"Lewis" has been filming all week throughout various locations in Oxford. I came upon this film shoot on the Cherwell at the edge of Christchurch Meadow.
In the two videos here Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox, who play Lewis and Hathaway, are getting ready for a scene by paddling upstream. For the actual the scene see the link below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-NgL0uiQZE
This is how you know there is a film shoot going on -- these signs are everywhere directing the crew and technical trucks to the Lewis Base Camp (LWS BASE) or select crew to the locations (LOC)
Lewis is a British television detective drama made as a spin-off from Inspector Morse. Like that series, it is set primarily in Oxford.
Kevin Whately's Lewis is one of television longest standing detectives. He played the assistant to John Thaw's Inspector Morse from 1987 to 2000 (32 episodes). Then he played Lewis from 2006 to 2014 (30 episodes).
From a BBC news article: "The detective drama concluded last February with the two lead characters retiring, after stars Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox decided to leave the show.
However, ITV has commissioned six new hour-long episodes, which will see Inspector Lewis and his assistant Hathaway drafted back into the force."
I have thoroughly enjoyed the series, in part because it is such a valentine to Oxford...
...and in part because I find the writing really smart and the story lines complex. I also love the characters and the relationship between Lewis and Hathaway
More from the BBC article: "Since we started producing the series in 2006, Lewis has achieved a reputation for thought-provoking stories and we're determined to continue to set high standards."
ITV's director of drama Steve November added: "Viewers have a great deal of respect for Inspector Lewis and a huge loyalty to Kevin Whately."
At the end of shooting this scene, Laurence Fox took a dip on the Cherwell. He said it was freezing cold and his assistant said he just ruined a perfectly good suit and pair of shoes.
You could tell there is a lot of fun and affection between the actors and the crew. They have been together for a long time shooting first Inspector Morse and then Lewis over the years.
That is a wrap! Whately gets into his car and I was too shy to ask for a photo. He graciously posed with the few other gawkers there though. Colin Dexter, the author the Inspector Morse books, serves as a production consultant on Lewis. He is 84 years-old.
Great..Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOh, so there'll be a new season, that’s fantastic! I thought they wouldn’t do another one, now that Endeavour has also become a series, and the fact that Kevin Whately didn’t seem to want to. Many thanks for this info, great blog about Oxford, by the way :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Catherine. I spoke to one of the production team members while I was there and he said that Whately and Fox have signed up for 6 more episodes. I don't know if that is a full season or two mini seasons, like Sherlock. He also said they will be back at the end of April and May for more filming.
DeleteThank You! Whately and Fox look great!
ReplyDeleteThank you for wonderful pics!!! Sorry, I hadn't asked for permission first and already shared the videos and one of the pics on Tumblr with a link to this page... Is that ok?.. People should see them!
ReplyDeleteI'm delighted you like my photos and shared them on Tumblr. I was told that the Lewis crew will be back in Oxford the last week of April and May. Hopefully I'll be able to post some more photos.
DeleteThank you so much for sharing your experience and your photos, Shelley. They're excellent! One question: did Mr Fox take the dip in the Cherwell deliberately, or was it an accident? :-)
ReplyDeleteIt seemed to be for fun. There were no film camera's rolling so it wasn't part of a scene. I think there is a lot of joking, kidding, and having fun on the set and this was all part of that.
DeleteBeyond elated that there is to be more of Lewis!! Wish I could be there to watch filming! Thanks for this great article and pictures!
ReplyDeleteI too am thrilled that Lewis and Hathaway are back on the beat. I'm hoping to to catch the last bit of filming at the end of May. If I do, I'll take lots of photos and post them here.
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