The Dead of Winter (5 Sep. 2010)
"Lewis" The Dead of Winter (original title)

Murders occur on a lavish Oxford estate where Hathaway's father was in-service and he spent his boyhood.

Director:

Bill Anderson

Writers:

Colin Dexter (inspired by the Inspector Morse novels of), Russell Lewis (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Johnson, Nathaniel Parker, Jonty Stephens

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Johnson	...	Augustus Mortmaigne
Nathaniel Parker	...	Philip Coleman
Jonty Stephens	...	Ralph Grahame
Georgia Groome	...	Briony Grahame
Pip Carter	...	Paul Hopkiss
Jonathan Bailey	...	Titus Mortmaigne
Alex Knight	...	Bus Driver
Laurence Fox	...	DS James Hathaway
Kevin Whately	...	DI Robert Lewis
Clare Holman	...	Dr. Laura Hobson
Gerard Horan	...	DC Hooper
Camilla Arfwedson	...	Scarlett Mortmaigne
Guy Henry	...	Professor Pelham
Juliet Aubrey	...	Selina Mortmaigne
Rebecca Front	...	Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent

Storyline

Dr Stephen Black is found murdered on a tour bus visiting Crevecoeur Hall, where Hathaway's father was once estate manager so the sergeant knows the family. The murder weapon,a candlestick,is found in the family chapel and the priest once knew the victim,who was seen in the grounds a week earlier by Hopkiss the butler and Lord Mortmaigne's nephew Philip. Then the current estate manager dies,an apparent suicide,and Black seems to have known his wife Linda,who left him six years earlier. Whilst Lewis fears Hathaway's friendship with the family -especially daughter Scarlett,making a wealthy marriage to save family fortunes - makes him partial and gives him leave Black's colleague Frances Woodville tells Lewis that Black was after alleged buried treasure,dating from the Civil War, at Crevecoeur Hall. No treasure is unearthed but dark family secrets are,relating to the actual fate of Linda and the reason for Black's death.

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Plot Keywords:

butler | oxford | priest | childhood friends | english civil war | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

5 September 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Rousham House and Gardens, Rousham, Bicester, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

ITV Studios, WGBH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[last lines]
DI Robert Lewis: Between us, we make a not-bad detective.
[pause]
DI Robert Lewis: [ironically] I'm the brains, obviously.
DS James Hathaway: [chuckling] Obviously.

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Connections

References Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

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Soundtracks

"Nocturne in C sharp minor"
by Frédéric Chopin (as Chopin)
Performed by Sophie Warwick

User Reviews

Continuation of Lewis character

Anyone who remembers the great John Thaw as Inspector Morse can recall that magnificent voice of his saying "Lewis" when addressing his mild-mannered partner (Kevin Whately).

There is no bringing back the late Thaw or anything resembling the Inspector Morse series, but the Inspector Lewis series has revived Lewis for those of us who want some connection to Morse.

This is my first foray into the Lewis series. As Lewis was never a flashy character, at least this one, "Dead of Winter" has the focus on his partner, Hathaway. Hathaway (Laurence Fox) is a young and attractive man who here tackles an investigation that leads him into his past.

"Dead of Winter" concerns a shooting during a civil war re-enactment, and a man found dead on a tour bus, both of which lead Hathaway to an estate where he grew up. Therefore, he knows some of the suspects. The story becomes quite complicated, involving buried treasure and other elements - adultery for one.

One thing, true in the Morse series and true in this, is that you have to pay attention. During a Morse episode once, I completely lost track of what was going on and called a friend of mine to ask whodunit. My friend called me back and said, "I not only don't know whodunit, I don't know who was killed." "Dead of Winter" isn't quite that abstract, and the story is pretty good, though I figured some of it out. I liked both the Lewis and Hathaway characters and will definitely look into some other episodes. Worth seeing.