The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (13 Jan. 1987)

Morse and Lewis investigate the death of Nicholas Quinn, a hard of hearing Oxford examiner who had recently complained to his superior that others in the examination syndicate were selling ... See full summary »

Director:

Brian Parker

Writers:

Julian Mitchell (screenplay), Colin Dexter (novel)

Stars:

John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Barbara Flynn

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis
Barbara Flynn	...	Monica Height
Michael Gough	...	Philip Ogleby
Clive Swift	...	Dr Bartlett
Frederick Treves	...	Dean of Lonsdale College
Peter Woodthorpe	...	Max - Pathologist
Anthony Smee	...	Roope
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Donald Martin (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Julie Neubert	...	Mrs Martin
Phil Nice	...	Nicholas Quinn
Elspet Gray	...	Mrs Bartlett
Arthur Cox	...	Noakes
Philip Voss	...	Coroner
Gabrielle Blunt	...	Mrs Evans

Storyline

Morse and Lewis investigate the death of Nicholas Quinn, a hard of hearing Oxford examiner who had recently complained to his superior that others in the examination syndicate were selling secrets. Quinn died of cyanide poisoning but Morse is convinced that this is a case of murder, not suicide. When a second prominent member of the syndicate is killed, Morse looks to the other members for the murderer. What he finds is a maze of deceit and office adultery.

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Plot Keywords:

daedalus

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1987 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Botanic Gardens, High Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Independent Television, Zenith Entertainment

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Chief Inspector Morse: [standing in front of movie poster for The Last Tango In Paris] You ever seen this?
Detective Sergeant Lewis: No!
Chief Inspector Morse: Me neither.
[guilelessly]
Chief Inspector Morse: My doctor says I should lose some weight, stop eating butter, start eating, uh, polyunsaturates, whatever they are. Not quite the same though, is it, Lewis?

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Connections

References 101 Dalmatians (1961)

User Reviews

"No it isn't, Morse's law is that we have time for one more pint"

The Silent World Of Nicolas Quinn is a well crafted episode based on Colin Dexter's book. The episode concerns the death of a man working in a syndicate, the catch being that he is deaf. The episode is certainly intriguing, being fairly faithful to the book, while cutting some bits out, and has the advantage of a very good cast. The script is excellently written, I particularly loved Morse's "No it isn't, Morse's law is that we have time for one more pint" which is a mere contradiction to the principle we hear him utter at the beginning, "Morse's law is that whoever finds the body is the murderer", a principle that isn't strictly true, and perhaps an emphasis on the fact that Morse is a good inspector but a poor policeman. John Thaw is more than excellent as Morse, especially when he is being attacked by Roger Lloyd Pack, and when Lewis comes to the rescue, it feels ironic that Morse is less than gratifying towards the young sergeant. Kevin Whately is as charming as ever as Lewis, and the likes of Clive Swift, Barbara Flynn, Michael Gough and Anthony Smee offer their talents. All in all, a very intriguing episode. 10/10 Bethany Cox.