♪ ♪ NARRATOR: After nine series, the epic story of one of TV's most popular detectives is coming to an end... Ah.

NARRATOR: The detective world of Morse.

SHAUN EVANS: It has actually been one of the privileges of my life.

SARA VICKERS: Every time I got a script, I was thinking, is there gonna be this kiss?

♪ ♪ SEAN RIGBY: It all comes to a crescendo.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (thunder claps) (whimpers) (click) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (birds chirping) NARRATOR: From the 1960s to the 21st century, the detective world of Morse, created by writer Colin Dexter, has been exploring the fictional crimes of Oxford.

It's got such a loyal fanbase; "Morse", "Lewis", and "Endeavour".

People who've followed the shows right from the start.

You never consider that it'll be going in ten years' time or 35 years' time.

♪ ♪ The Oxford of "Morse" and of "Endeavour" is definitely a dangerous place.

Hello?

(glass shattering, blood splattering) One filled with big characters.

NARRATOR: But the biggest character at the helm of it has been Inspector Morse, the detective actor John Thaw first brought to our screens back in 1987, famous for his love of crosswords, classical music, and his iconic red Jaguar.

WHATELY: The famous maroon-colored Jag was an old stunt car which John himself had written off in "The Sweeney" in a stunt more than once.

You could see the road through the floor.

It was hell on wheels.

NARRATOR: But over the past two decades, since the original Morse famously left our screens... (weakly): Thank Lewis for me.

NARRATOR: ...the Morse universe has expanded, first with his sidekick Lewis picking up the murderous threads in 2006. Who am I looking for?

Definitely somebody with blood on their clothes or their person.

Thanks, doc.

NARRATOR: And for the past decade, the series "Endeavour" has told Morse's backstory as a brilliant young copper in '60s Britain.

Who's a clever boy then?

NARRATOR: But after nine series, the last-ever episode of "Endeavour" has been shot and the epic story of one of TV's most popular detectives is finally coming to an end.

Being the last-ever "Endeavour" director is scary.

'Cause you go, "I hope I get it right!"

ABIGAIL THAW: The final episode.

It brings it all together and I hope there'll be a few surprises for people.

♪ ♪ It all comes to a crescendo, you know, at the end.

It's hard to describe.

It's rather lovely, that.

EVANS: It has actually been one of the privileges of my life to work with this group of people.

♪ ♪ I feel a lot of gratitude to have been part of something that so many people have enjoyed.

This is for everyone, and all the fans who were involved with "Morse", "Lewis", and "Endeavour," and this is the end, so let's have fun.

♪ ♪ (car door closing echoes) ("Morse" theme playing) NARRATOR: The character of Inspector Morse first featured in the award-winning crime novels written by Colin Dexter back in 1975.

WHATELY: Colin was very much an academic and I think when Kenny McBain found the Morse books and tracked Colin down, Colin was a bit taken aback.

I can remember when he didn't really quite understand how films worked to start with.

NARRATOR: But it was in 1987, when actor John Thaw took on the TV role, that the wider world got to know and love the cranky, academic detective.

Somebody of my age, all of us remember the "Morse" theme during the '90s, and remember the "Morse" series and how loved that was, and John Thaw's legacy in that.

I need to be off duty on the dot tonight.

Val's dead set on going to this slimming promotion.

It's a special...

I don't need to hear the details.

I don't often ask, sir.

Square up to the case, Lewis, maybe we can both be off on the dot.

WEBBER: How incredibly important that series is to British television, culture, and history but I think also to the genre.

NARRATOR: With regular audiences of 15 million viewers, "Morse" was a huge hit, both at home and abroad.

Así que Crowther coge el coche de su esposa y ve a Sylvia Kane en la parada, pero, ¿la conoce?

No.

And ran for the next 13 years.

WHATELY: I'm hugely proud of them.

I still get work now from the kudos that I get from the, the "Morse" franchises.

NARRATOR: In January 2012, 12 years after the original Inspector Morse left our screens, the clocks were set back to 1965 and actor Shaun Evans got to explore the backstory of television's most enigmatic detective.

At that point I'd never seen any of the previous TV show, so I came at it fresh, and then I was intrigued then about... how we could see this character as a younger man.

For me, it's a coming of age story of how we take this period of time, and take this man from his late 20s right through to his mid-30s.

BRIGHT (voiceover): My name is Bright, Chief Superintendent Bright.

ANTON LESSER: It's centered on a police station somewhere in Oxfordshire and you have the young Morse who is a troubled character.

Secondly...

The brilliant detective thinks out of the box.

He always comes at everything from a strange angle.

Evelyn Balfour was strangled, sir, like Desdemona, Othello's wife.

And there was a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth, embroidered with the initial "D." EVANS: The detective element is important, yes, but it's sort of a trojan horse to get into who this person was.

Squeamish, are we?

You won't make much of a detective if you're not prepared to look death in the eye.

Find me when you're done.

VICKERS: It's got an unlikely character at the helm of it.

You know, this... he's not your hero, he's not, he's not your average detective.

♪ ♪ (keys jingle) EVANS: He is an appreciator of classical music, of art, of architecture, of man's achievements at its highest I suppose.

(choral singing) It can't be separated from this story and so then it's important to show them as much as you can.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: And this new world of crime expanded beyond Morse to include a much wider cast of regular characters.

THURSDAY: 25 years ago, I got the best bit of luck any man ever had.

The toast is... my Win.

(cheers) Win!

CAROLINE O'NEILL: It's a beautifully written period drama.

There's the throughline of the main characters who, whose lives you see emerging and changing.

(applause) VICKERS: That's why people love it.

It is more than just a detective drama.

I think that's selling it short.

Where've you been all night?

Oh, don't ask.

(sniffles) So, are you dancing?

Are you asking?

(laughs) It's got wonderfully nuanced characters that you want to meet time and time again.

(playing trombone) I suppose what's lovely about the series of "Endeavour" is that there's just that plotting.

We've got, you know, all nine series to see how he becomes the Inspector Morse that we know he's destined to be.

NARRATOR: But the backstory to Morse wasn't actually the work of original author Colin Dexter.

"Endeavour" was the creation of writer Russell Lewis.

Television writers don't normally write every single episode of a series, particularly not when there's 36, and particularly not when there's 36 at 90 minutes.

It's very, very unusual.

Russell has such a way of writing, not only as dialogue but his stage directions.

I really wish people could see his scripts because they're so detailed.

THURSDAY: Up a bit, up, up a bit more.

Left a bit.

Oh!

(groans) WEBBER: Knowing the shows he did-- he wrote for "Morse", he wrote for "Lewis"-- there is very rarely a character name, an address, a name of a department store, you name it, there will be a connection to something within the "Morse" universe.

NARRATOR: And Russell Lewis was inspired to create one very special character for an actor with a personal connection to John Thaw.

So, what's the story?

Well, there isn't one-- yet.

I play Dorothea Frazil, who's the editor of the "Oxford Mail" newspaper.

If that's for the morning edition, you're cutting it fine.

THAW: My agent called me and said that they were looking for a young John Thaw, basically, to play the young Endeavour.

And did I know anyone who reminded me of my father?

I couldn't imagine it.

I said, "Well, I want a part in it."

Just be a nice little quirky thing.

And Russ and I talked and he wrote a little scene for me.

Have we met?

I, I don't think so.

Another life then.

THAW: I wasn't expecting anything as lovely and as moving as that.

I thought I was just gonna be plonked on a desk and, you know?

But no, Russ had a much better idea and the rest is history.

NARRATOR: And Dorothea has remained a key character across all nine seasons of the hit detective series.

It's such an interesting character, I think, Dorothea Frazil.

Like, she's this woman existing in this man's world.

THURSDAY: Actually, Miss Frazil, I'd urge you in the strongest possible terms not to make this communication known to the public, as a favor.

24 hours.

DOROTHEA: After that... Pray that's enough-- Morse.

NARRATOR: Another key character created for the series was Detective Inspector Fred Thursday, who played mentor to the fledgling detective Endeavour Morse.

You're here on merit.

Not that you'd know by the state of you.

You might have found time to run an iron.

That shirt looks as though you slept in it.

First impressions, Morse.

THAW: Thursday really wants to help Endeavour and he's a prickly bugger.

I'm a good detective.

And a poor policeman.

No one can teach you the first.

Any fool can learn the second.

ROGER ALLAM: Fred's task as he sees it is to turn him into a good copper and not get quite so high- falutin, you know, in the possible solving of all these crimes.

One day, I'll send you out for a routine enquiry and it will turn out to be just that.

But I won't hold my breath.

You'd find something suspicious in a saint's sock drawer.

ALLAM: With "Morse" and "Lewis", that is reversed, it's... Morse is the senior man.

If anyone wants me, they'll find me looking at fish through the bottom of a beer glass.

I think the relationship with... between Thursday and Endeavour actually is sadder than the one with Lewis and, and Morse.

THURSDAY: Go home.

Put your best record on, loud as it'll play, and with every note, you remember: that's something that the darkness couldn't take from you.

WHATELY: If you look at "Endeavour," it's working class, old sweat, that's keeping this very bright young cop on the right track.

So it's quite similar to the Lewis situation except that Shaun's a lot better looking than the rest of us.

So you've got a very handsome Morse.

(laughing): But otherwise, it's the same situation.

(operatic singing) ALLAM: It's hugely important that Oxford is a character in the... in the series.

Thank you, professor.

ALEX COX: One of the things Oxford is best known for, besides the university, et cetera, is the Inspector Morse series of books, and the "Inspector Morse" and "Lewis" and now "Endeavour" series.

WEBBER: It is the last time in "Endeavour's" series history that we are in Oxford.

And Endeavour is visiting the joke shop looking for evidence.

(car passing) (muffled music playing) (bell rings) Bye now.

I say, I say, I say, what can I do for you then, sir?

He asked him, knowingly.

WEBBER: It's a sad time for everybody.

We will miss everybody in Oxford who makes us welcome, and we will of course miss coming together away for three or four nights as a team to get the material that is always so, so beautiful, especially on a day like today.

People come to see us.

Sometimes they travel from really quite a long way away as well.

Well, I've been following "Endeavour" really since the beginning.

I stumbled across their filming in season one.

And then in season two I took them some cakes down.

And it's spiraled from there.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: To acknowledge this Oxford universe of "Morse" coming to an end, Julia created a particularly special cake.

It's terribly, terribly sweet.

When we were in Oxford this time, we got that enormous cake with lots of brilliant sort of icing on it that was newspapers and Fred and Morse at the top.

It was the most remarkable thing.

Oh look!

All my lovely locations.

I've got that in the back of my car still.

ALLAM: Three, two, one.

♪ ♪ The "Endeavour" crew are really welcoming.

Mm, it's nice.

And I'm not a cake lover.

ATKINSON (voiceover): You get a lot of tourists, who are fascinated and then you get the hardcore fans that come specially.

And usually we're allowed to skulk in a corner, in a safe place out of the way, but they never stop us.

The "Endeavour" fans are amazing, I don't know how they know where we are, but they always do.

I'm from Boston in the United States.

In the U.S., you wouldn't get near filming, as close as the people here seem to do.

SAXON: They're, they're sweet.

They are part of the "Endeavour" family.

Amazing likeness.

I mean you might look about 40 years older than you do, Rog, but don't worry about it.

(chuckles) NARRATOR: One distinct addition to the '60s world of "Morse" was the relationship between Endeavour and the family life of his boss, Fred Thursday.

Lot to be said for family.

And what if you don't have any?

Do you think that's how you end up your days?

Alone in some two-bob kip, nothing but a bottle for company?

There was often the contrast between the warm and loving Thursday family and Morse as the outsider.

Sit yourself down, he won't be a tick.

ALLAM: The family is a place where he can get away from the disturbances and the violence that the job often presents him with.

We see that lightness, without his hat on, enjoying his, you know, dinner 'round the table.

And I think the audience loved those scenes.

THURSDAY: Morse, don't stand on ceremony.

Budge up, Sam.

You shouldn't have let me sleep, sir.

Well, you looked like you could do with it.

Mrs. Thursday's done you some tea.

Win, dear.

Endeavour as a character wants to be part of that family and wants that safety.

NARRATOR: And the lynchpin of the Thursday household was Fred's wife, Win.

Early on in the series, I think my, my main sort of thrust was bringing tea and making sandwiches.

The way you went out of here this morning, I didn't even get a chance to do your sandwiches.

Have you got time now?

No, I just popped back to get my pipe, left it in the shed.

I'll do you a quick round.

O'NEILL: I do feel she's an integral part of the show, you know?

I do feel that and I do feel the audience love her.

I'm there in the morning giving him sandwiches and saying... Come home safe.

Which is another one of her, you know, little isms.

She always says, "Come home safe."

NARRATOR: But playing Win Thursday wasn't actor Caroline O'Neill's first journey into the "Morse" universe.

I had a little tiny appearance in "Lewis" many moons ago.

My husband was murdered so I did get the opportunity to work with them on that.

That's Reg.

Thanks, Mrs. Chapman.

Cup of tea?

There have been a few actors who've come in.

I know Roger did an "Inspector Morse."

Those links are wonderful.

The journalism, that's your only connection with Mr. Owens?

Absolutely.

You sure, sir?

Because you see, we believe he was engaged in blackmail.

Good God.

People are absolutely obsessed with "Morse," you know.

People do dissertations on it in university, which is very touching.

NARRATOR: And as those university experts will know, back in the year 2000, after 13 years and 33 episodes, the original series of Inspector Morse became famous for its bold decision to kill off its title character.

For Morse to actually die on screen was, was quite a big deal.

Well, it was a huge deal at the time.

I didn't quite catch that, Morse.

(weakly): Thank Lewis for me.

NARRATOR: In 2006, Kevin Whately returned to the Oxford crime scene, this time as the lead detective Lewis.

Who the hell are you?

Inspector Lewis.

Sergeant Hathaway, Oxfordshire Police.

WHATELY: Audiences like to feel that relaxed with, with characters and are used to having that friendly face in the corner of their room.

I think there's definitely a, a through line through all the films and the different franchises but there's a different dynamic on "Endeavour" because Russell's got the historic thing and he links it to whatever's going on, which is very clever.

♪ ♪ Given that it's set 50 years prior to where we are now, when you look at the things that happened socially and politically and you're able to hold the mirror up in a more artful way, then that's when I think it works.

(shrieks) Rather than just an... attractive chocolate box of a show, you know what I mean?

It becomes something else.

My husband had Hitler's ear.

We could have persuaded him; softened his resolve.

He wasn't immune to reason.

Charming conversationalist, no doubt.

O'NEILL: As an audience member, I can watch it and think, God, this is extraordinary how Russell writes these incredibly complex episodes that are linked to, you know, whether it's politics in the '70s, racism, the strikes.

That's one of the things that all drama does very, very well and has been doing from time immemorial.

You know, looking, looking at the past and using that as a way of looking where we are now.

There's an episode that Joan was in and it kind of coincided with the Black Lives Matter.

CROWD (chanting): Integration for the nation.

Integration for the nation!

MAN: Quiet!

The sign on this door says "no coloreds".

This is the language of segregation.

It's great that we can look back to reflect, to see, in some sense, how far we've come.

And in other senses how far we still need to come.

(applause) ♪ ♪ One of the strengths of "Endeavour" is the attention to detail.

And that's across the board, you know, with the crew and the music and the casting.

There's so much detail that's gone into it.

NARRATOR: And one character with an attention to detail second only to Morse is their resident pathologist.

Ah.

Max DeBryn is the resident Home Office pathologist.

So he's, he's good at his job, he's skilled.

People always seem to like the directness.

THURSDAY: Anything, Doc?

MAX: Well, his head's in this room and his body's in that room, so that might have something to do with it.

People seem to love that.

Time of death?

2,000 years ago.

2,000 years?

Yes, give or take a couple of hundred years.

STRANGE: We'll have trouble notifying his next of kin.

What a brilliant character Max DeBryn is.

This morbid humor and these witticisms and sayings.

MAX: Male, late 50s, early 60s.

What's with all the, uh, blood?

MAX: Someone stuck a broken bottle in his neck.

I didn't realize how much forensics had changed until I did a bit of research.

MAX: Whether that's what did for him or he was already on his way out, I'm afraid I won't be able to express an opinion until after the post-mortem.

Shall we say 2:00?

MAN: Cut there, beautiful, cut that please.

Thank you.

NARRATOR: And for actor James Bradshaw, understanding the details of his fictional job has always been important.

DNA didn't actually come into, into being used as a forensic tool until the 1980s; even wearing surgical gloves at a crime scene didn't become standard procedure until 1972.

So it was just fascinating to find all this stuff out.

It looks to be a cap badge.

NARRATOR: And as the serious "Morse" fans know, the character of Max DeBryn is one of the few original characters to appear from the 1980s TV series.

Oh, by the way... ...he wore a hearing aid.

He was played by Peter Woodthorpe in the original series.

My job sir, is to certify death where it has occurred and to ascertain, where possible, the physical causes.

Now, "Inspector Morse" came out-- I would have been 11, 12.

I had a vague memory of it.

I think I looked at a picture of Peter Woodthorpe, and there was the bowtie and the glasses.

Um, so I kept that in mind.

NARRATOR: Plus the one other original character was of course Police Constable Jim Strange.

Jim Strange is a career policeman and he has no ulterior motives other than advancement.

Congratulations, by the way, Sergeant Strange.

Yeah, well.

Lot of piles, eh?

NARRATOR: An advancement that would see the character become Chief Superintendent Strange, and eventually Endeavour's boss.

RIGBY: Fundamentally, there's a part of Endeavour that Strange will never understand.

They both very much get on with what they do.

Look, matey, I know it's no locked room mystery, but sometimes the simplest answer is the right one.

What have you got against it being him?

Nothing, I'm just trying to keep an open mind.

It is the job, isn't it?

RIGBY (voiceover): Where they've clashed is their personalities, which are absolutely chalk and cheese.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: With 36 episodes, "Endeavour" has now become the longest-running series in the trio of Morse detective adventures, and it has never neglected to acknowledge its roots, from John Thaw's Morse of the 1980s to the cameos by writer Colin Dexter, whose original novels have now inspired over four decades of TV crime.

I actually had the joy of sitting on a bus with Colin Dexter.

He sat in front of me and it was just brilliant, 'cause, you know, it's like, "Oh my God, I can't believe it," you know, 'cause I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting him until then.

NARRATOR: And although Colin died back in 2017, the series continued to honor him.

We try and have a little thing of Colin Dexter somewhere in each of the films, whether it's a poster on the wall or a bust in the library.

It's an important nod to the heritage.

As long as it's not overwhelming, I think.

You know, as long as it's... it becomes a part of the story.

(elevator dings) NARRATOR: And in recent years, lead actor Shaun Evans has taken on a bigger role in the storytelling of the series.

EVANS: One of the draws of the job for me, you know, as soon as I realized it was gonna go a little further than just a one-off, to see... oh actually, I could learn, by the end of this, how to be broader, how to be able to tell stories, not just from an acting point of view.

The first one that I directed of "Endeavour" was "Apollo," and it's about the moon landing.

NEIL ARMSTRONG (on TV): Tranquility Base here.

The Eagle has landed.

(on radio): I'm gonna step off the LM now.

That's one small step for man... (static distorting): ...one giant leap for mankind.

LESSER: I have no idea how he did it, but I think that's a, a string to his bow that he wants to develop more.

MAN: Camera set and... Action.

But some of the text that he has to speak while he's keeping a director's hat on, was ridiculously difficult.

Jeff Slayton's personal assistant is murdered.

His scientific adviser dies in a car crash intended for someone else, and not 48 hours later, one of his puppeteers is found dead.

I would say they were connected.

And now I'm... 'cause I'm, now I'm getting old, and I'm...

I have to learn my words weeks in advance, (laughing): I just look with horror at the stuff that he has to do.

But he seems to thrive on it.

Working on it for a period of time and also peeling back the curtain and... and starting to direct and whatnot has made me approach all of the work in a different way.

And cut.

Let's give that another whirl, please, my friends.

He's in it 100%, and it's interesting, 'cause I think there's parts of Morse that are quite like Shaun as well.

His dedication to the work, and his detail that he puts into his work.

There was one scene in particular where he had to find a tape at the back of a doll's house, and for a couple of takes, what he did was he asked one of the crew to hide it in a different place each time so that he would actually have to go and find it, so he was actively searching, as opposed to just acting the search.

I think someone was looking for something... only they didn't find it, because... (objects shifting) ...she'd hidden it somewhere safe.

VICKERS: It's just things like that, those little bits that you think, you've be doing this for so long, and it would be so easy to say, "I've got this.

You know what?

I'll just phone it in."

But he never, ever did that.

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: Across 36 years, the streets and spires of Oxford have become home to the television universe of "Morse".

And at the heart of it all has been one complex character.

RIGBY: Like any good protagonist on TV, he's a man of layers, and there are a lot of different Endeavours.

For people who have watched the show over the years, you'll have seen the hard-working detective, the romantic, the melancholic, the alcoholic, the depressive.

You've seen him as a good friend, a bad friend.

You've seen him as a good detective, a bad detective.

Don't ever do that again.

I'm questioning a suspect, I expect you to back me.

Questioning a suspect?

If you want to take a leaf out of Thursday's book, there's better places to start.

Look, let's get one thing straight, matey.

You don't tell me, I tell you, all right?

Job calls for brains, you'll be the first in the queue.

Something like this, leave it to those who have got the sand.

RIGBY: He contains multitudes, but I think probably one of his cornerstones is that he's a bit grumpy.

But that's why we love him.

NARRATOR: But who loved this somewhat unlovable character?

John Thaw's Inspector Morse was a regular flirt, even with suspects, played by familiar actors and voiceover artists.

Can you at least remember what he had to drink?

Sherry.

Medium, I think.

Well, that's better than the stuff that passes for ale in there, anyway.

Well, that I wouldn't know.

I don't drink much at the best of times, and never at lunch.

I like to be in complete command of myself when I'm working, Inspector.

Really?

Oh, I like to let go.

I always drink at lunchtime.

It helps my imagination.

NARRATOR: But there were many women with whom he had relationships.

You're known around here as one of the good guys, Morse.

(indistinct chatter in background) NARRATOR: But no love was ever convinced to stay.

BERYL: Look, I'm sorry.

you're very nice.

I've just had enough of men for the moment, okay?

NARRATOR: And the roots of the detective's failed love life became the cornerstone of the "Endeavour" backstory.

What do they call you, then?

Morse.

Endeavour has had this thing about Joan, we know.

But he's, he's had a thing about quite a number (laughing): of other people as well and hasn't done too badly on the, on the front of having relationships, you know, with the lovely nurse.

(fireworks bursting) ♪ ♪ (fireworks bursting) He's had so many lovely women over the series that he's had brief relationships with, and he doesn't seem to be able to forge relationships.

They say you're never so alive as when you're close to death.

Well, maybe the reverse is also true.

Jesus, it's just sex.

It's not love.

(small chuckle) I know.

I suppose he is conflicted, but he's a solitary figure, isn't he?

♪ ♪ NARRATOR: But for Morse, there was one love that was there right from the start... (doorbell ringing) ...Fred and Win's daughter, Joan.

The first few episodes, she's going out on dates.

You see her kind of being quite mischievous with Morse, you know, trying to wind him up.

Well, don't stand on ceremony.

Er, it's probably best if I wait in the...

I think it's probably best if you just do as you're told.

(amused chuckle) You wouldn't say they were, you know, the perfect pair in the sense that she's quite outgoing, he's quite awkward.

And it's interesting, 'cause with the kind of love story that emerged, that it was really early on, there was an episode where Jakes takes Joan out for a date.

SINGER: ♪ There's nobody laughing ♪ ♪ When he gets home... ♪ Endeavour walks her home after it goes wrong.

And I remember in the stage directions, Russell had written, "This is the moment he will look back on "as the moment that he knew he'd fallen in love."

I thought I'd be all right with a copper.

Well, there are coppers and there are coppers.

And what sort are you?

I'm the sort that see young ladies safely home.

VICKERS: Joan has been on quite a journey.

We see her quite bright-eyed and bushy-tailed right at the beginning.

She's still living with her mum and dad, she's taken quite a respectable job at the bank, doing the right thing.

FORDYCE: It's a lunch hour, Miss Thursday...

Sorry, Mr. Fordyce.

I'll make it up.

Indeed you will, Miss Thursday.

VICKERS: And then there's that incident at the bank with Endeavour.

(woman screaming) All right, nobody move, this is a robbery.

(indistinct shouting) Hold it right there.

Hands up where I can see 'em.

ROBBER: She's going for the button.

Okay.

What are you doing?

Stop, stop.

What have we here?

Don't look at me.

(people exclaiming) He happens to be there as well.

It's a good job you're here.

I mean I'm glad, if it's any comfort.

Me too.

♪ ♪ We see through the series, how that kind of life has taken its toll on her as well.

Stay.

I can't.

Just give it time.

I'm a huge admirer of Sara.

She's... a terrific actress.

Take care of yourself, Morse.

You too, Miss Thursday.

EVANS: I think what we've-- or I hope-- what we've achieved very subtly is those dynamic shifts.

I've made such a mess.

I don't know what to do.

There was one point where I said... Marry me.

And she goes; she doesn't marry him.

(distraught exhale) Morse, I...

I don't want your pity.

Every time I got a script, I was thinking, this is gonna be it.

Is there gonna... you know, is there gonna be this kiss, is there gonna be this moment?

Are they going to finally get together?

Do you want to come in?

For coffee?

Yeah.

O'NEILL: Over the series, there are those moments where they look at each other, and... you just, "Oh go on, do it now.

You know, kiss each other now, profess."

I don't go much for coffee.

Right to the bitter end we get those, all the way along.

Actually, I should probably go.

You just got here.

Yeah, work.

I just wanted to wish you well.

VICKERS: I just love the bones of her.

You know, she's just exciting to play, and I'll be sad to, to get my hair backcombed for the last time.

(laughs) ♪ ♪ Action!

(crowd applauding) We've got our biggest day of the shoot today.

We've got a wedding.

So we've got all our regular cast for the first time in the show's history, and also shooting with the amount of crowd that we have here today, all the wedding guests, it's an enormous team effort.

BRADSHAW: This is one of the first occasions, if not the first occasion, where we've all been together, as a cast.

We had the reception and I got to have a dance with Mrs. Thursday and, sort of chatting to, to Dorothea, Abby's character.

Yeah, it was great, just lovely.

We all tend to have our little sort of boxes of characters, and this time, having this wedding, has brought us all together, just like a real wedding.

And the sort of bittersweet fact that Joan and Strange have got together, and it's not Endeavour and Joan, that's one thing.

But on the other hand, it's also very joyous.

and it seems the sort of, the right... thing to do, to all end at a wedding.

And finally, Joan and Jim's wedding.

Action!

(clapperboard claps) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR: After much anticipation, Joan had said yes to marrying not Morse, but the other long-running detective in the series-- Jim Strange.

RIGBY: We had absolutely everybody there.

And we had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs, as we tend to do whenever there were groups of us getting together to shoot scenes.

NARRATOR: But this happy occasion was of course fraught for one key character.

♪ ♪ EVANS: Endings can be very difficult, 'cause you're trying to tie everything up, and you can't please all the people all the time.

There's a beautiful scene in the last episode where Joan is about to be married.

(clapperboard claps) To your marks.

And... She goes over to Morse and she says, You know, I don't think you've ever called me by my name.

Have I not?

No.

Well, that's probably for the best.

(chuckling): How's that?

Because if I had said it once out loud, then I think I might never've been able to stop.

♪ ♪ The truth is...

I love you.

LESSER: And you think, "Oh my God!"

It's so brilliant.

And then he says everything that you've wanted him to say for all this time.

I should've said something, I should've said... something.

(small breath) And now it's too late.

♪ ♪ No.

It's not.

♪ ♪ LESSER: And then... (snaps) ...it's just been in his head.

I don't think you've ever called me by my name.

MORSE: Have I not?

No.

'Course.

Mrs.

Strange.

(small chuckle) Well, you might give me a hug.

Oh.

For luck.

(laughs) ♪ ♪ MAN: And cut there.

But it's everything as a, as a viewer, you've been wanting him to do, you know, all this time.

For goodness, goodness sake, just go and grab her and tell her you love her, and it's, it's beautiful, really beautiful.

ALLAM: I supposed he's filled with feelings of regret that he didn't just do that much earlier on in the series, but then, of course, he doesn't realize, we wouldn't have had a, a really good series.

(laughs) It couldn't have ended early on with Morse and Joan settling down, because we know that Inspector Morse didn't do that.

You never married.

That's right.

How is that?

Do you mind?

Not being married?

Sometimes.

Sometimes I mind.

EVANS: It's interesting, isn't it, because... Oh, I've got a lot of thoughts about it really, a lot of feelings about it.

It's good for the character to be able to get that off his chest.

(laughs) Even if it's only in a fantasy sequence.

But ultimately, Endeavour doesn't get the girl; that was always a given.

Thursday is never mentioned in the Inspector Morse... either the books or the series.

So something has to happen with those two characters which means that I never mention them again.

That's where those two things have to end, and that's where we decide to end our story.

♪ ♪ SLATER: We're here at Air Studios.

We're recording the very last episode of "Endeavour."

One of the great privileges of this job is working with the composer-- Barrington and then Matt, record it with a full orchestra, which is not that common for TV.

NARRATOR: The London Metropolitan Orchestra was specially formed in 1986 to record Barrington Pheloung's original theme tune and the score for the music for "Inspector Morse."

The baton passed to his collaborator Matt Slater when he died.

SLATER: The journey that all of us in this orchestra, and musicians that have worked on this over the years, the thousands of hours of work have gone in, with both Barry Pheloung's scores, mine, it's...

I don't think there's anything been quite like it.

NARRATOR: And 36 years later, the orchestra who have recorded the scores of all 102 episodes of "Inspector Morse", "Lewis", and "Endeavour" are gathering to record for the very last time.

SLATER: So let's do this.

We're gonna have an amazing day.

This is for everyone and all the fans who were involved with "Morse", "Lewis", and Endeavour", and this is the end, so let's have fun.

Matt was determined that on the very last one, we would have this get-together.

AUDIO PRODUCER: Here we go, two bars into one.

(orchestra begins playing "Morse" theme) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Standing on the podium, and you've got everybody around you, you've got the orchestras, you've got cast members, that moment of those final, final notes-- I've got shivers just even thinking about it.

They mean so much to so many people.

♪ ♪ (music ends) (applause) Sitting there in the middle of the orchestra...

I don't know, it's kind of a wild feeling, the music all around you.

Yeah, it's good.

It's kind of emotional for the guys as well, they've been doing this far longer than I have.

SLATER: There's very few moments in life that you get where you know instantly, that moment is incredibly special, and looking around at everyone's faces, the tears in their eyes, the emotion of going through this score and what it meant to them was-- I don't think I'll ever get anything like again, but I'm so proud to be part of it.

NARRATOR: 36 years after the first episode of "Morse" was filmed, the final scene for the complex detective, who the public have loved the world over, required a very pertinent piece of music.

It's been the finale scene of "Endeavour" ever, which I, I'm so glad I'm doing.

Endeavour is in a choir, they're singing Fauré's "Requiem: In Paradisum."

There was a lot of conversations about what music it would be; whether there would be a choir.

MAN: Turning over.

WOMAN: Rolling.

Quiet please.

(clapperboard clapping) MAN: And playback.

♪ ♪ (choir harmonizing) ♪ ♪ That piece has been played, I believe in the very first episode of "Endeavour."

I think that's when he arrived on the bus, and we thought this would be a fitting closure.

♪ ♪ (choir harmonizing) As we were up there and singing it, and filming, the writer came in, Russ, and then the producer came in.

And when they came in, each of them filled up... and got a little bit emotional.

There was a feeling of all of the experiences that we'd had, perhaps, coming to an end.

So it was a release.

Is that it?

That's it.

(theme playing) SLATER: It's spine tingling.

I hope the audiences will have been moved by, and understand that it's just that little comma before we hit John Thaw as Inspector Morse in the '80s.

♪ ♪ (click) ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Go to our website, listen to our podcast, watch video, and more.

♪ ♪