Morse Spin-off Lewis with new Series on ITV1
Kevin Whately returns to Oxford in four new feature-length episodes
Mar 17, 2009
TV spin-offs can be a hit-and-miss affair, as it’s hard to judge audience expectations on a programme being led by what was previously a supporting character. Some, for example Angel, are just as good as the original, a small number of them, like Frasier, turn out to be much better than the parent show and others such as Joey are sunk so low as to remove them from human memory.
Then there’s Lewis, a sort of continuation of the Inspector Morse universe, which is returning to ITV next week. The fact that it’s now in its third series means that the creators must have done something right and attracted a big enough audience.
Kevin Whately on the Relationship between Lewis and Hathaway
The character of Robbie Lewis (Kevin Whately) started out as the Detective Sergeant to Inspector Morse (John Thaw) in the long running ITV series that ended in 2000 when the eponymous cop died of a diabetes-related illness. The spin-off Lewis was launched in 2006 and is a show that, unlike Taggart, had the decency to change its name and go under a redesign when the title character died.
In the new series the Oxford policeman is once again joined by DS James Hathaway (Laurence Fox) who is becoming closer to his superior while memories of Lewis’s wife’s sudden death continue to haunt him. Kevin Whately says that the writers intend on developing the relationship between the two leads in the same way as the father show.
He added: “We are still exploring the Hathaway relationship with Lewis - they’re developing that gradually as we did with Morse and Lewis. It still keeps me interested and we have a lot of fun doing it. I think the characters can develop more.”
Also joining them are pathologist Dr Laura Hobson (Clare Holman) and Rebecca Front as Lewis’s boss Chief Supt Jean Innocent.
C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien Help Solve the Case
In the series opening Allegory of Love the team investigate the murder of a Czech barmaid who has been killed with an antique Persian mirror. Among the shards of glass is a bloodstained note containing the single word ‘Uqbara’, which Hathaway points out is in Iraq. Despite several leads to potential suspects the duo has no real evidence.
After delving into the latest book by a young writer that describes a similar scene to the murder Lewis and Hathaway soon discover that the work of fantasy authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien might be the key to solving this mystery. In later episodes the team tackles the murderous fallout from an earlier attempt to kill one of Oxford’s celebrity atheists, sudden death among student thespians and the dead member of an aging rock back who were instrumental in Lewis’s youth.
Some of the guest actors set to star in the new quartet of episodes include Helen Baxendale, Simon Callow, David Hayman, Anastasia Hille, Joanna Lumley, Art Malik and Jenny Seagrove. Laurence Fox’s father James also makes an appearance in the first film, where he comes under investigation by his son.
The series starts with Allegory of Love on Sunday, March 22 at 9pm on ITV1. Kevin Whately is also hosting a Tonight special about dementia on Monday, March 23 at 8pm.
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