Morse and Max meet for the first time in First Bus to Woodstock before your character is introduced but Max is described as suffering a stroke early on in Inspector Morse and is replaced by Dr Grayling Russell in Ghost in the Machine (Max dies in Dexter’s novel, The Way Through the Woods) whereas both in print and on screen, Strange is with Morse right up until the tragic end of The Remorseful Day. Perhaps this is because they are both somewhat intriguing characters who frequently appear in both Colin Dexter’s novels and the original Morse television series. DAMIAN: Indeed, I was greatly amused and delighted to learn that in the first film of this year’s run that Endeavour has moved in with Strange and although they’re not quite sharing a bed together, isn’t their unlikely partnership beginning to resemble Laurel and Hardy or Morcambe and Wise? For some reason, a week later, I got a call from my agent saying that Susie would like me to come in and read with her, Ed Bazalgette [Director] and Dan McCulloch [Producer]. SEAN: He may regret his decision from time to time, yes! DAMIAN: This is the clincher: like Morse, both Russ and I have copies of Moriarty’s Police Law (1965, Eighteenth Edition) which was required reading for any police officer taking their Sergeant’s exam – but do you have a copy? SEAN: I shall have to come clean and say that I do not. Can you describe your own interpretation of the often antagonistic relationship between Morse and Strange? DAMIAN: What’s with the trombone all of a sudden? It’s something we’ve seen with all the supporting characters, the duality of their personalities.

THE ENDEAVOUR INTERVIEWS: Sean Rigby. DAMIAN: You’re a great actor playing one of my favourite characters and you’ve been as good as gold – I think you deserve a chocolate biscuit or two! – the original Morse and Strange ©itv. In 2017 he starred as the only character in the four minute film short Crossing Seas. DAMIAN: In terms of how Strange has developed, the first thing that springs to mind are the events towards the end of NEVERLAND (S2: E4). It’s as simple as that. Those are the two examples that spring to mind most readily. Yours is a very understated and subtle performance made all the more remarkable considering this was your first professional job in television after graduating from LAMDA (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art). SEAN: Well, James Grout was from London and you can certainly hear that in his accent. The swinging 60’s really passed Strange by where fashion is concerned. SEAN: I think by dint of his intellect and abilities, Endeavour stands alone. It was a complete disaster and I resigned myself to the fact that I had utterly blown it. I went in, sat down with Susie, and promptly set about forgetting all my lines, mumbling and sweating even more. SEAN: It’s certainly had its ups and downs. SEAN: We had a great deal of fun filming those scenes. Leave a Reply ... DAMIAN: The books and original series give the impression that Strange is somewhat under the thumb of his wife. The results? DAMIAN: I understand that you did a great amount of research after you were cast as Strange but you had never actually seen Inspector Morse before the audition.