Music to Die For (2 Mar. 2008)
"Lewis" Music to Die For (original title)

Lewis investigates the garroting of an aging Oxford don planning an Wagnerian festival and discovers a tenuous connection to his former boss, Inspector Morse.

Director:

Bill Anderson

Writers:

Colin Dexter (inspired by the Inspector Morse novels of), Dusty Hughes (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Goodman-Hill, Niall Buggy, Ben Batt

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Goodman-Hill	...	Richard Helm
Niall Buggy	...	R.G. Cole
Ben Batt	...	Milo Hardy
Bradley James	...	Jack Roth
Joanna Christie	...	Sarah Kriel
Cheryl Campbell	...	Valli Helm
Rachael Blake	...	Ann Kriel
Paul Venables	...	Hansie Kriel
Andrew Knott	...	Ryan Gallen
Hosh Kane	...	Tom Pettigrew
Kevin Whately	...	DI Robert Lewis
Laurence Fox	...	DS James Hathaway
Clare Holman	...	Dr. Laura Hobson
Rebecca Front	...	Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent
John Salthouse	...	Charles Acres

Storyline

Ageing gay lecturer R.G. Cole is strangled after going to watch an illegal bare knuckle boxing match. He was also due to stage a Wagner festival sponsored by South African club owner Hansie Kriel, whose daughter Sarah was literally being fought over by two of the young boxers. One of them, student Milo Hardy, is also murdered following a trip to Berlin, where Hansie plans to open a new club and from where Cole's protege Richard Helm and his mother Valli escaped during the Cold War. Robbie believes that the victims were about to identify the Stasi informant responsible for Valli's liberal husband's death over twenty years before and sends Sergeant Hathaway to Germany to prove this . The culprit's identity will unfortunately play havoc with Robbie's love life.

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Plot Keywords:

oxford | south african | bare knuckle boxing | boxer | detective series | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 March 2008 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Alexanderplatz, Mitte, Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Productions, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 85 min (dvd) 93 min (11 episodes)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The initial "E" in Morse's name in the memoriam ad stands for the detective's Christian name, Endeavour. Morse's father, an admirer of Captain Cook, named him after the famous explorer's ship.

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Quotes

Dr. Laura Hobson: Anyway, what about the note?
DI Robert Lewis: Never trust suicide notes that aren't handwritten.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

References Barbarella (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Wesendonck Lieder"
by Richard Wagner (as W. R. Wagner)
Sung by Janis Kelly

User Reviews

Best of Inspector Lewis series I've seen

A nice piece of writing and well acted by the entire cast. I especially liked Tom Goodman-Hill as Richard Helm in this episode. The way he interpreted the character and brought a subtle performance in the role was brilliant. I hope to see more of him in the future.

I have always liked the chemistry between the Lewis and Hathaway characters, a tribute to the chemistry of the two actors in those roles, but I really enjoyed Goodman-Hill's character in this episode and felt it brought a certain flavor to the mystery. He is an under-rated actor.

I first noticed him in Death In Holy Orders, the P. D. James vehicle starring Martin Shaw. Hard to not enjoy these British mysteries . . .