The Best Episodes of Inspector Morse

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
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   8.5/10(1030 votes)

   #1 - Second Time Around

   S5:E12/20/1991

   The mysterious death of a former deputy police commissioner brings Morse into reluctant contact with an old rival, Ch Insp Dawson. Morse and Lewis, in uneasy tandem with Dawson, spot a link with the unsolved murder of a young girl 18 years earlier. To find the latest killer they have to unravel the first case again.

   Director:Adrian Shergold

   Writer:Daniel Boyle

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   Director:Adrian Shergold

   Writer:Daniel Boyle
2. 

   8.5/10(943 votes)

   #2 - Deadly Slumber

   S7:E11/6/1993

   The owner of a private hospital is found murdered in his car, after a series of anonymous threatening letters. Suspicion falls on a retired book-maker whose daughter suffered severe brain damage as a result of negligence during an operation some years before. Morse spends a lot of effort in investigating the possibility that the dead man was criminally negligent, and concludes that he was. While he does his best to bring the killer to justice, Morse does not seem very troubled that at the end of the day he is unable to nail him.

   Director:Stuart Orme

   Writer:Daniel Boyle

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   Director:Stuart Orme

   Writer:Daniel Boyle
3. 

   8.4/10(1187 votes)

   #3 - Masonic Mysteries

   S4:E41/24/1990

   Morse finds himself at the top of the suspect list when his lady friend, Beryl Newsome, is stabbed at a dress rehearsal for the local amateur dramatic society's production of The Magic Flute. Then Lewis starts uncovering more incriminating evidence, and Morse becomes the target of direct attacks. Who is it that wants to get at Morse so badly?

   Director:Danny Boyle

   Writer:Julian Mitchell

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   Director:Danny Boyle

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
4. 

   8.4/10(1045 votes)

   #4 - Dead on Time

   S6:E12/26/1992

   Morse investigates the apparent suicide of a terminally ill Oxford don and finds he has a personal connection with the family. As the case develops, Lewis worries that Morse's professionalism is being undermined.

   Director:John Madden

   Writers:Daniel Boyle, Kenny McBain

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   Director:John Madden

   Writers:Daniel Boyle, Kenny McBain
5. 

   8.2/10(1013 votes)

   #5 - Driven to Distraction

   S4:E31/17/1990

   The apparently motiveless murder of two young women points to a psychotic killer. Morse's speculations on what they might have in common leads him to a local garage owner, Jeremy Boynton, who knew them both, and who arouses his suspicions and dislike. Convinced that Boynton holds the key to the crime, Morse begins to hound him, despite having no firm evidence. Morse is also faced with the possible oss of his beloved red Mk II Jaguar.

   Director:Sandy Johnson

   Writers:Anthony Minghella, Kenny McBain

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   Director:Sandy Johnson

   Writers:Anthony Minghella, Kenny McBain
6. 

   8.0/10(919 votes)

   #6 - Promised Land

   S5:E53/27/1991

   The search for a retired 'supergrass' takes Morse and Lewis from Oxford to the Australian outback. Strangely, Lewis is less at home down under than Morse himself is.

   Director:John Madden

   Writer:Julian Mitchell

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   Director:John Madden

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
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7. 

   7.9/10(1052 votes)

   #7 - The Ghost in the Machine

   S3:E11/4/1989

   Morse investigates the reported theft of erotic paintings belonging to Sir Julius Hanbury, a local baronet who is one of those standing for election as the new Master of Courtney College, Oxford. As well as the pictures, Sir Julius himself has also disappeared. Morse finds Sir Julius's dead body, and at first it looks like murder, but the new police pathologist, Dr Grayling Russell, believes he killed himself. Then there is another death which is undoubtedly a murder - but how is it connected with the late Sir Julius Hanbury?

   Director:Herbert Wise

   Writer:Julian Mitchell

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   Director:Herbert Wise

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
8. 

   7.9/10(1021 votes)

   #8 - The Death of the Self

   S6:E33/25/1992

   The strange death of an Englishwoman abroad takes Morse and Lewis to the city of Verona in northern Italy. Morse takes delight in open-air opera in the Roman amphitheatre and falls under the spell of Nicole Burgess, a glamorous opera singer. But Lewis is home-sick.

   Director:Colin Gregg

   Writer:Alma Cullen

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   Director:Colin Gregg

   Writer:Alma Cullen
9. 

   7.8/10(1043 votes)

   #9 - Last Bus to Woodstock

   S2:E43/22/1988

   A young secretary is found dead in a pub car park. Morse suspects murder and uncovers a complex web of relationships - passion and corruption, lies and unhappiness.

   Director:Peter Duffell

   Writer:Michael Wilcox

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   Director:Peter Duffell

   Writer:Michael Wilcox
10. 

    7.8/10(985 votes)

    #10 - Deceived by Flight

    S3:E31/18/1989

    Morse investigates when the annual match of the Claret's old boys' cricket eleven is brought to an abrupt end by the sudden death of a team member - and it seems that cricket was the last thing on their minds.

    Director:Anthony Simmons

    Writer:Anthony Minghella

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    Director:Anthony Simmons

    Writer:Anthony Minghella
11. 

    7.8/10(1049 votes)

    #11 - The Infernal Serpent

    S4:E11/3/1990

    Morse investigates a tangled web of university intrigue which surrounds the baffling murder of Dr Julian Dear, a college don and famous environmentalist who was killed just minutes before he was due to give a controversial lecture. It seems that the most respectable of academic families can have skeletons in the cupboard, and Morse has to put his job on the line to get at the truth.

    Director:John Madden

    Writer:Alma Cullen

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    Director:John Madden

    Writer:Alma Cullen
12. 

    7.8/10(947 votes)

    #12 - Happy Families

    S6:E23/11/1992

    Business tycoon Sir John Balcombe is found murdered at his country house, Balcombe Castle, with no signs of a break-in. As a result, the dead man's wife and sons come under suspicion. Morse finds that the family is strangely untroubled, and several of his prime suspects have flawed characters and dark secrets - and then the Balcombe family suffers another killing. Meanwhile, Morse has to cope with journalists who try to turn his own personality into a story - and he also suffers from an unhelpful Chief Superintendant, covering for the station's usual boss, who puts pressure on him to crack the case in a hurry. In the end, though, Morse is vindicated and his various tormentors get their comeuppance.

    Director:Adrian Shergold

    Writer:Daniel Boyle

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    Director:Adrian Shergold

    Writer:Daniel Boyle
13. 

    7.8/10(867 votes)

    #13 - The Day of the Devil

    S7:E21/13/1993

    Morse and Lewis hunt a violent rapist who has escaped from prison. They find themselves drawn into an under-world of satanists, and some of them seem more respectable than others.

    Director:Stephen Whittaker

    Writer:Daniel Boyle

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    Director:Stephen Whittaker

    Writer:Daniel Boyle
14. 

    7.7/10(1112 votes)

    #14 - Last Seen Wearing

    S2:E23/8/1988

    The schoolgirl daughter of rich parents has been missing for six months. Morse believes she has been killed, and his investigations show curious goings on at the missing girl's school. But before Morse can unravel the mystery, he finds another.

    Director:Edward Bennett

    Writer:Thomas Ellice

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    Director:Edward Bennett

    Writer:Thomas Ellice
15. 

    7.7/10(940 votes)

    #15 - The Sins of the Fathers

    S4:E21/10/1990

    Morse investigates the murder of Trevor Radford, managing director of the family-owned Radford's Brewery, who was attacked and killed while working late. Morse becomes immersed in the implications of a hostile take-over bid by another company. Then Helen Radford goes to the brewery to look for her missing husband Stephen and finds him also murdered.

    Director:Peter Hammond

    Writer:Jeremy Burnham

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    Director:Peter Hammond

    Writer:Jeremy Burnham
16. 

    7.7/10(892 votes)

    #16 - Absolute Conviction

    S6:E44/8/1992

    A convicted fraudster, one of three former business partners at an open prison, dies following an assault. Morse has to investigate the death while dealing with a brash subordinate and trying to avoid offending the prison authorities.

    Director:Antonia Bird

    Writer:John Brown

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    Director:Antonia Bird

    Writer:John Brown
17. 

    7.7/10(875 votes)

    #17 - Twilight of the Gods

    S7:E31/20/1993

    A nasty but very rich businessman and a world-famous opera singer are in Oxford to receive honorary degrees from the Chancellor of the University. However, the ceremony has to be abandoned when a sniper opens fire on the procession of dignitaries. The singer is seriously wounded, but was she the intended target?

    Director:Herbert Wise

    Writer:Julian Mitchell

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    Director:Herbert Wise

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
18. 

    7.6/10(1246 votes)

    #18 - The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn

    S1:E21/13/1987

    Someone at Oxford's Foreign Examination Syndicate is selling exam secrets. Nicholas Quinn, a member of the board, overhears something he shouldn't know about and is soon found dead at his cottage, poisoned with cyanide - but Nicholas was deaf. Then crossword compiler Philip Ogleby has his skull smashed in. During his investigations, Morse is attracted to Monica Height. She works for the Syndicate and may be mixed up in the corruption which led to Quinn's murder, and perhaps to Ogleby's as well.

    Director:Brian Parker

    Writer:Julian Mitchell

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    Director:Brian Parker

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
19. 

    7.6/10(910 votes)

    #19 - Who Killed Harry Field?

    S5:E33/13/1991

    An artist, fun-loving drinker and raconteur, Harry Field seems like a man after Morse's own heart. But when Morse and Lewis investigate his mysterious death, they discover that he was not such a lovable rogue.

    Director:Colin Gregg

    Writer:Geoffrey Case

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    Director:Colin Gregg

    Writer:Geoffrey Case
20. 

    7.6/10(840 votes)

    #20 - Greeks Bearing Gifts

    S5:E43/20/1991

    When the chef at Lewis's favorite Greek restaurant is found murdered, and a baby goes missing, Oxford's close-knit Greek community closes ranks. Matters aren't helped when Morse has a bad-tempered exchange with the shipping millionaire who owns the restaurant.

    Director:Adrian Shergold

    Writer:Peter Nichols

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    Director:Adrian Shergold

    Writer:Peter Nichols
21. 

    7.5/10(1488 votes)

    #21 - The Dead of Jericho

    S1:E11/6/1987

    Morse is passed over for promotion and gets a new working partner in the shape of Lewis, who is not sure what to make of his new boss. Their first case together is a murder, when Anne Staveley, who was Morse's friend in a choral society, is found hanged in her house in the Jericho area of Oxford. The death looks like suicide, but Morse has his own reasons for treating the case as a murder investigation. A parking ticket and Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, come to his assistance.

    Director:Alastair Reid

    Writer:Anthony Minghella

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    Director:Alastair Reid

    Writer:Anthony Minghella
22. 

    7.5/10(1126 votes)

    #22 - The Wolvercote Tongue

    S2:E112/25/1987

    Laura Poindexter, a rich American tourist, dies in the Randolph Hotel, Oxford, apparently from a heart attack, but Morse suspects foul play. Laura was due to return a historic jewel to an Oxford museum, and it has gone missing. Then Dr Kemp, who is a womanizing historian, dies of a fall, Lucy Downes is crushed to death in a telephone box, and Dr Kemp's widow appears to take a fatal overdose of Paracetomol.Morse believes the deaths are all linked.

    Director:Alastair Reid

    Writer:Julian Mitchell

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    Director:Alastair Reid

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
23. 

    7.5/10(944 votes)

    #23 - The Last Enemy

    S3:E21/11/1989

    A body is found in the canal and the only clue to its identity points to a connection with one of the university's colleges. It happens that intense rivalry for one of the most prestigious posts in the university has led to murder. But which one of the highly respected contenders is the calculating killer?

    Director:James Scott

    Writer:Peter Buckman

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    Director:James Scott

    Writer:Peter Buckman
24. 

    7.4/10(881 votes)

    #24 - The Secret of Bay 5B

    S3:E41/25/1989

    Playboy architect Michael Gifford is found strangled in his car, and the only clues are a car-park ticket and his diary. Morse and Lewis uncover a love triangle involving the murdered man, and the list of suspects grows. Meanwhile, Morse considers asking Grayling Russell for a date.

    Director:Jim Goddard

    Writer:Alma Cullen

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    Director:Jim Goddard

    Writer:Alma Cullen
25. 

    7.3/10(912 votes)

    #25 - Cherubim and Seraphim

    S6:E54/15/1992

    A new drug developed to combat senility is ironically being distributed to teens at all-night parties and driving some to suicide.

    Director:Danny Boyle

    Writer:Julian Mitchell

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    Director:Danny Boyle

    Writer:Julian Mitchell