Filming begins on ‘Endeavour’ S5 as 1968 looms heavy over Oxford
Series 4 of the brilliant series, Endeavour, has been in the books for a bit if you live in the U.K. Given the series will not air in the U.S. on PBS until August 2017, American viewers might not fully understand the sigh of relief coming from east of the Atlantic when the series concluded. What PBS audiences are not aware of as of yet is that a number of storylines were wrapped up in the final episode of series 4 thus fueling internet speculation that this could have possibly been the last we would see of both Endeavour Morse and DI Fred Thursday.
Thankfully, fear only lasted mere moments as ITV announced on-air when the episode concluded that there was to be another series (series 5) of the Inspector Morse prequel commissioned to air in 2018 – and this time, there would be six episodes instead of the usual four. Filming of series 5, which will be set in 1968, has begun with Shaun Evans (the recently-promoted Detective Sergeant Endeavour) and Roger Allam (Detective Chief Inspector Fred Thursday) returning. Also returning for series 5 will be Anton Lesser (Game Of Thrones), Dakota Blue Richards (Skins), Sean Rigby (Isabella), James Bradshaw (Primeval), Caroline O’Neil (Last Tango In Halifax) and Abigail Thaw (I Want My Wife Back). Joining the cast will be Poldark actor Lewis Peek, who will appear as new recruit Detective Constable George Fancy.
The new series opens with Morse having finally passed his Sergeant’s exams, as Oxford City Police merges into Thames Valley Constabulary.
Endeavour creator/writer Russell Lewis said: “As production begins on Endeavour ’68, many of the global tensions of that most turbulent year have found their way into our six new mysteries. ’67’s Summer of Love seems already a distant memory. Dark clouds are gathering at home and abroad as, after almost 100 years, the long history of Oxford City Police comes to an end. A terrible storm is set to blow through the professional and personal lives of newly promoted Detective Sergeant Endeavour Morse and Oxford’s Finest, leaving devastation in its wake.”
Endeavour S5 will return to ITV in 2018 with S4 premiering on PBS Masterpiece beginning August 20 at 9pET/8pCT.
In: Drama
