday. Roger appeared in the Inspector Morse episode ‘Death is now my Neighbour’ (first aired on the 19th November 1997) as Denis Cornford.

Roger Allam as Denis Cornford in ‘Death is now my Neighbour’.

 

Roger Allam as DI Fred Thursday in the Endeavour series.

Next we have the actor who appears in the Endeavour pilot episode and also in Lewis, Danny Webb (Born: June 6, 1958). Danny Webb has the distinction of not only appearing the pilot episode of Endeavour but also the pilot episode of the Lewis series (29th january 2006). In the Endeavour series he plays the disagreeable DS Arthur Lott. In the Lewis pilot episode he played Tom Pollock.

Danny Webb as DS Arthur Lott in Endeavour.

Danny Webb as Tom Pollock in the Lewis pilot episode

The excellent Patrick Malahide plays the nasty, slimy Richard Lovell. Patrick also appeared in the Morse episode ‘Driven to Distraction’ (first aired in 17th January 1990. My review for that episode can be found by clicking here.) again playing a rather nasty character Jeremy Boynton.

Patrick Malahide as Jeremy Boynton

Patrick Malahide as Richard Lovell.

Penultimately, is the handsome Richard Lintern who played Dr. Rowan Stromming in the Endeavour post while in the Lewis episode he played Sefton Linn in ‘Whom the Gods would Destroy, (Series 1, Episode 1).

A big thank you to Patricia Clegg who pointed out my omission. How I missed this I don’t know. Senior moment I think. 🙂

Richard Lintern as Dr. Rowan Stromming in the Endeavour pilot.

Richard Lintern as Sefton Linn in the Lewis episode, ‘Whom the Gods would Destroy’.

Lastly, is John Light who played Dempsey in this episode and Felix Garwood in the Lewis episode, ‘The Lions of Nemea’ (Series 8, Episode 2).

John Light as Dempsey in Endeavour pilot episode.

John Light as Felix Garwood in the Lewis episode, ‘The Lions of Nemea’ (Series 8, Episode 2).

A big thank you to one of my readers for spotting this. Thanks Nan, well spotted.

MUSIC

Music of course played a big part in the Morse and Lewis series and Endeavour is no different. But in the Endeavour series much of the music is a connection to the Morse and Lewis series.

Let’s start with the music playing while the police officers and Morse are being transported from Carshall New Town to Oxford. The music being played is from Faure’s Requiem, ‘In Paradisum’ which was used when Morse collapses to the ground in the episode ‘The Remorseful Day’.

A woman who turns up in many episodes of Morse and the pilot episode of Endeavour is one Janis Kelly. Who is she? She is the wondeful opera singer who not only sings many of the soprano pieces used in many of the Morse, Lewis and Endeavour series but also provides the voice for those actors playing singers.

Janis Kelly

The Glasgow born actor and singer is the voice of Rosalind Stromming in the Endeavour episode. She is the voice in Endeavour singing from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, ‘Un bel de’ (One Beautiful Day).

In the Endeavour episode she is also the soprano voice at 27m42s singing ‘Signora, Ascolta’ from Puccini’s Turandot. (This piece can be found on the CD Inspector Morse Volume 2 also sung by Janis Kelly and used in the Morse episode ‘The Death of the Self’ first aired 25th march 1992. Yes guys, THAT episode 😉 ).

Also from the Endeavour episode the soprano is Janis Kelly singing ‘Terzettino ‘Soave Sia Il Vento’ by Mozart. (This piece can be found on the CD Inspector Morse Volume 2 also sung by Janis and used in the Morse Episode ‘Happy Families’ first aired 11th march 1992)

Janis Kelly’s voice is also heard in the following episodes of Morse:

MISCELLANEOUS

Colin Dexter appears briefly at 36m18s sitting on a bench.

The famous Morse jag makes several appearances in the Endeavour pilot episode on Edward Samuels garage forecourt.

A connection with the older Morse is his drinking especially real beers. In the Endeavour episode he is teetotal and is introduced to beer by Fred Thursday. However, I believe this is a mistake on the part of the writer Russell Lewis as I believe that Morse was a drinker while at Lonsdale. My reason for believing this is tied to the Morse episode ‘Deceived by Flight’ first aired 18th Jabuary 1989. In that episode Morse relates to Lewis that he knew the character Roland Marshall (at 25m00s) while at college and then Roland Marshall later in the episode mentions that ‘Pagan’ Morse, as he calls him, was a drinker back then (at 20m40s) and Roland didn’t know him as a Policeman. Below are the two clips from ‘Deceived by Flight’ that I am referring to. What do you think?

(Postscript: It has been pointed out to me, quite rightly, that in the episode ‘Home’ there is a conversation between Morse and  Joyce that proves that he was drinking at college but had abstained from alcohol a short time after leaving college.

In ‘Home’ when Endeavour goes with Joyce to a pub and has a pint there’s a brief snatch of conversation that supports this:
Joyce says “I thought you’d taken the pledge.”
Endeavour – “Fell amongst thieves.”
J – “Comes with the job, I suppose.”
E – “Probably.”

Thanks to Rob Herod from the Facebook page, Endeavour: The Inspector Morse Appreciation Society for the above paragraph).

Another connection and a rather poignant one is Abigail Thaw, John’s daughter, appearing as Dorothea Frazil. Her and the young Morse have a very emotive, at least for the audience if not Abigail herself, dialogue when they first meet at the offices of the Oxford Mail:

Dorothea: “What did you say your name was?”

Endeavour: “Morse. Why?”.

Dorothea: “Have we meet?”

Endeavour: “I don’t think so”.

Dorothea: “Another life then”.

Before I finish this post there are many other rather tenuous links to the Morse series. But they are links of a sort and I thought I would add them anyway and let you decide how tenuous they are. The reason I say tenuous that it is possible the writer put them in as links and a nod to the Morse series but with Oxford and its surrounding areas being relatively small the Endeavour series was and is bound to mention locations used in the Morse series. For example, the bus that appears near the beginning of the episode has Woodstock marked as its destination. A connection to the Morse episode,’Last Bus to Woodstock’.? The character Miles Percival in the Endeavour pilot lived in Jericho, a reference to the first Morse episode, ‘The Dead of Jericho’? Tenuous? You decide.

Well I hope you enjoyed my latest post.

 

 

 

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