And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea (24 Feb. 2008)
"Lewis" And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea (original title)

At first the murders of Reg Chapman, a handy man at the Bodleian Library and gambling addict, and Nell Buckley, a popular Art student, seem unrelated. However, it transpires that Chapmen ... See full summary »

Director:

Dan Reed

Writers:

Colin Dexter (inspired by the Inspector Morse novels of), Alan Plater (screenplay),

Stars:

Darren Clarke, Haydn Gwynne, Sam Alexander

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Darren Clarke	...	Chapman
Haydn Gwynne	...	Sandra Walters
Sam Alexander	...	Eric Jameson
Emily Beecham	...	Nell Buckley
Tom Riley	...	Philip Horton
Neil Pearson	...	Dr. Stringer
Ian Burfield	...	Jeffreys
Kevin Whately	...	DI Robert Lewis
Laurence Fox	...	DS James Hathaway
Clare Holman	...	Dr. Laura Hobson
James Weaver	...	Baxter
Felix Scott	...	Franklin
Jack Gordon	...	James Coupland
Jeany Spark	...	Jane Evans
Caleb Rowe	...	Charles Williamson

Storyline

At first the murders of Reg Chapman, a handy man at the Bodleian Library and gambling addict, and Nell Buckley, a popular Art student, seem unrelated. However, it transpires that Chapmen stole parchment from the library upon which Nell and another student persuaded Philip, a brilliant, autistic young painter, to innocently forge letters by the poet Shelley for the international collectors' market. When both victims, for different reasons, threatened to expose the mastermind behind the scam, they were killed.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 2008 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Productions, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 93 min (11 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title is a quote from a poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Love's Philosophy: The fountains mingle with the river, And the rivers with the ocean; The winds of heaven mix forever With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a law divine In another's being mingle-- Why not I with thine? See, the mountains kiss high heaven, And the waves clasp one another; No sister flower could be forgiven If it disdained its brother; And the sunlight clasps the earth, And the moonbeams kiss the sea;-- What are all these kissings worth, If thou kiss not me?

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Goofs

The Bodleian librarian refers to the library as having had its first murder for 500 years, but in actual fact the library, established in 1602, is only just over 400 years old.

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Quotes

[Nell Buckley is a student who makes money from gullible tourists whom she takes on walking tours of Oxford which she livens up with preposterous, invented "facts"]
Nell Buckley: Now we're going to go down to the crocodile-infested river.
American Tourist: Suppose I say to you I don't believe a word of any of this stuff?
Philip Horton: But there are photographs of the crocodile.
Nell Buckley: And I would say to you, Sir: do you believe that all men and women are created equally with certain inalienable rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

End-credits statement: "The verified carbon footprint of Lewis is 830 tonnes"

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Connections

Spoofs Horse Feathers (1932)

User Reviews

Lewis and Hathaway make a good team

The "Inspector Lewis" series is an excellent "spin off" of the Inspector Morse episode. Based upon the characters created by Colin Dexter, the producers of this series, taking up after the inimitable Morse died, literarily and literally, this is a welcomed "next step" in British police procedural filmed mysteries (no one does it better).

The Morse episodes were always filled with a certain amount of class, certainly of the intellectual variety, and the Lewis series keeps the same motif. In "And the Moonbeams Kissed the Sea," the mystery (murder) involves, once again, the Oxford University academics, this time concerning some long lost letters by the Romantic Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley ("and the other members of the band" as Hathaway quips). What better (more academic) setting could one ask for than Oxford U, with scenes from the Bodelian Library. The plot line is complicated, but not impossible, and viewers are quickly caught up in the story. Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox are excellent as the detectives from the Thames Valley Police in the entire series and cameo performances by some of the top British actors (who seem to vie for a role!)add to the excitement, the entertainment, and the overall excellence. The periodic quips (comic relief) are well paced and well done. "Lewis" continues to work hard to stay up with the Morse episodes and so far, they get an A for their work.