Image copyright PA Image caption Colin Dexter received an OBE for services to literature in 2000 Colin Dexter, who wrote the Inspector Morse books, has died at the age of 86. By the time Inspector Morse died in The Remorseful Day, the 30th novel in the best-selling crime series, more than 80 people had met fictional ends in the city – many more on TV, especially once the spin-off dramas Lewis and Endeavour kicked in. It introduced the curmudgeonly, tight-fisted, middle-aged policeman Inspector Morse and the equally grumpy middle-aged Welshman Sergeant Lewis. The new president will repeal Trump travel bans and re-join the Paris climate accord after being sworn in. This is a very sad day for us all.". He also knew Dorothy Taylor, who for years wrote The Observer’s Everyman crossword under the name Mrs B Lewis. Morse is turning 70, Dexter is turning 69. What happens to your body in extreme heat? Morse creator Colin Dexter bows out of famous TV cameos, as John Thaw's widow Sheila Hancock joins the cast Save Colin Dexter has entertained fans for years with his cameos. Once you’ve done that you’re there, aren’t you?”. Dexter gave Morse his own interests: that fondness for Wagner, pleasure in cryptic crosswords and liking for real ales and single malt whisky. He was national crossword champion half a dozen times and from the Fifties met and became friends with many crossword compilers. Read our full mailing list consent terms here. ", Whately joked: "We used to give him a little role, give him the odd line to say, but he was so awful at speaking and acting that we only let him walk through the shot. In 1997 he was awarded the CWA Diamond Dagger for his outstanding contribution to the crime genre. Radio Times | TV, film and entertainment news - Radio Times We are currently working on 154 articles, which you can read or edit. Dexter was mischievous and enjoyed weaving private jokes into his books. His name was Jeremy Morse. He studied classics at Christ’s College, Cambridge, graduating in 1953. “If I am categorised,” Colin Dexter said, “it would have to be as a whodunnit man.” Well, that and as the man who made Oxford the murder capital of Europe. "He might say, 'I wish you'd made me a slightly less miserable blighter and slightly more generous, and you could have painted me in a little bit of a better light'. .css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}Colin Dexter, who wrote the Inspector Morse books, has died at the age of 86. Writer Colin Dexter, who created music-loving Oxford detective Inspector Morse, has died aged 86. Video, Tips for helping your child's mental health, Clothes sellers targeted by 'creepy' messages, Australian Open players hit out at Covid isolation, Nasa's 'megarocket' engine test ends early, Statues to get protection from 'baying mobs', Listen to Colin Dexter on Desert Island Discs. Inspector Morse Wiki is the online encyclopedia for the widely popular series Inspector Morse, for its star actor the late John Thaw, its creator Colin Dexter and for its two spin-off series Lewis and Endeavour.The wiki is for all to edit and work to compile a structured, factual database for the series. He and Dexter had become good friends. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. He was married to Dorothy Cooper. Here is Dr Poole’s speech, I discovered how easy it is to get a book dedicated to you when I was about 13. Follow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. Dexter attended Stamford School and did his national service with the Royal Corps of Signals, where, neatly but misleadingly, he was a Morse operator – that did not prompt the name for his world famous creation. "I always had one idea and that was going to be the terminus ad quem. All season long, "Dexter" fans had a hunch that Maria LaGuerta (Lauren Velez) would end up on Dexter's table. In 1996’s Death Is Now My Neighbour he revealed Morse’s first name on the last page, intending it to be the last novel. 3. In a broader sense, ... that was Colin Hanks and his imaginary Edward James Olmos. "Through 33 feature length stories, the casebook of Morse and Lewis changed the landscape of detective drama," he said. He was, by all accounts, a popular and successful teacher, getting better results for his pupils than they expected. Dexter had type 2 diabetes, a condition that he also gave Morse in the last few books of the series. But I did know where the end was, so that makes me a whodunit man." Are you sure you want to delete this comment? Colin Dexter, born 29 September, 1930; died Oxford 21 March 2017. "If he had bought me a drink, a large Glenfiddich or something, that would have been very nice, but knowing him I doubt he would have done - Lewis always bought all the drinks. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. He often cited Diogenes Small, who had compiled a dictionary and written many books. In 1959 he became senior classics teacher at Corby Grammar School, Northamptonshire. The meetings and Lila's advice drive Dexter to delve deeper into trying to understand and overcome his dark side. (His honorary masters followed in 1958). ", Ian Rankin said: "Sad news - a gentle man with a steel mind; and the creator of such an iconic character...", Val McDermid said: "Deeply sorry to hear of the death of my good friend Colin Dexter. He worked as a Latin and Greek teacher from 1954 to 1966 before moving to Oxford - where he set the Morse stories - to become a full-time writer. Elements of the TV productions were as playful as Dexter’s novels. She first meets Dexter Morgan when he joins a NA group to appease his girlfriend Rita Bennett, who is convinced that Dexter is addicted to heroin (which he is not). Dexter made up about a third of them. He remained there until retirement in 1988. That murder rate isn’t bad going for a man with an impish sense of humour and a fondness for crosswords, beer and single malt whisky – although perhaps his love of Wagner gave a clue. He married Dorothy Cooper in 1956. He took a senior job in Oxford at the University’s Delegacy of Local Examinations. In his previous two court appearances, Dexter swore that he was going to stay out of trouble, and Judge Jeffrey believed … (The title came from A E Houseman, one of Dexter’s favourite writers.). ", Maxim Jakubowski, vice-chairman of the Crime Writers' Association told the BBC: "He will be remembered not just as a superlative crime writer and the creator of such a classic character as Inspector Morse, but also as the most convivial of friends, impish, friendly to all, seldom seen in public without a smile, a man who accepted celebrity late in his life with wonderful dignity and humour.". Morse drove an old Lancia and didn’t reveal his first name. "He [Morse] expected that if it was going to turn out either good or bad, the odds were slightly on it being bad rather than good. “He is just about the cleverest man I’ve ever met,” Dexter said. Although The Dead of Jericho is the fifth novel in Colin Dexter's "Inspector Morse" series, published in 1981, it was interestingly the first one to be dramatised for television in 1986. Although the show took its final bow in 2013 after eight seasons, the effects of playing Dexter Morgan remain with Michael C. Hall in a myriad of … Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. He ends up forsaking a number of things in his life (including Rita).A romance is soon sparked between Lila and Dexter, however, he learns that she h… Travis dressed conservatively, usually wearing button-down shirts and chinos. Norman Colin Dexter was born on 29 September 1930 in Stamford, Lincolnshire, to Alfred Dexter, a grocer, and Dorothy May Towns. Startler of Rome, Why California is struggling to contain Covid dark side E,. `` impish and bubbly and always fascinated with everybody and everything '' said, ' a beginning, a and. Facebook, on Twitter @ BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at BBCNewsEnts ( 1989 ) and way. Was later knighted, was a very sad day for us all. `` Discs they made three selections! To respect all commenters and create constructive debates to delete this comment ” he once said the and... 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