TV tours Midsomer Murders Inspector Morse
Midsomer Murders Country
The Midsomer Murders TV series has legions of international fans, Aspern Tallow village who know it as the utterly-English scene of traditional pubs, village greens and Sunday-afternoon cricket. They also know of the improbable number of dastardly yet creative murders (now around 300!) solved by the unflappable DCI Barnaby. But that’s the fictional Midsomer County.
Our original tour of the real Midsomer County includes quaint hamlets, villages and towns, with names every bit as wonderful as their fictional counterparts. Through unspoilt countryside to historic Dorchester-on-Thames, then via Wallingford (Causton in Midsomer Murders) and famous Henley, to the busy market town of Thame, we visit a selection of South Oxfordshire places that have all featured in the series, before returning to our starting point.
We begin from Oxford but will be happy to collect clients staying nearby or arriving by train from London or elsewhere. Our route combines both Midsomer Murders Northern and Southern Trails outlined at Visit Midsomer, offering a full day tour including stops (of which there are plenty) www.absolutetouring.co.uk/places/midsomer-murders-country
Inspector Morse and Lewis
Oxford was the key location for the filming of Inspector Morse and Lewis. In 2012 we saw the young Detective Constable Endeavour Morse solve the murder of a young girl in Bagley Wood, set in 1965. We have now seen the ITV series put Endeavour back on the TV screen.
If you're lucky enough to visit during filming, you can turn the corner and unexpectedly find Shaun Evans in front of the cameras! At other times there is still plenty to see and do to follow in the detectives footsteps.
Have a coffee in the Morse Bar at the Randolph Hotel, or take a walk around some of Morse's favourite pubs, The Eagle and Child, The White Horse, The Kings Arms and The Bear are all in the city centre and have featured in episodes.
Visit Exeter College and see where John Thaw acted Morse's fatal heart attack scene.
Take the short trip to The Trout Inn at Wolvercote, where so often we saw Morse with a pint glass in his hand!
Visit The Ashmolean Museum and see 'The Hunt in the Forest' painting as featured in the 'Point of Vanishing' Lewis episode.
The museum also featured in an Inspector Morse episode 'The Wolvercote Tongue', as did Didcot Railway Centre.
Other Oxford city locations, like the University of Oxford Botanic Garden, Martyr's Memorial, The Sheldonian Theatre, and Blackwell's bookshop can all be visited. Travel out of the city to Blenheim Palace, Burford and Thrupp to tick off more locations. www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com/see-and-do/inspector_morse_and_lewis.aspx
You can also book Inspector Morse Official Guided Walking Tours. They run as public tours all year on Saturdays, Monday and Friday, from March to September. Or you can book a private Morse tour.