Written by Lewis creator and Inspector Morse writer Russell Lewis, four new two-hour episodes of the Morse prequel will begin filming on location in Oxford later this year for 16 weeks.

Endeavour first aired as a one-off film in January.

Shaun Evans (The Take) will return to the title role, alongside Roger Allam (The Iron Lady) as Endeavour’s senior partner, Detective Inspector Fred Thursday.

James Bradshaw will also be back as Dr Max Debryn and John Thaw’s daughter Abigail will make further guest appearances as Dorothea Frazil.

ITV’s Drama Commissioner Sally Haynes commented: “It was fantastic that the audience responded so warmly to Endeavour. Shaun’s portrayal of a legendary character was captivating and Endeavour thoroughly deserves a series – there’s so much more we can do with the character.”

Executive producer Damien Timmer added: “We’re delighted to be making a series of Endeavour and have been overwhelmed by the reaction to the first film. Russell Lewis has some bold plans to further enrich the mythology of Morse, introducing some significant new characters, and re-establishing some old favourites, all of whom are destined to have a massive impact on the future inspector’s life.”

> Buy Endeavor on DVD on Amazon.

> Buy the complete Inspector Morse boxset on Amazon.

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