TV News: Endeavour & Lewis to return

The Radio Times is reporting that ITV have commissioned four two-hour episodes of Endeavour and a new series of Lewis will be shown in May:

Shaun Evans will return to the role of Endeavour Morse for four 120-minute episodes, to be filmed on location in Oxford later this year. Joining him will be Roger Allam as senior partner Inspector Fred Thursday and James Bradshaw as Dr Max Debryn, while John Thaw's daughter will make further guest appearances.

The new series will be produced by Dan McCulloch and executive produced by Mammoth Screen’s joint managing directors, Michele Buck and Damien Timmer.

“We’re delighted to be making a series of Endeavour and have been overwhelmed by the reaction to the first film,” said McCulloch. “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.”

Novelist Colin Dextor, whose first Morse story Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975, will act as consultant for the series.

Michele Buck and Damien Timmer also oversee Lewis in conjunction with ITV Studios and the broadcaster also reports that new episodes of the drama are set to air in May.

Four x 120-minute films have been produced with Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox in the lead roles of Inspector Robbie Lewis and DS James Hathaway with Clare Holman also returns as Dr Laura Hobson and Rebecca Front as Chief Superintendent Innocent.

The Return of Lewis

Kevin Whately was on Simon Mayo's show last week and though he was on promoting the BBC programme Who Do You Think You Are? naturally questions turned towards ITV1's Lewis. According to Whately, Lewis will return on 22 March for a series of four episodes. They were filmed during June - December 2008. He would be willing to do more and there are some scripts flying around however if just depends on the money available to do the filming, given the problems ITV are having.

Read a bit more about the interview in the Oxon Herald.

Lewis's Laurence Fox interview in The Times

Also in today's Times, an interview with the actor who plays Lewis's sidekick, Laurence Fox.

Lewis continues on Sunday night and you can watch a preview of the next episode and an interview with Fox on the ITV Lewis site.