Well, its an awful cliche, but expect the unexpected, I guess.
Weve moved into 1969.
The fellowship of Cowley is broken, and its constituent parts cast to the four winds.
So yeah, tough times for Oxfords finest as we begin.
Theres a lot of change afoot.
All of our heroes and heroines are in a slightly different place as we start.
That was our jumping-off point for it, really.
Hes no longer the young lad tipping up in Oxford from Castle Newtown.
Well, it was originally just a one-off.
Every year, we had to wait certainly to begin with to see if we were going again.
So we always finished the series at a place that was satisfactory if we never came back.
Shaun (Evans) is getting a little bit older each year, so Endeavour was, too.
Theyd make them, and then decide the order they were going to show them in.
Which is deeply unhelpful when youre trying to tell an ongoing story… How did that change the process, if at all?
Colin was very good to us.
I dont think there was anything where he outright said No, thats just not Morse.
Hes been our guiding light all the time.
We always wanted to approach it with a great deal of respect.
That said, there is an audience that has come toEndeavourfirst and then fromEndeavourhas come toMorse.
Weve taken stories and characters and drawn those out a little bit more.
Shaun Evans has indicated in interviews that hes not completely on board with the allusions to Morse lore.
He had to make it his own, and he did that from the off.
Im not sure how much of it weve got in 69.
There are different things happening with them than were used to.
Theyre still the characters people hopefully know and love its just another part of their history.
We always wanted to keep it moving forward and not just rest on our laurels.
We always try and give each run its own identity, as much as anything else.
Shaun Evans isnt the only actor working with an established character, of course.
Jimmy and Riggers are just delightful.
Theyre a privilege to write for.
Theyre both very special actors, they really are.
For my part, I cannot see the join.
Its like, of course theyre going to be who theyre going to be by 1987.
Its a nice link to the very early days.
Hes the closest thing Morse had to a friend in the books.
Morses affection for the old pathologist is hard-wired into the stories.
Theres a moment in that novel that is among the most profoundly moving stuff Colin ever wrote.
Having Jimmy breathe life into young Max has been a joy.
We watched Riggers audition as Strange and it was a young Jimmy Grout to the life.
Shes also a great character in her own right.
None of us ever wanted it to be a kind of gimmick.
They bring so much to the shows identity.
Its not just about blokes down the nick.
Its as much Joan (Thursday)s story as it is Endeavours.
We wanted to show how the Sixties was changing for women.
Despite that, his connection with Joan has been a major part of recent stories.
How can we expect that to develop in series six?
Theres development there, but were not marching in step with it.
Those characters are massively important to me.
I adore the Thursdays.
That has developed, though.
Into every life, a little rain must fall!
Its whether those relationships that have lasted so long can survive such change.
Trust is at a premium.
Awful question: are there anyEndeavourepisodes that worked better for you than others?
What I will say is that Shaun directing one this year was absolutely delightful.
Hes done a wonderful job.
Its been great to watch him blossom, without being sentimental about it.
Hes been on a journey every bit as much as Endeavour Morse.
I cant praise him highly enough.
It was a lovely series to do, that.
Weird things kind of spark the imagination.
Theyre always done with a huge amount of affection.
Its a period that is in my consciousness.
Thats kind of been filtering over the last fifty years and finding its way onto the screen throughEndeavour.
Its fun for the viewers, and theyll remember it.
Baffling, Im sure, for those who dont!
As I say, were into our third act now.
As the Fab Four said onSergeant Pepper: were getting very near the end.
Series six is a modulation of whats come before.
Were at the fag end of the Sixties a decade that had promised so much.
We can look forward to plenty of great fashion from 1969, cant we?
You look atSteptoe and Son: it could be Victorian.
Well see what people make of it.
You look at the mop-tops in 64, and by 69, theyre men.
The enthusiastic fanbase forEndeavourkeeps coming back.
Its all about the audience.
Thats who we make it for, and if theyre having a good time, were doing our job.
Endeavour series 6 starts on Sunday the 10th of February at 9pm on ITV1.
