ITV has confirmed that this week’s Foyle’s War will be the final ever episode, bringing an end to the period crime and espionage drama after 13 years.
The final adventure is written by series creater Anthony Horowitz OBE and sees Foyle (Michael Kitchen) forced to re-examine Hilda Pierce’s role within SOE (Special Operations Executive) during the war following an attempt on her life.
Foyle suspects the shooting may be connected to the hunt for a traitor within SOE called Plato who could have been behind the deaths of nine agents in France…
Horowitz first thought up the series in 2000. When the first episode aired in 2002 audiences immediately warmed to Kitchen’s portrayal of Hastings detective Christopher Foyle.
The show was originally axed in 2008 but was revived two years later with Foyle pursuing a post war career at MI5, still accompanied by the ever loyal Sam (Honeysuckle Weeks).
Announcing the show’s final retirement, Horowitz said: “It feels a terrible wrench to say goodbye to characters I’ve lived with for more than fifteen years.
“But the truth is that I’m not sure there are any more stories to tell and anyway it was always my intention to end on a high note and I think this year’s episodes are the very best we’ve done.
“I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with Foyle’s War and I’m very grateful to the audience that has stayed with us for so long. I’ve had a good war.”
ITV’s Director of Drama Steve November added: “We are very sad to be saying goodbye to Foyle’s War after so many amazing years, but delighted that the finale is so rich and mesmerising.
“Christopher Foyle has been a classic ITV hero and we are indebted to Anthony Horowitz for creating him and writing so many original stories for him, to Michael Kitchen for bringing him to life so brilliantly and to Eleventh Hour Films for consistently impeccable production.”