Twilight of the Gods (20 Jan. 1993)

When Gwladys Probert, a world renowned mezzo-soprano, is shot by a sniper at Oxford, Morse, one of her biggest fans, sees a link with an earlier murder of a freelance journalist.

Director:

Herbert Wise

Writers:

Colin Dexter (characters), Julian Mitchell

Stars:

John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Sheila Gish

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis
Sheila Gish	...	Gwladys Probert
Elaine English	...	Tammy
Alan David	...	Sir Watkin Davies
Celia Montague	...	Adele Baydon
Rachel Weisz	...	Arabella Baydon
Paul Rattigan	...	Mark Scott
John Bluthal	...	Victor Ignotas
Julian Curry	...	Alan Cartwright
Don Fellows	...	Lyman Stansky
Robert Hardy	...	Andrew Baydon
Joan Blackham	...	Helen Buscott
Michaela Noakes	...	Janet
Allan Corduner	...	Gentile Bellocchio

Storyline

Morse's police work and love of music come together as he investigates the murder of a journalist who was writing about college benefactor Andrew Baydon, and is witness when opera singer Gwladys Probert is shot while standing next to Baydon at the annual procession.

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Plot Keywords:

journalist | oxford | mezzo soprano | father son conflict | whodunit | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1993 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zenith Entertainment, Central Independent Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min 103 min (dvd release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Welsh opera singer Gwladys Probert was based on Welsh soprano Dame Gwyneth Jones.

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Goofs

For the purpose of this episode the Bodleian Library is open during Encaenia Day. In reality the library was always closed on that day, until 2007 when opening it was trialed.

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Quotes

Lord Hinksey: [referring to honorary doctorates] You know, however many you've got, they do die with you.
Andrew Baydon: I think I can live with that.

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Soundtracks

"Military Polonaise"
("opus 40 #1") (uncredited)
Composed by Frederic Chopin
Performed by Allan Corduner on piano

User Reviews

Definitely the weakest episode of the 7th series but I still liked it!

John Thaw and Kevin Whately are always excellent in Inspector Morse, and their performances in Twilight of the Gods are no exception. However, compared to the outstanding Day of the Devil, Twilight of the Gods was a disappointment. My main problem was that although Robert Hardy is a very good actor, he does overact so wildly here, that I couldn't really relate to his character at all. Though, John Gielgud almost steals the show, with a witty performance that almost compensates the episode and its flaws. My second flaw was that although there were some very good moments, like Mprse's argument with Strange, which was very funny, and Shiela Gish's character's recital at the beginning, the dialogue just lacked the sparkle that makes Morse so intriguing. Don't get me wrong, I liked the episode, I liked the performance of Shiela Gish, who gave the character a sense of fire, such a shame she didn't get more screen time. The plot is also very clever, and does well not to get tedious. The music was also excellent. Overall, a disappointing, but still a very good episode, that benefits from standout turns from Gish and Gielgud, and of course Thaw and Whately. 8/10 Bethany Cox.