Endeavour’s Roger Allam says season 9 answers big question about Morse
"There are also echoes of Inspector Morse in the final episode which I hope will be emotionally satisfying for the audience.”
It's finally the time for the last ever episodes of Endeavour. Starting this weekend, season 9 is the anticipated final run of the beloved Inspector Morse prequel series and now more than ever, viewers are wondering just how things will wrap up for Shaun Evans' Endeavour Morse and co.
Roger Allam, who stars in the series as DCI Fred Thursday, has revealed that the team wanted to achieve a sense of finality with these final three films of season 9 and that they would also answer the question of why Morse never referred to Thursday in his later years.
He said: “We wanted there to be an end. A point where Endeavour can move off into John Thaw’s Inspector Morse. It felt the right time. We had done plenty of films.
"From my point of view I also wanted something that had emotional heft that gave a good reason why Morse never mentioned Thursday in the later John Thaw years. Which I think we do satisfactorily in this. I think we covered all of those bases very well."
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He continued: “Thursday says to Chief Supt Reginald Bright (Anton Lesser) in this series that Endeavour is the soul of discretion and if a secret wants keeping, Morse will take it to the grave. And, as the audience will discover, there is something about Thursday that Endeavour will, indeed, take to his grave.
"There are also echoes of Inspector Morse in the final episode which I hope will be emotionally satisfying for the audience.”
It definitely seems as though this final series will be a treat for everyone, but particularly for devoted Morse fans who may be able to spot some finer details.
Evans, who stars in the titular role, previously revealed that there's a "subtle" tribute to Morse, saying: “We always try to give a nod to Colin Dexter throughout, which viewers can try to discover. And especially to John Thaw in this final season. It feels like a handover."
Read more:
- Endeavour reveals first look at final season
- Endeavour star on final season: ‘You can’t please everyone all the time’
- Endeavour star talks “huge crisis” that will impact Thursday family
He added: "But it’s only the more discerning viewer who will realise what we have done. Those who have maybe watched all of the Inspector Morse episodes and all of the Endeavour series. We wanted to be fleet of foot about it. To do it with a sleight of hand and not to hit it on the head. It’s a subtle thing that fits perfectly into our story.
"It’s only there if you are really looking for it. And if you’re not you won’t even realise that you’ve missed it. And that’s OK too.”
We also know that this final series will see some kind of "huge crisis" affecting the Thursday family, as well as Endeavour and Fred's own relationship start to fray. It's set to be an emotional affair after 11 long years on our screens but, even so, Evans admits that "you can’t please all of the people all of the time".
Endeavour returns to ITV1 on Sunday 26th February at 8pm. Seasons 1-8 are available to stream on ITVX now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
