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Endeavour's Abigail Thaw: 'My dad would have approved'

"I think he's up there smiling."

Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil in Endeavour.

Mammoth Screen for ITV

Published: Monday, 6 March 2023 at 2:59 pm

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With Endeavour coming to an end this Sunday, one of the show's stars and daughter of original Morse star John Thaw, Abigail Thaw, has spoken about what her father would make of the prequel series.

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John Thaw starred as the title role in Inspector Morse from 1987 to 2000, before it was picked up by Shaun Evans in Endeavour from 2012. Thaw passed away in 2002.

Speaking with What to Watch, Abigail Thaw, who plays Dorothea in Endeavour, revealed what she believes her father would think of the show, saying: "I like to think that Dad would have given it the nod of approval.

Inspector Morse

"We made it our own, we weren’t trying to ape Inspector Morse, but I've always had him as a sort of benign presence on set just there on my shoulder, and I’ve loved that. I think he's up there smiling."

She continued: "Dad would have loved Shaun, and would have totally respected Shaun’s wishes to not emulate him but with the writing, you could still absolutely see Morse and the man he was about to become."

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Thaw also spoke about her father's love of playing Morse, adding that it "meant the world" to him. "Initially, he was unsure whether anyone would want to be bothered with this grumpy, vaguely alcoholic, miserable loner! But then he fell in love with the character.

"When he was in The Sweeney, every bloke wanted to fight him, whereas with Inspector Morse, everyone wanted to shake his hand!"

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The final episode of Endeavour will air on Sunday 12th March, with Evans previously teasing that it will include "nods and echoes" to the "very first Inspector Morse film — The Dead of Jericho — and the very last, The Remorseful Day".

He explained: "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."

The Endeavour finale airs on ITV1 on Sunday 12th March at 8pm. Past episodes 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

Black and white cut-out portrait headshot of James Hibbs, smiling against a lime green background.

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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