Who Killed Harry Field? (13 Mar. 1991)

Struggling artist Harry Field is found murdered and thrown off an overpass but recent rains and a dry body lead Morse to conclude he was killed over a week earlier.

Director:

Colin Gregg

Writers:

Geoffrey Case, Colin Dexter (characters)

Stars:

John Thaw, Kevin Whately, Trevor Byfield

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Thaw	...	Chief Inspector Morse
Kevin Whately	...	Detective Sergeant Lewis
Trevor Byfield	...	Harry Field
John Castle	...	Tony Doyle
Geraldine James	...	Helen Field
Nicola Cowper	...	Jane Marriot
Steven Payne	...	Sergeant Taylor
Andy Mulligan	...	Gordon Collins
Helen Lymbery	...	Barmaid (as Helena Lymbery)
Sean Cranitch	...	Patrol Man
David Belcher	...	Landlord
Maureen Bennett	...	Val Lewis
Philip Locke	...	Freddie Mortimer
Veronica Lang	...	Julia
Ronald Pickup	...	Ian Matthews

Storyline

Morse and Lewis investigate the murder of fun-loving raconteur Harry Field, a mediocre artist with no real style to call his own, with many of his paintings featuring the same mystery woman. As they dig deeper into his past, they discover a possible link to art forgery. Meanwhile, Lewis considers trying for a promotion in Traffic Division.

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Plot Keywords:

artist | promotion | art forgery | painter | ambition | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 March 1991 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Blackwell's Bookshop - 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Central Independent Television, Zenith Entertainment

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The idea for this story came from the book: 'Fake?: The Art of Deception' By Mark Jones, Paul T. Craddock, Nicolas Barker, British Museum.

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Quotes

Detective Sergeant Lewis: Tired, sir?
Chief Inspector Morse: Ye-e-es.
Detective Sergeant Lewis: Why's that?
Chief Inspector Morse: Lack of sleep.

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Connections

References Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

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Soundtracks

"Runnin' Wild"
(uncredited)
Written by A. H. Gibbs, Joe Grey, and Leo Wood (1922)
Harry Field listens to recording in his studio

User Reviews

Absolutely fantastic!

This is one of my favourites, definitely one of the better episodes. if they hadn't made Promised Land, then this would have had my pick for the best episode of the 5th series, instead it has to be content with an extremely close second, with Second Time Around closely behind. The episode has some truly beautiful scenery, and definitely one of the more intriguing Morse plots, and it isn't even based on any of the books by Colin Dexter. An episode like Last Bus To Woodstock is still very intriguing, but compared to other Morse episodes it feels too bleak. John Thaw and Kevin Whately are excellent in the title roles, and they are almost overshadowed by the scene-stealing performance by Freddie Jones as the victim's father. I found his final scenes, not only moving but also the highlight of the episode. Geraldine James is also excellent as Helen, and also worth noting are roles from Ronald Pickup and Vania Vilers. All in all, a truly fantastic entry to the best crime drama series ever. 10/10 Bethany Cox.