TV COPS WEEKEND - Guest Patti Abbott

Few actors have inhabited a character as thoroughly as John Thaw inhabited Inspector Morse in the long-running British series (1987-2000). Of course, I had read and loved Colin Dexter’s series long before the televised version (first novel, Last Bus to Woodstock in 1975) began. But the character of Inspector Morse came alive due to Mr. Thaw’s mesmerizing performance. The only comparable performances for me would be Peter Falk as Columbo, David Suchet as Poirot, James Garner as Rockford, and Tony Shaloub as Monk. Falk, Suchet and Shaloub used mannerisms and eccentricities to create their detectives, but Garner and Thaw did it through sheer talent—and perhaps superior writing.

Morse, for anyone not familiar with the series, was a senior CID officer in Oxford, England. He was an elegant man with a love of music, ale, poetry, art, cars and crossword puzzles. He was also cranky, troubled by authority issues, and a bit of a misogynist. Thaw’s portrayal was also strengthened by the equally fine performance of Kevin Whately as Lewis, his assistant. The best episodes were based on Colin’s novels rather than “ideas.”

Colin Dexter has said he came to think of Thaw as Morse even though the original description of his detective was not that similar. Gradually the Morse in Dexter’s novels began to resemble Thaw. It is written that Thaw didn’t much like the character of Morse when he first read the novels. But the two men shared a loved of classical music that helped him find his way into the role. And Morse’s less than perfect disposition made him all the more lovable to viewers after a while.

When the series ended in 2001, Inspector Morse was the longest running detective series in the history of the MYSTERY series—64 episodes over 13 years starting with THE DEAD OF JERICHO in 1988. Although Thaw played other parts, including the lead in Kavanagh, Q.C. it was as Morse he would be remembered after his premature death. Similarly Morse died at an early age. We will miss them both for a long time.