Inspector Lewis
Encyclopedia
Robert "Robbie" Lewis is a fictional character
in the Inspector Morse
crime novels by Colin Dexter
. The "sidekick" to Morse, Lewis is a Detective Sergeant in the Thames Valley Police
, and appears in all 13 Morse novels. In the television adaptation, Inspector Morse
, he is played by Kevin Whately
. Following the conclusion of the series, Whately reprised the role as the lead character in Lewis, in which the character has been promoted to Inspector.
in Oxford, England, and in Inspector Morse is assistant to the titular Detective Chief Inspector Morse. Morse's given name (Endeavour) was kept secret until the end of the series and thus he is almost universally referred to only by his family name. Similarly, although Lewis's given name of Robert (Robbie) was not kept secret, he was rarely referred to as anything but "Sergeant Lewis" or "Lewis."
Lewis is a loyal, hardworking, honest, and earnest police detective, who is often troubled or frustrated by the erratic
, emotional, and egotistical behaviour of his superior, Morse. The background and personality of Lewis - a working class, easygoing family man with a Geordie
accent - is frequently contrasted with that of Morse - Oxford
educated, RP-accented
, lifetime bachelor. Morse frequently uses these differences to insult or demean Lewis, perhaps from Morse's point of view in a playful manner, but Lewis is often not amused by the jabs. In his frustration, Lewis is often more in step with their joint superior Chief Superintendent Strange
, himself an evident supporter of Lewis; however, despite a great respect towards Strange, Lewis is always unflinchingly loyal to Morse and follows his lead.
One notable difference between the Lewis from the novels and Whately's portrayal is that Lewis in the novels is an older man in his early sixties. When Whately auditioned for the role and then learned this fact, he considered it unlikely that he would get the part. However, Colin Dexter
has consistently stated that the younger Lewis is an improvement on the character he originally created, and that if he could start the novels afresh he would begin with Lewis as he is seen in the television adaptation.
In Inspector Morse, Lewis is often shown following a hunch that Morse criticises, and in the end Lewis is usually proved correct, or at least more correct than Morse. Near the end of the television series, Lewis moves on in his career and takes a promotion. With the end of Inspector Morse and the death of its star, John Thaw
, Lewis's adventures had seemed to come to an end.
In the episode "The Dead of Jericho", Lewis tells Morse "..it's also my birthday". The first victim is killed on June 11, and this utterance occurs a few days to a week later. This puts Lewis' birthday sometime around June 13 to June 20.
Lewis does not make an appearance in the episode "The Wench is Dead", as he is out of town on an inspector's course.
Lewis's adventures started again with the creation of an initial one-off episode first broadcast in January 2006. In this episode, Lewis returns to Oxford from a two-year stint training police
in the British Virgin Islands
, following the death of his wife Valerie in a car accident. Lewis still must work partly in the shadow of the now-five-years-dead Inspector Morse, who some time prior to his death had worked a case involving one of the murder suspects as a juvenile. In the new series, Lewis gains his own junior, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway
(played by Laurence Fox
), a Cambridge
-educated man who joined the police after giving up training for the priesthood.
The popularity of the one-off episode spurred the continuation of the story into a total of five series comprising 20 episodes, with a sixth series confirmed for 2012.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse is a fictional character in the eponymous series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, as well as the 33-episode 1987–2000 television adaptation of the same name, in which the character was portrayed by John Thaw. Morse is a senior CID officer with the Thames Valley...
crime novels by Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
. The "sidekick" to Morse, Lewis is a Detective Sergeant in the Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, and appears in all 13 Morse novels. In the television adaptation, Inspector Morse
Inspector Morse (TV series)
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis. Dexter makes a cameo appearance in all but three of the episodes....
, he is played by Kevin Whately
Kevin Whately
Kevin Whately is an English actor.Whately is known for his starring role as Neville Hope in the British television comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, his role as Dr Jack Kerruish in the drama series Peak Practice, and as Robert "Robbie" Lewis in the crime dramas Inspector Morse and...
. Following the conclusion of the series, Whately reprised the role as the lead character in Lewis, in which the character has been promoted to Inspector.
Inspector Morse (TV and novels)
Lewis is a police detective on the staff of the Thames Valley PoliceThames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
in Oxford, England, and in Inspector Morse is assistant to the titular Detective Chief Inspector Morse. Morse's given name (Endeavour) was kept secret until the end of the series and thus he is almost universally referred to only by his family name. Similarly, although Lewis's given name of Robert (Robbie) was not kept secret, he was rarely referred to as anything but "Sergeant Lewis" or "Lewis."
Lewis is a loyal, hardworking, honest, and earnest police detective, who is often troubled or frustrated by the erratic
Erratic
Erratic can refer to:* Erratic, a project of music artist Jan Robbe* Glacial erratic, is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests* Erratic ant, a species...
, emotional, and egotistical behaviour of his superior, Morse. The background and personality of Lewis - a working class, easygoing family man with a Geordie
Geordie
Geordie is a regional nickname for a person from the Tyneside region of the north east of England, or the name of the English-language dialect spoken by its inhabitants...
accent - is frequently contrasted with that of Morse - Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
educated, RP-accented
Received Pronunciation
Received Pronunciation , also called the Queen's English, Oxford English or BBC English, is the accent of Standard English in England, with a relationship to regional accents similar to the relationship in other European languages between their standard varieties and their regional forms...
, lifetime bachelor. Morse frequently uses these differences to insult or demean Lewis, perhaps from Morse's point of view in a playful manner, but Lewis is often not amused by the jabs. In his frustration, Lewis is often more in step with their joint superior Chief Superintendent Strange
Chief Superintendent Strange
Chief Superintendent Strange is a key character in the Inspector Morse television series.Although Strange does not appear in every episode of Inspector Morse, he is present in the whole series from beginning to end. The intervening episodes from which he is absent are few in number...
, himself an evident supporter of Lewis; however, despite a great respect towards Strange, Lewis is always unflinchingly loyal to Morse and follows his lead.
One notable difference between the Lewis from the novels and Whately's portrayal is that Lewis in the novels is an older man in his early sixties. When Whately auditioned for the role and then learned this fact, he considered it unlikely that he would get the part. However, Colin Dexter
Colin Dexter
Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, is an English crime writer, known for his Inspector Morse novels which were written between 1975 and 1999 and adapted as a television series from 1987 to 2000.-Early life and career:...
has consistently stated that the younger Lewis is an improvement on the character he originally created, and that if he could start the novels afresh he would begin with Lewis as he is seen in the television adaptation.
In Inspector Morse, Lewis is often shown following a hunch that Morse criticises, and in the end Lewis is usually proved correct, or at least more correct than Morse. Near the end of the television series, Lewis moves on in his career and takes a promotion. With the end of Inspector Morse and the death of its star, John Thaw
John Thaw
John Edward Thaw, CBE was an English actor, who appeared in a range of television, stage and cinema roles, his most popular being police and legal dramas such as Redcap, The Sweeney, Inspector Morse and Kavanagh QC.-Early life:Thaw came from a working class background, having been born in Gorton,...
, Lewis's adventures had seemed to come to an end.
In the episode "The Dead of Jericho", Lewis tells Morse "..it's also my birthday". The first victim is killed on June 11, and this utterance occurs a few days to a week later. This puts Lewis' birthday sometime around June 13 to June 20.
Lewis does not make an appearance in the episode "The Wench is Dead", as he is out of town on an inspector's course.
Lewis
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
in the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, following the death of his wife Valerie in a car accident. Lewis still must work partly in the shadow of the now-five-years-dead Inspector Morse, who some time prior to his death had worked a case involving one of the murder suspects as a juvenile. In the new series, Lewis gains his own junior, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway
Detective Sergeant James Hathaway
James Hathaway is the Detective Sergeant working under Inspector Lewis in the ITV detective series Lewis . He is played by Laurence Fox.-Biography:...
(played by Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox
Laurence Fox is an English actor best known for his leading role as Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in the British TV drama series Lewis...
), a Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
-educated man who joined the police after giving up training for the priesthood.
The popularity of the one-off episode spurred the continuation of the story into a total of five series comprising 20 episodes, with a sixth series confirmed for 2012.