The cast of Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts. Photo Credit: Johan Persson
With strong performances and an engaging plot, INSPECTOR MORSE: HOUSE OF GHOSTS is a fast-paced and layered adaptation, despite some parts of the story being unevenly signposted.
INSPECTOR MORSE was a television staple of detective drama for eight series from 1987 to 2000. In INSPECTOR MORSE: HOUSE OF GHOSTS, writer Alma Cullen takes us back to those very first days in 1987 with Inspector Morse thrown into a murder within Hamlet, itself a play about murder, where the roots of the tale date back a further 25 years to Morse’s own days as an Oxford student. Through twists and turns, Morse is reconnected with people from his youth, some he liked and some not, and this time, he is the pivotal power player. Old relationships are revisited, secrets come to light and patterns are broken.
As the titular Inspector Morse, Tom Chambers does very well to put aside the portrayal of Mr Thaw from the television series and gives us a curmudgeonly, sarcastic and socially awkward Morse. Still the misfit and still not sure of his place. His sidekick, Lewis, played by Tachia Newall, has perhaps more of the humorous lines but acts as a good foil to showcase the exacting manner of Morse’s character. Another stellar performance is given by Charlotte Randall as Verity, the past her best actress of the original Oxford group, still hoping for that return to the light from the base of a bottle.
The cast of Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts. Photo Credit: Johan Persson
The surrounding cast are more than able, from the dastardly Baxter (Jason Done), a man with little if any redeeming features still being a complete rake and bully especially to his wife Harriet (Olivia Onyehara), Ellen (Teresa Banham) now an academic who was the object of Morse’s unrequited affections 25 years ago, and the current cast of Hamlet being represented by Spin Glancy as a neurotic and needy Justin as Hamlet, James Gladdon as Freddy, a much more gruff Laertes and a far too brief appearance of Rebecca (Eliza Teale) as Ophelia. Factor in a catholic priest who also hails from the university group of yesteryear, and it’s a pacey, multi-layered whodunnit. There are red herrings aplenty, misdirection, revelations and dead ends enough to keep any fan of the genre busy for hours alongside the ever typical characters that are always mentioned in passing, who turn out to be pivotal and who ripple through to the present.
The cast of Inspector Morse – House of Ghosts. Photo Credit: Johan Persson
The direction of the play by Anthony Banks is fast and at some points challenging to the audience, although the set and lighting (Colin Richmond and Lizze Powell) are excellent and convey the change of scenes and undercurrents subtly with more than a hint of menace in the use of shadows and spotlights. The actual use of space on the stage is also very well controlled, with pockets of action laid across a wider scene. The only criticism is that there are occasions when the changes between scenes can be a little clunky.
If you are a fan of Morse you will love it. If you are a fan of whodunnits, you will find it enjoyable. However, there are parts which are signposted and other parts that appear from nowhere. Maybe that’s the joy of the whodunnit – keep ’em guessing to the end.
INSPECTOR MORSE: HOUSE OF GHOSTS runs at The Lowry, Salford until 11 April 2026
Gillian has a Masters degree in Film Theory and a background in music journalism. A veteran of gig promotion, she loves nothing more than a darkened room, a packet of Revels and a good play. By day she works in medico-legal administration, by night she escapes into theatre for relaxation.
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