Michael Cox reviews ‘a perfectly enjoyable night out’.
Inspector Morse is one of the juggernauts of British crime television. Based on the acclaimed novels by Colin Dexter, the TV programme ran from 1987-2000 and is consider by many as one of—if not THE—greatest British crime series of all time.
A rather high bar to pass when adapting the world of Morse for the stage with an original story. The fact that Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts just about pulls it off is rather commendable.
Playwright Alma Cullen certainly understood the dynamics of Morse when she wrote the play in 2010. Afterall, she wrote four of the TV screenplays—which might be why House of Ghosts has a feeling of familiarity: it’s a plausible Morse story without being overly panache.
For those unfamiliar, Morse is a middle-aged detective chief inspector based in Oxford: highly intelligent, well versed in music and opera and a lover of the classics and crossword puzzles. He is assisted by Sergeant Lewis—an older Welsh man in Dexter’s original but presented here (as in the TV programme) as a younger family man who is more than capable of matching wits with his superior.
Cullen’s original story finds Morse and Lewis investigating a death within a theatre production of Hamlet. Members of the theatre company knew Morse back when he was a student, meaning that Morse must overcome the ‘ghosts’ from his past to solve the crime.
It’s all a very plausible story within the Morse universe, yet on its own House of Ghosts also proves to be a gripping mystery filled with clever twists.
And yet, the question must be asked: who exactly is this production for? It’s a traditional and safe experience with few theatrical flourishes, and it isn’t compelling enough to act as a launching point into the classic series. As for fans of the books and the show, the production might scratch the itch of a character long absent from the screen or the page, but it has neither the wit nor sophistication that one usually associates with a Morse tale.
That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the production: it is a perfectly enjoyable night out with a solid company of actors, led by Tom Chambers’ different take on Morse—a bit more vulnerable and cautious than John Thaw’s seminal version. The theatre in-jokes are entertaining, and the plot has enough twists to keep audiences guessing.
However, take the names ‘Morse’ and ‘Lewis’ away and shift the action to another town or city, and House of Ghosts works just as well, making it an enjoyable celebration of the classic series without proving itself to be essential. It’s perfectly fine, and yet when one considers the high quality of the novels and TV series, ‘perfectly fine’ isn’t quite enough.
Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts performs at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow until April 4, 2026. It then continues its UK tour to Salford and Salisbury before concluding its run. For further details, go to the production website.
Image by Johan Perrson.
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