A festival is being staged in Jericho to celebrate the Inspector Morse TV detective dramas.
The long-running Inspector Morse series, based on the crime novels of Oxford author Colin Dexter, was followed by the Lewis series and then Endeavour.
ITV has confirmed that series 9 of Endeavour will be the last, and the final three episodes are expected to be shown at the end of February and the beginning of March.
READ AGAIN: Endeavour expected to be shown on ITV soon
The Inspector Morse spin-off starring Shaun Evans and Roger Allam launched in 2012 and scenes have been shot on location in the city ever since.
Inspector Morse, starring John Thaw and Kevin Whately, ran from 1987 to 2000, and was then followed by Lewis, featuring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox, from 2006 to 2015.
Jericho resident John Mair, who is organising 'Morsefest' on Saturday, March 4, said it was only right to celebrate the conclusion of the Inspector Morse franchise as it had benefitted Oxford so much.
He said: "It really is a significant end of an era now that Endeavour is finishing - Morse has been on our screens for about 36 years.
"There will never be another Morse and I wanted to do something to recognise the legacy of Morse.
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"People have great memories of the series, and I think the Morse franchise has done a lot for Oxford - it has also built the profile of certain colleges.
"Morse has been hugely popular in America and indeed all over the world."
Mr Mair said he hoped Morsefest would be the beginning of celebrations of Morse's legacy.
Festival events will run from 2pm.
They will include a guided Morse tour starting at 2pm at Martyrs' Memorial, a drink in the Morse bar at the Randolph Hotel at 4pm, followed by talks in St Barnabas Church, Jericho, at 6pm. Entry is £10.
Abigail Thaw, John Thaw's daughter, who plays Oxford Mail editor Dorothea Frazil in the Endavour series, is hoping to attend.
Then to conclude the event, there will be a meal in the Old Bookbinders Ale House at 8pm.
In November a book was published to celebrate Inspector Morse and the character's connection with Oxford.
Entitled Morse, Lewis, Endeavour and Oxford: A Guide Celebrating 35 Years on Screen, it was edited by Mr Mair and written with Morse tour guide and expert Heidi Boon Rickard, and renowned author and academic, Richard Lance Keeble.
It takes readers ‘behind the screens’ bringing new insights into Oxford’s backdrop to one of ITV’s most endearing productions.
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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF
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