Now that Endeavour series nine has finished viewers are wondering if it really is the end of the line for ITV's Inspector Morse.
The final series - series nine - ended on Sunday and ITV has declared that it will be the last.
But fans are wondering about the possibility of continuing the story of the detective originally created by Oxford author Colin Dexter.
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He wrote in his will that Shaun Evans should be the last actor to play Inspector Morse so it did not undermine the legacy of John Thaw, who played the detective in the original series from 1987 to 2000.
Millions of Endeavour fans watched the three episodes in the final series, which left many wanting more.
Chris Sullivan, who runs the fan site Morse, Lewis and Endeavour, believes there is still a possibility that more Morse detective dramas could be shown on TV - but not starring Shaun Evans.
He believes a storyline featuring DCI Fred Thursday - played by Roger Allam in Endeavour - is the most likely option.
He said: "One good way it could go would be a young Fred Thursday.
"My idea was that the back story of Fred Thursday is that he joins the police force a year before the Second World War broke out.
"When he returned from the war, he then obviously takes up his post as a constable in London.
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“I thought that would be a very good story because London almost had to be rebuilt a lot of it and of course there was crime.
"So my idea is a young Fred and we would need a damn good actor to follow up Roger Allam.”
Mr Sullivan added: "I'm in the process of writing a treatment, though having never written a TV show it may take some time.
"The series would start with Thursday being demobbed in 1945/46 and return to the police force.
"Working from information in the Endeavour show, Thursday joined the police force in 1938 and then when war broke out he joined up.
"At the moment my thoughts are twofold. Firstly, that the series of a young Thursday would end when he moves to Oxford after threats from a London gang run by Vic Casper who we met in the Endeavour episode, Home.
"We do see him move to Oxford and the series ends when he first meets Endeavour."
Thursday is the creation of Endeavour's creator Russell Lewis and the character is never mentioned in the original Inspector Morse series, which means it would get round Colin Dexter's embargo.
In an interview with The Times, Roger Allam - perhaps half joking - suggests that he would consider a Fred Thursday prequel if the money was right and it was set “somewhere really lovely”.
And Endeavour executive producer Damian Timmer said he was sure the Endeavour series would not be the end of Morse.
He added: "The world that Colin Dexter created has been such a big thing for ITV over the years - I’m sure there’ll be more.
READ AGAIN: Viewing figures for the final Endeavour series
“There are no secret plans but I can’t believe there won’t be another.”
ITV said any talk of a future series was 'speculation.
Shaun Evans has ruled out any kind of comeback.
He told The Times: “I feel like my work in the Endeavour universe is done.
"For our iteration of the story there is no Endeavour without Thursday and the Thursday family and all those guys.
"I don’t feel like I’ve got anything else to say about it or to offer. It’s a team thing.”
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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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