Absolute Conviction (8 Apr. 1992)

A convicted fraudster, one of three former business partners at an open prison, dies following an assault. Morse has to investigate the death while dealing with a brash subordinate and trying to avoid offending the prison authorities.

Director:

Antonia Bird

Writers:

Colin Dexter (characters), John Brown

Stars:

John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Sean Bean

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis
Sean Bean	...	Alex Bailey
Diana Quick	...	Hilary Stephens
Richard Wilson	...	Brian Thornton
David Fielder	...	Prison Chaplain
Tony Steedman	...	Lawrence Cryer
Susan Doran	...	Young Doctor
Luke Williams	...	George Newcombe
Robert Pugh	...	Geoff Harris - Prison Officer
Cheryl Hall	...	Laura - Secretary
David Howey	...	Dr. James Archer - Prison Doctor
James Aubrey	...	Pathologist
Steven Mackintosh	...	DS Cheetham
Jim Broadbent	...	Charlie Bennett

Storyline

Lawrence Cryer is a fraudster serving a sentence in a minimum security prison.The initial cause of death was thought to be a heart attack but the autopsy reveals he was struck down. Cryer was one of three businessmen who had defrauded millions from would be investors. His fellow fraudsters, Alex Bailey and Brian Thornton, are serving their sentences in the same prison. Cryer's young widow is now having an affair with Thornton's son and Bailey continues to engage in financial planning of some sort. Morse believes that the three must have salted some money abroad but is having difficulty finding the evidence. When a second fraudster collapses from an overdose of heart medication, Morse focuses on those who lost money in the investment scheme but the answer lies elsewhere.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 April 1992 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Eton College, Eton, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zenith Entertainment, Central Independent Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[Morse is cynical about the Cryer Investment scam]
Chief Inspector Morse: One bunch of unscrupulous charlatans ripping off another bunch of credulous speculators. That's a definition of capitalism, isn't it?

User Reviews

Insider dealing

One of the pleasures of viewing episodes of "Morse" years after their first release, is seeing actors and actresses who are now world-famous, in roles sometimes very different from those for which they are now best known.

In this episode, the first two suspects in the murder of their former business partner (played by Tony Steedman) are played by Richard Wilson (who was famous as grumpy Victor Meldrew in "One Foot in the Grave") and Sean Bean. In prison alongside them is a wrongfully convicted former schoolteacher played by Jim Broadbent. Sue Johnston played Sean Bean's screen wife.

This particular episode is perhaps frustrating for viewers interested in the intellectual development of an investigation, as the true murderer is revealed only in the last minutes by a flash of information only fleetingly revealed to the viewer beforehand. Nevertheless, it is interesting to watch Morse and Lewis each doggedly pursuing their own lines of enquiry. At the same time they are dealing with a brash, high-flying Detective Sergeant, and eventually bring him to earth with a bump, each in their own fashion.