Well Endeavour fans we have reached series 2 and part six of thirteen posts on things that connect Endeavour to the other series that inhabit the Morse universe, Lewis and the original Morse.

I know this is boring for all those who have been reading my Endeavour connections from the beginning but this has to be done for those who are new to my blog and this is possibly the first post they read. So here are the links for the previous posts. Click on the word ‘here’ on the links below;

Click HERE for part one. Click HERE for part two. Click HERE for part three. Click HERE for part 4. And last but not least, click HERE for part 5.

The first connection, as always, is 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

The main connective characters are of course, James Strange and Max DeBryn. This episode has quite a few other connections, more than usual.

First and possibly foremost is the character of Dr. Matthew Copley Barnes who apart from turning up in this episode also appeared in ‘The Infernal Serpent’ (Series 4, episode 1), an episode in the original Morse.

Jamie Parker as Dr. Matthew Copley Barnes in ‘Trove’.

Geoffrey Palmer as Dr. Matthew Copley Barnes in the Morse episode ‘The Infernal Serpent’.

We also glimpse in this episode Dr. Matthew Copley Barnes’s daughter, Imogen and his wife, Blanche.

Imogen Copley Barnes, his daughter and his wife Blanche. (The actors are not credited).

In the Morse episode Blanche Copley Barnes was played by Barbara Leigh-Hunt and Imogen was played by Irene Richard.

Blanche Copley Barnes as played by Barbara Leigh-Hunt

Imogen as played by Irene Richard.

The next connective character is mentioned and barely seen and he is Danny Griffon. Danny Griffon appeared in the pilot episode of Lewis, usually known as ‘Reputation’. Well. when I say ‘appeared’ that isn’t quite accurate. He doesn’t physically appear in the Lewis episode but is only mentioned as the dead father of Daniel Griffon, the troubled maths student.

A picture of Danny Griffon which is on Daniel Griffon’s desk in his student lodgings.

Danny Griffon is ‘seen’ twice in the Endeavour episode. Once as a judge at the beauty contest below.

And again when posing for pictures with the beauty queen Diane Day.

Russell Lewis, the writer of this and all episodes of Endeavour, wrote the story for the Lewis pilot episode but not the screenplay. As far as I am aware Russell Lewis had no connection with the Morse episode, ‘The Infernal Serpent’.

So, that concludes the character connections.

Actors who appeared in the Endeavour Series 1, Episode 4 ‘Home’ and/or Morse or Lewis.

There are quite a few returning actors so let’s crack on.

Firstly we have Jonathan Coy. In the Endeavour episode he played the part of Archie Batten.

Jonathan Coy as Archie Batten.

His other appearance was in the Morse episode, ‘Happy Families’.

Jonathan Coy as Harry Balcombe in the Morse episode, ‘Happy Families’ (Series 6, Episode 2).

Beth Goddard played Barbara Batten.

She also played Belinda Ashton in the Lewis episode ‘The Great and the Good’, (Series 2, Episode 4).

(Thank you to to G. Ting for pointing out the Beth Goddard connection)

Next we have David Westhead who starred as Val Todd.

David Westhead as Val Todd.

David Westhead also appeared in the Lewis episode, ‘Gift of Promise’ (Series 5, Episode 4).

David Westhead as Leon Suskin in the Lewis episode, ‘Gift of Promise’.

The next had only a small part in each of her appearances but connect the Morse universe they do. Her name is Kay Lavrentiera and she played Frida Yelland in the Endeavour episode.

Kay Lavrentiera as Frida Yelland.

In the Lewis episode Kay played the hotel cleaner.

Kay Lavrentiera as the hotel cleaner in the Lewis episode,’Old School Ties’ (Series 2, Episode 1).

Next up we have Michael Hobbs who apart form appearing in this episode also appeared in the pilot Lewis episode.

Michael Hobbs as the Returning Officer in Trove.

Michael Hobbs as the Club Secretary in the Lewis pilot episode.

Again an actor with a small part, (insert your own joke here), Richard Herdman. In this episode he was the ambulance man and in two Lewis episodes he played a police officer.

That’s Richard Herdman on the right as the ambulance man in Trove.

Richard Herdman as a police officer in the Lewis episode, ‘Intelligent Design’ (Series 7, Episode 3).

Richard also played a police man in the Lewis episode, ‘The Ramblin’ Boy’ (Series 7, Episode 2). I dont have a picture of this.

Other actor connections but only to other Endeavour episodes are Nick Waring who plays the Force Medical Examiner in two Endeavour episodes, ‘Trove’ and ‘Neverland’. Shvorne Marks as Monica Hicks who plays the Nurse and Endeavour’s girlfriend for a while, appears in six episodes. All four of the second series and two in the third series.

Shvorne Marks as Monica Hicks.

Stuart Matthews plays the party political official in ‘Trove’ and a barman in Nocturne, (Series 2, Episode 2).

Stuart Matthews in the background as a barman in the episode ‘Nocturne’.

Of course the excellent Caroline O’Neill pops up quite frequently through the second and third series as Win Thursday.

MUSIC

I picked out three pieces of music. The first is played at the beginning and end of the episode, Brahms ‘Ein Deutsches Requiem’ (A German Requiem). Op. 45: Denn alles fleish es ist wie gra. (Behold, all flesh is as the grass). I couldn’t find any connection to either Morse or Lewis. However, it is a lovely piece. If you want to hear the whole piece here it is below.

The second piece is sung by Maria Callas, one of Morse’s favourite singers. The piece is ‘La Gioconda, Act IV: Suicidio’. La Gioconda is an opera in four acts by Amilcare Ponchielli. The story revolves around a woman, Gioconda, who so loves her mother that when Laura, her rival in love for the heart of Enzo, saves her mother’s life, Gioconda puts aside her own romantic love to repay her. Again, I can’t find a connection musically to either Lewis or Morse. Below is the piece sung by Maria Callas.

But of course Maria Callas has been heard singing in many a Morse episode, ‘Ghost in the Machine’, ‘Second Time Around’ and many others. By the way, she never sang in the Andrew Lloyd Webber show, ‘Cats’. For those unsure what I’m on about watch the wonderful clip below from the Morse episode, ‘Ghost in the Machine’.

Thirdly is John Tavener’s The Lord’s Prayer. A song for Athene – Svyati. A beautiful piece but no obvious connection to other Morse or Lewis episodes. Unless one stretches plausibility by suggesting that it is a reference to the Masons. The Lord’s Prayer is a favourite of that organization and it has been theorized that the Lord’s Prayer can be interpreted as a political statement. I read about this theory sometime ago but damned if I can remember the author. Anyway, if The Lord’s Prayer can be read as a political statement then that would help tie it to the Masons. Of course the Masons play a big part in this episode and will again rear their head in Endeavour’s life during the episode of the original Morse series, ‘Masonic Mysteries’ (Series 4, Episode 4).

WHERE’S COLIN

Mr Dexter sitting on the bench at 28 minutes and 10 seconds in Trove.

MISCELLANEOUS

A very interesting verbal connection is made in ‘Trove’ to-wit the Wolvercote Trove. This trove included the late Saxon belt buckle mentioned in the Morse episode, ‘The Wolvercote Tongue’ (Series 2, Episode1).

The Wolvercote Belt Buckle as shown in the Morse episode, ‘The Wolvercote Tongue’. A representative picture of the tongue is shown through the perspex.

In the Morse episode a rich American was donating the Wolvercote Tonuge to reunite it with the belt buckle.

The Wolvercote Tongue being brought to the surface by divers in, ‘The Wolvercote Tongue’.

In the ‘Trove’ episode Endeavour mentions a Mary Richardson who famously slashed the ‘Rokeby Venus’ painting by Diego Velázquez.

‘Rokeby Venus’ painting by Diego Velázquez.

Apart from the fact that Endeavour gave the wrong year for the incident, (it was 1914 not 1913), I believe. possibly wrongly, that this painting was either mentioned or shown in a Lewis or Morse episode but for the life of me I can’t remember which one. I had a quick look through the Morse episode, ‘Who Killed Harry Field?’ as there is a lot of art shown and mentioned in that but to no avail. It rings the proverbial bell as I love art, my daughter is an artist, and I love Diego Velázquez, and for those reasons I’m sure I recall seeing it in either a Morse or Lewis episode. Anyway, onwards and upwards.

I had to smile when I saw one of the books on Morse’s bedside table. It is a book I read in my twenties, ‘Germany Puts the Clock Back’ by Edgar Ansel Mowrer. A great read. I’m trying to figure out why Russell Lewis, if it was him, had that particular book placed in view of the camera. It may simply be that many people in the sixties read it due to its brilliant assessment of Hitler and Fascism and to help to try and understand why WW2 came about. We know that Morse eventually learns German as he speaks it in the episode, ‘Who Killed Harry Field?’. I’m grasping at the proverbial straws here to try and find a connection.

Meanwhile…

Here’s two tenuous links you are going to like. Firstly, the actor Nigel Cooke who played Walter Fisher in ‘Trove’.

Nigel is married to Sorcha Cusack who of course played Endeavour’s sister Joyce.

Sorcha Cusack as Joyce Garrett (her married name) in the Morse episode, ‘Cherubim and Seruphim’.

Secondly, and this is very tenuous, Beth Goddard who played Barbara Batten.

Barbara is married to Philip Glenister whose brother is Robert Glenister who played Lewis in the BBC Morse radio dramas. I told you it was very tenuous.

For those who are not aware I have uploaded three of these Morse radio dramas to YouTube.

As a postscript to this post I thought I would mention three individuals who work behind the camera and also connect all three series.

Firstly, we have the American Rebecca Easton. She is the executive producer of Masterpiece on PBS TV which shows Endeavour and also puts up some of the money to get it made.Rebecca was the executive producer for three Morse episodes, ‘Death is Now My Neighbour’, ‘The Wench is Dead’ and ‘The Remorseful Day’. She also executive produced all the Lewis and Endeavour episodes.

Then we have the Line Producer Helga Dowie. She has line produced all Endeavour episodes apart from the pilot. She also was the Line Producer for 16 Lewis episodes, series 3 thru 6. For those wondering a Line Producer is a type of film producer that functions as the key manager during the daily operations of a feature film, television film or an episode of a TV program.

Finally is Damien Timmer. He has been the Executive Producer for all Endeavour episodes and thirty Lewis episodes. He was also a script editor on two Morse episodes, ‘The Wat Through the Woods’ and ‘Death is now my Neighbour’.

So, we come to end of the connections. However, I am going to be self indulgent here and show a clip I uploaded to YouTube. It is of one of my favourite scenes not only from this episode but the series.

Suffice to say that all three actors are at the top of their game in this episode. They say that acting is not about acting but about reacting. This ‘reacting’ is at an apogee in this clip. There are many other things I like about it but in particular is Roger Allam, as Fred Thursday, facial reactions to Endeavour near the end of the clip. After Endeavour jumps at the sound of falling glass Fred tries to bring the emotional state of the table back down to earth. He picks up his sandwiches and says, “Right then, let’s see. Thursday, must be…” Fred looks to Morse to reply as he normally does by telling him what it is and so spoiling the ‘surprise’. But…

I hope you have all enjoyed the post. Thank you everyone for your continued support and your wonderful comments here and on Facebook. It is all very touching and at times emotional how lovely everyone is. Thank you.