Thebes

The comedy stylings of Lewis and Morse.

Series 1

The Dead of Jericho (6 January 1987)

Written by Anthony Minghella (based on Colin Dexter’s novel). Directed by Alastair Reid.

Morse (John Thaw) meets a woman, Ann Staveley (Gemma Jones), in his choir. When she’s found dead of an apparent suicide, Morse suspects murder and, with the help of Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately), sets out to prove it.

Like most Morses, the plot in this début tends toward meandering a bit and, really, that’s the way it should be. Thaw is fantastic, as usual, and Minghella’s script captures the melancholy of Dexter’s novels well. Reid’s directing does the job just fine, though the 16mm grain does grate a bit. It’s amazing they got their eye in so quick.  [...]