Endeavour film crew back in Oxford for new series and it could be the last time

It is possible that the latest episodes could be the last although this has not yet been confirmed.

Shaun Evans, who plays a young inspector, was in scenes in the city centre at the weekend.

Shaun Evans plays Endeavour Morse

The Endeavour series follows the Inspector Morse and Lewis TV dramas and started in 2012.

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Head of ITV programme publicity Janice Troup said earlier: “We are filming another series this year and as previously we will be filming in Oxford. We’ve commissioned three new films.

Filming for Endeavour in Oxford

"If all goes according to plan with filming, it is anticipated that the series will air later this year.”

Read more: Endeavour series eight could be the last

Russell Lewis, who created the Endeavour series, has also adapted the novels of crime writer Peter James for new ITV adaptation Grace, about a detective working in Brighton.

Unlike many period dramas, Endeavour has always set the story 50 years prior to the year of broadcast.

So a series slated to air in 2021 would have to be set in 1971.

One hint that season eight will be the last is the number of episodes Endeavour has run to this point.

A mail van on location for the Endeavour shoot

The original Inspector Morse ran for 33 episodes, and Lewis ran for 33 episodes.

It has been suggested that, out of respect for the original, none of the spin-offs would go beyond that total.

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Since filming began for ITV's Inspector Morse episodes in the late 1980s, film crews have been a familiar sight on the streets of Oxford, so it will be the end of an era when Endeavour does finish its run.

A van used for filming in the latest series of Morse spin-off Endeavour

In Grace, John Simm plays DS Roy Grace, an experienced officer with police in Brighton and the first episode on Sunday was based on Dead Simple, one of the 17 DS Grace novels written by Mr James.

A second two-hour film is due out later this year.

It is understood that Mr Simm has moved to Brighton since filming Grace, a decision welcomed by Mr Lewis.

He told The i newspaper: "You couldn't ask an actor to be more committed than that."

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Referring to latest series of Endeavour he added: "It's now 1971 - decimalisation and postal strikes. We never thought we'd get out of the sixties when we started."