The Best Episodes of Inspector Morse

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   Click to reveal

   REVEAL THE WINNER
   

   8.3/10(6 votes)

   #1 - The Settling of the Sun

   S2:E33/15/1988

   Oxford is shocked when a a Japanese student dies in what seems to be a brutal ritual killing. Then Morse finds he has unwittingly given all his suspects a watertight alibi.

   Director:Peter Hammond

   Writer:Charles Wood

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Peter Hammond

   Writer:Charles Wood
2. 

   8.3/10(6 votes)

   #2 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Danny Boyle

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
3. 

   8.1/10(8 votes)

   #3 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Herbert Wise

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
4. 

   8.1/10(7 votes)

   #4 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Stuart Orme

   Writer:Daniel Boyle
5. 

   8.0/10(7 votes)

   #5 - 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:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Unknown

   Writer:Unknown
6. 

   8.0/10(7 votes)

   #6 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Danny Boyle

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
TRENDING NOW
The 20 WORST Episodes of Inspector Morse
READ
7. 

   7.9/10(8 votes)

   #7 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Stephen Whittaker

   Writer:Daniel Boyle
8. 

   7.8/10(8 votes)

   #8 - 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

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Brian Parker

   Writer:Julian Mitchell
9. 

   7.8/10(6 votes)

   #9 - 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:Unknown

   Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

   Director:Edward Bennett

   Writer:Unknown
10. 

    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #10 - 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:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
11. 

    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #11 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Peter Hammond

    Writer:Unknown
12. 

    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #12 - Fat Chance

    S5:E22/27/1991

    Morse finds himself attracted to a female cleric when he is called upon to investigate the suspicious death of a woman deacon. St Saviour's College is about to appoint Oxford's first ever female chaplain, and emotions are running high among the more conservative clerics, but Morse & Lewis find it hard to believe such feelings could lead to murder.

    Director:Roy Battersby

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Roy Battersby

    Writer:Unknown
13. 

    7.8/10(6 votes)

    #13 - 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

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:John Madden

    Writer:Unknown
14. 

    7.8/10(5 votes)

    #14 - 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:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
15. 

    7.7/10(7 votes)

    #15 - 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

    Writer:Anthony Minghella

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Sandy Johnson

    Writer:Anthony Minghella
16. 

    7.7/10(6 votes)

    #16 - 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:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
17. 

    7.6/10(6 votes)

    #17 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Alastair Reid

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
18. 

    7.6/10(6 votes)

    #18 - 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:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Unknown
19. 

    7.5/10(6 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:Unknown

    Writer:Geoffrey Case

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Geoffrey Case
20. 

    7.4/10(8 votes)

    #20 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:John Madden

    Writer:Unknown
21. 

    7.3/10(7 votes)

    #21 - 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:Unknown

    Writer:Peter Buckman

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Unknown

    Writer:Peter Buckman
22. 

    7.2/10(5 votes)

    #22 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:John Madden

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
23. 

    7.1/10(9 votes)

    #23 - Service of All the Dead

    S1:E31/20/1987

    Morse investigates murder on hallowed ground. A quiet country church is an unlikely setting for the killing, and a vicar and his voluntary helpers are the unlikely suspects. Among them is Ruth Rawlinson, whom Morse is attracted to. Then it appears that a serial killer is at work.

    Director:Peter Hammond

    Writer:Julian Mitchell

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Peter Hammond

    Writer:Julian Mitchell
24. 

    6.9/10(7 votes)

    #24 - 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:Unknown

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Antonia Bird

    Writer:Unknown
25. 

    6.9/10(9 votes)

    #25 - 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

    Be the first to start the conversation for this episode

    Director:Herbert Wise

    Writer:Julian Mitchell