Inspector Morse prequel, Endeavour, is to return next year for an extended fifth series of six feature-length films.
ITV and production company Mammoth Screen have confirmed series stars Shaun Evans and Roger Allam will return alongside regulars Dakota Blue Richards as WPC Shirley Trewlove, Anton Lesser as Chief Superintendent Reginald Bright and Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil.
News of the show’s renewal follows the strong audiences for the current series which bowed out on Sunday night.
Marking the 30th anniversary of Inspector Morse on ITV, the first episode, which aired on Sunday 8 January, pulled in a consolidated rating of 6.8m and 24% share, which is the biggest audience since 2014 and up on the year on year average by half a million viewers.
Series creator, Russell Lewis, said: “The prospect of creating further chapters in Morse’s secret history is always exciting, but expanding our quartet of investigations to a sextet gives us the opportunity to deliver a truly epic year in the life of Colin Dexter’s immortal creation.”
ITV’s Head of Drama, Polly Hill, added: “Endeavour continues to be hugely popular with ITV audiences, and we’re delighted to announce that it’ll be returning for an extended fifth series.
“Russell Lewis’s scripts are always immensely intriguing and gripping, and Mammoth Screen consistently deliver high-quality drama.”