As Lewis, Hathaway and Hobson investigate the new crime scene, teacher Carl Drew, biochemist Stella Drew, chaplain Martha Seager, student Adam Tibbit, provost Graham Yardley and Adam’s girlfriend Rachel Cliff watch on with anxious intrigue. The body is that of Korean student Soo-Min Chong, who had disappeared 15 years previously. Martha was the last person to see Soo-Min before her disappearance, and employed her as organ scholar at the chapel, Carl was her boyfriend.

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On tonight’s episode of Lewis, titled Down Among the Fearful the story starts with Lewis and Hobson carefully looking over the body of murder victim Vicki Walmsley (played by Tuppence Middleton) when they are interrupted by reports of a theft of etorphine, a drug often used to immobilize elephants and other large mammals, by the Garsington Equine Centre.

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So we’re well into 2013 now and the new season means a lot of returning crime drama with BBC1 giving us Silent Witness and Death in Paradise while on ITV1 there are new episodes of Midsomer Murders and Lewis. There is a bit of a change to this series of Lewis, which will sadly be its last, as instead of one long feature-length episode each story will be split into two smaller parts. To be honest I’m not quite sure why that is as I feel it spoils the flow of the story and personally I don’t feel the story is strong enough for the audience to want to return to find out who the killer is. The only reason I can see for splitting up the stories into two is to prolong this final series and extend it from three episodes to six.

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Laurence Fox, who plays the role of Detective Sergeant James Hathaway in ITV1 drama Lewis has confirmed that the show is coming to an end with the series’ seventh outing.

His co-star Kevin Whately also recently revealed that he was ending his run as the show’s main protagonist Inspector Robert “Robbie” Lewis.

The show is of course a spin-off of detective drama Inspector Morse, which starred the late John Thaw.

However, of the series ending, Laurence – who is married to Billie Piper – said, “Kev and I have decided we want to do other things, otherwise it all gets a bit samey.

“I mean, we could have gone on for ever, but…” Read more & comment »

I have to admit that I am fan when crime shows participate in crossover episodes such as the recent Hawaii 5-0 and NCIS:LA episodes or the classic Magnum PI and Murder She Wrote double bill, so this week imagine my delight when it seemed that Lewis would be inviting the latter half of Starsky and Hutch onto his show. Indeed David Soul did feature in this week’s episode of Lewis, however he wasn’t playing his most famous character but instead Professor Paul Yellad who had been invited to Oxford to discuss his new method for measuring criminal behaviour and after seeing several people with threatening glares watching him in the audience, it was clear that he was tonight’s victim which for me at least was a damn shame.

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I do have a problem with some crime dramas that focus mostly on the murder mystery rather than spending time really following what the characters are doing when they’re not on the beat. Scott and Bailey, for example, is just as much about what the women do when they’re at home while even Vera allows us to see inside the solitary life of Brenda Blethyn’s character however I never got that impression while watching this week’s episode of Lewis. I presume that Lewis doesn’t have to try as hard with developing his character, as well as that of Lawrence Fox’s Hathaway, as we are in series six as well as of course the fact that Kevin Whately’s detective has been around since the late 1980s as a sidekick to Inspector Morse. While certainly Scott & Bailey has been one of the best dramas of the year so far I feel that Lewis appeals much more to the Midsomer Murders crowd who enjoy an old school crime programme and are most at home when watching ITV3.

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Fans of Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis – which of course stars Kevin Whately as Inspector Robbie Lewis – will surely be unhappy to learn that the show’s writer, Colin Dexter, will be bringing the hit drama to an end soon.

In an interview with the Radio Times, Dexter said of Lewis, which as aired since 2006, “I don’t think he (Lewis) can go on much longer.

“They’ll probably do one more series. The first two were ridiculously complex.”

As fans of Inspector Morse will know, in the original series, Lewis was sidekick to the Oxford based copper, who was played by the late John Thaw. He died in 2002 aged 60 after losing his battle with oesophageal cancer. Read more & comment »

It’s been reported by the Sun’s TV Biz today that Kevin Whately, who of course stars in ITV cop drama Lewis, will appear in BBC1 rival show, Inspector George Gently.

He’ll apparently play the role of Don McGhee, who’s a former Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan police force.

Kevin – who’s also starred in Auf Wiedersehen Pet, Peak Practice, and Inspector Morse – will be seen in the fifth series finale of Inspector George Gently, which is entitled, Gently in the Cathedral, which was written by Peter Flannery.

Diana Quick, who stars in another legal drama, Silk, will also appear in the episode as barrister Gitta Bronson. Actor Nigel Lindsay will also star in the episode, playing DI Reese Statham, who’s a cop with a vendetta against Gently… Read more & comment »

One of ITV1’s best loved and most consistently performing dramas, Lewis, has been recommissioned by the channel.

Attracting a regular audience of more than 7 million viewers, Lewis regularly features in the top three most watched dramas in the UK on both ITV and the BBC.

Kevin Whately, who has been playing Lewis for nearly 25 years, and Laurence Fox will both reprise their roles as Inspector Robbie Lewis and his partner DS James Hathaway investigating very modern murders amidst the exquisite architecture of the ancient University of Oxford.

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ITV’s Drama commissioning team today confirmed a new series of the hit drama Lewis starring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox.

Following the success of series four of the detective drama this spring, four new episodes will go into production in July. Over nine million viewers watched the most recent series.

The new series will once again feature Kevin Whately as Inspector Robbie Lewis with Laurence Fox as his partner DS Hathaway investigating murders against the glorious backdrop of Oxford.

The series, an ITV Studios production, is produced by Chris Burt who has been at the helm of all 16 films since the launch of Lewis in 2006. The executive producers are Mammoth Screen’s Michele Buck and Damien Timmer. Read more & comment »

Lewis actor, Laurence Fox, has revealed his character – Detective Sergeant James Hathaway – is to get a love interest.

Laurence, who’s married to Billie Piper – the couple have a child named Winston together – revealed that Hathaway is to be reunited with “his first love” during the new series which begins on Sunday.

However, though he told the TV Times that he’s happy about the new storyline, he added, “I find it irritating when they give lots of back-story… Read more & comment »

ITV’s Drama commissioning team today confirmed a new series of the hit drama LEWIS starring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox.

Four new episodes will go into production in July featuring Inspector Robbie Lewis and his partner DS Hathaway investigating murder mysteries against the glorious backdrop of Oxford. The new commission of this quality drama comes hot on the heels of series three which was broadcast this spring to 7 million viewers.

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