The Other Festival by Peter Tickler

 When I was taking part in
Mystery Fest
in Portsmouth at the beginning of March, back in Oxford there was another festival taking place.

The Morse Festival

which took place in the Jericho part of Oxford and was a celebration of all the long-running Morse TV programmes.

First of course was the long running “Morse” programmes starring John Thaw as the rather sour, beer-drinking, music-loving detective. After that there was “Lewis”, in which Morse’s former side-kick (played by Kevin Whately), now promoted to Detective Inspector, took centre stage. After that came “Endeavour” in which the young Morse was played by Shaun Evans.

The first “Morse” dramas were screened in 1987, but the story really begins in 1972 when Colin Dexter went on holiday and started to write Last Bus to Woodstock. And the rest, as they say, is history. The three series were phenomenally popular round the world, not least because many of the murders took place within the stunning surrounds of the medieval centre of Oxford. Sudden death and murderous antics against the background of the city’s colleges, libraries and pubs proved a heady combination. Of course, what makes a great TV series are top-notch actors and great stories. Dexter’s creation of Morse provided John Thaw with a character he could really get his Thespian teeth into, so much so that it is impossible to think of Morse without thinking of Thaw. The MorseFest was hugely popular in Oxford, with several walking tours taking place. A packed St Barnabas church saw two stars of “Endeavour” – Anton Lesser and Abigail Thaw (John’s daughter!) – talking about the series. But now it has finally finished. No more Morse stories will appear on our screens, but of course there are lots to go back over and enjoy allall over again. If and when you do, see if you can spot Colin Dexter who, like Hitchcock, often made a cameo appearance in Morse.

Finally, I have my next Oxford-based crime novel coming out soon. My publisher announced it a few days ago, but publication date and even its title are a closely kept secret! But I can reveal that it again features DI Holden and private detective Doug Mullen. And his dog! 

Peter Tickler. Twitter: @ptickler
Email: petertickler@btinternet.com

Check out my Facebook page or website to get the latest news.

Peter's Books

Blood in Oxford
Blood on the Cowley Road (2008)
Blood in Grandpoint (2010)
Blood on the Marsh (2012)

Doug Mullen Series
Dead in the Water (2015)
White lies, Deadly Lies (2018)
Dead in Oxford (2020)
The Oxford Murders (2023)

The Girl Who Stole the Apple  (2016)