This week at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley you can catch Tom Chambers as Inspector Morse in the first ever stage adaptation featuring the much-loved television detective.
‘Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts’ is set in his native Oxford, and features the crossword puzzle-loving, real ale-swigging police officer solving a homicide case (or is it suicide?) when a night at the theatre turns deadly. Interrupting the West End transfer of a production of ‘Hamlet', Morse sets about looking for clues, building evidence and uncovering the secrets and lies hidden by the cast. To muddy the waters, the show is directed by an old university nemesis, and during his investigation he rekindles his affection for an old undergraduate flame.
Despite a few variations on the franchise, ‘Inspector Morse' will forever be synonymous with the late, great John Thaw, who was a towering presence on British TV for decades. Tom Chambers (‘Holby City', ‘Waterloo Road', ‘Father Brown') has a different style of performance to John Thaw, and save for a few instances of rapid exposition that recall Thaw in his signature role, he wisely avoids a direct impersonation. This allows him to put his own stamp on the part. Largely, his interpretation of Morse is appealing. Certainly, he's warmer and more accessible than the reserved, refined and rather aloof creation that Thaw played to such acclaim. Chambers is also spikier and more volatile, on one occasion losing his rag and threatening to throw a punch during an interrogation. This is Morse as you've never seen him before, and, whilst Chambers doesn't match Thaw for gravitas, he does step out of his enormous shadow and successfully make the part his own. (Incidentally, Thaw was 44 years old when he started filming ‘Inspector Morse', so Chambers is absolutely the right age for the part.) So too does Tachia Newall as his trusty, down-to-earth sidekick Lewis, though if anything, his part is underwritten. There are sufficient awkwardly affectionate exchanges between Morse and Lewis to capture something of the chemistry between the two men that made the show so loved.
‘Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts' returns Morse to his origins, setting the story in 1987 – the year the first season of the TV series aired (though ‘Last Bus to Woodstock' – the very first ‘Inspector Morse' novel by Colin Dexter, was published over a decade earlier in 1975). Elements of the story, such as the quandary about whether or not the deceased was murdered or committed suicide, echoes ‘The Dead of Jericho', the first episode. That piece of landmark TV history had Oscar-winner Anthony Minghella behind the camera and writing the screenplay. Unfortunately, Alma Cullen's script for ‘Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts' lacks the finesse that the best of the series had to offer.
The meta approach of setting the play within a theatre is a mixed blessing. The actors are placed within the audience, so that when a cast member drops dead mid-scene, there are calls for the curtain to be brought down before Morse rushes onto the stage, flashing his police badge. Not only does this seem out of character for the unassuming detective, who seems almost like an accidental police officer, but it feels more like an American cop show. Such a gimmicky opening would belong better in the plot-driven world of Agatha Christie, rather than in the refined and understated Morse universe. Then there's the problem of actors playing actors. When they're in character, you can suspend your disbelief. But when they accentuate the neuroses of professional performers, it can quickly prove irritating rather than entertaining. Does the show really need so many protracted, knowingly-badly-performed Shakespearean soliloquies? And how are we supposed to believe that a production truly putting the ham into ‘Hamlet' is about to wow the West End? I can't think of a time when I've ever thought that a meta approach works well. Strangely, it creates a barrier to suspending disbelief.
That said, some of the supporting actors are very good. Robert Mountford as the arrogant and sleazy director Lawrence is especially impressive. He feels as if he could have been lifted directly out of a 1980s episode. He's a fine foil for Morse, who is naturally predisposed to detest such people. Eliza Teale is excellent as Rebecca, the cast member who has fallen off the wagon. Teresa Banham is solid and grounded as Ellen. Playing it straight helps to lift the drama.
As a whodunnit, ‘Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts' has enough twists and turns to keep amateur sleuths guessing. In the final analysis, it is also entertaining. The plot is convoluted, but the gotcha moments, although not watertight, satisfy. The storytelling lacks the sophistication of the series, relying on coincidences such as potential suspects turning up at the pub where Morse and Lewis happen to be having a pint and mulling over the case. Tom Chambers is a solid leading man and he holds the whole thing together with charisma and conviction. If you go in expecting more Agatha Christie-style entertainment than a faithful stage adaptation of ‘Inspector Morse', then you may well enjoy watching the mystery unfold. But this won't be everyone's cup of tea, and probably won't satisfy the Morse purists.
Cast: Tom Chambers, Tachia Newall, Robert Mountford, James Gladdon, Charlotte Randle, Eliza Teale, Teresa Banham, Josh Katembela, Spin Glancy, Olivia Onyehara Writer: Alma Cullen Director: Anthony Banks Running time: 130 mins Theatre: The Churchill Theatre, Bromley Performance dates: 7th – 11th October 2025 Buy tickets for ‘Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts’
