Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield

Based on the characters by Colin Dexter

Writer: Alma Cullen

Director: Anthony Banks

One of TV’s favourite police officers, Inspector Morse, has made the leap from screen to stage for a new UK tour of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts. Despite what the title may suggest, this play isn’t particularly spooky – it’s a murder mystery that uncovers the metaphorical ghosts from our characters’ pasts that come back to haunt them. It is perhaps worth mentioning from the outset that your reviewer hadn’t seen any iteration of Morse prior to this play, but regardless he had an enjoyable evening out.

Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts was written by Alma Cullen who passed away in 2021 at the age of 83. The play was last seen on stage on 2010 and despite this, and the fact that the play is set in the 1980s, it still feels fresh and not too distant from modern crime dramas we see on TV. The show does, perhaps, sometimes feel a little more like a TV show on stage than it does a play written for the stage, with lots of short scenes, but this improves in Act 2 as we get more space to really learn about the relationships between our characters, most of whom all seem to know each other from their university days.

Director Anthony Banks ensures tension builds throughout the show – enhanced by the fact that we learn things only when Morse does. Colin Richmond’s set works wonderfully to allow us to move from place to place with haste, leaving parts of the theatre exposed to remind us that this is a play set within a theatre. He designs lovely period costumes for the production of Hamlet that is being put on within the show. Fight Director Sam Lyon-Behan choreographs a lovely sword fight which adds some variety to the play which otherwise is just lots of fairly static conversations.

Tom Chambers takes on the title role. He leads the piece with strength, but unfortunately doesn’t really get the opportunity to show off all he is capable of as an actor. He builds great rapport with his castmates, but we don’t get the look inside his personal life that we might with TV detectives and inspectors. Tachia Newall takes on the role of Lewis, Morse’s investigative partner. Newall and Chambers have a great rapport, with Newall bring some nice youthful energy to the duo to contrast Chambers who successfully portrays the inspector who has been in the police force for a long time. Teresa Banham’s Ellen is lovely and she and Chambers do a great job portraying the slightly awkward, will-they-won’t-they romantic relationship between Ellen and Morse.

Spin Glancy is a standout as Justin, the character who is clearly the most effected by the events of the play on an emotional level. He also delivers Shakespearean monologues wonderfully. James Gladdon is great as Freddy, the heartthrob of the fictional group of actors, and Charlotte Randle as Verity does a great job creating suspicion but not too much suspicion, bouncing well off all of her castmates.

Robert Mountford is perfect as Lawrence, the slightly sleezy yet overdemanding director, but this character is perhaps a little stereotypical. Olivia Onyehara is fantastic as the wealthy producer Harriet, Lawrence’s wife, and impressively manages to get the audience to root for her and her desires to have children despite having minimal stage time.

Overall Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts is an enjoyable crime drama. Whilst it’s not the most gripping and thrilling story, it does keep you guessing – and of course, the ending is as convoluted as you might expect from a TV crime drama although the show doesn’t quite have the big climactic ending you might want for a stage production.

Runs until 1st November 2025, before continuing on tour