John Thaw 'emotional' at Morse's demise

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Actor John Thaw loved playing Britain's Inspector Morse on television because the grumpy detective was no Sherlock Holmes and kept getting things wrong.

Thaw's 13-year-old portrayal, which has been a worldwide hit, ends next week with the final Morse episode and the death of the curmudgeonly sleuth with a taste for fine whisky and classical music.

"It's one of the things I loved about him, the way he got things wrong but was so convinced he was right," the 58-year-old actor told Britain's TV Times.

"Sometimes he would be chasing the wrong man for three quarters of an episode. He was never Sherlock Holmes."

He confessed that the last scene of the final episode was very emotional.

His long-suffering sidekick Sergeant Lewis, played by Kevin Whately, plants a farewell kiss on Morse's forehead in a chilly, cheerless mortuary.

"I found it very sad doing that last scene. I really shouldn't have. It's only a part but Morse has been part of my life for so long and I was a bit emotional," Thaw said.

Morse's loneliness made playing the part very poignant, especially one scene he recalled when Morse ended a case in Australia and went to a Sydney Opera House performance alone.

"I, John Thaw, felt so sad for this man. For a moment I didn't know which was Morse and which was me," he said

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Inspector Morse homepage
Inspector Morse infopage
Inspector Morse crossword
John Thaw biography
Colin Dexter
City of Oxford

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.