Inspector Morse creator dies at home in Oxford

We're very sad to hear this news and our deepest sympathies go to Colin Dexter's family. When Colin’s celebrated novels were adapted for television they went on to become one of the nation’s best loved shows. John Thaw’s pitch perfect portrayal of the irascible detective with a love for crosswords, real ale and classical music was undoubtedly one of the best loved characters of all time. Through 33 feature length stories, the casebook of Morse and Lewis changed the landscape of detective drama.

Colin was closely involved in the production of Inspector Morse, advising on scripts and making keenly anticipated cameo appearances in many of the films. Colin also worked closely with ITV as a consultant on Lewis, the highly successful sequel to Inspector Morse which starred Kevin Whately and ran for nine years. He was also one of the key creative forces behind Endeavour, the acclaimed prequel series starring Shaun Evans as the young Morse. The most recent Endeavour series, shown this January, marked the 25th anniversary of Inspector Morse’s television debut. ITV is very grateful to Colin for bringing so much joy to the audience over the years and the world of Inspector E. Morse will live forever."