Dexter says Lewis’s days are numbered

Inspector Morse creator Colin Dexter says spin-off show Lewis could be coming to an end.

The popular Oxford-set detective drama, which stars Kevin Whately as Insp Robbie Lewis, has been broadcast on ITV1 since 2006.

But Dexter, 81, told the Radio Times: “I don’t think he (Lewis) can go on much longer. They’ll probably do one more series. The first two were ridiculously complex.

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“They’ve got better. One reason (prequel) Endeavour did well is because everyone could understand it. People said to me, ‘Brilliant. Typical Dexter.’

“Well, I didn’t write it. I wish I had. The agreement is they won’t put anything on telly without me seeing it. Sometimes we have to say it’s not up to scratch.”

Whately originally starred as sidekick to Chief Inspector Morse, played by the late John Thaw, in ITV1’s Inspector Morse sleuth drama.

Dexter, who gave up alcohol because of “over-consumption”, said of Thaw’s grumpy alter-ego: “I’m usually asked why I killed him off – well, he died of natural causes: no exercise, diabetes, ulcers, and a bottle of Glenfiddich every day – which is not difficult.”

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Lewis star Whately recently hinted that the drama, which also stars Laurence Fox and is about to return for a sixth series, might not last much longer, saying: “I’m now police retirement age this year, so the time is coming quite soon, I think.”

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