Fans of Endeavour have been desperate for new episodes for over a year and so will be delighted to learn that the wait is nearly over.
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Taking to Twitter earlier this week, director Kate Saxon revealed that filming for season eight of the beloved detective drama has officially concluded!
"It's a wrap!" she wrote alongside a snap of a clapperboard. "The final slate for this series of @EndeavourTV #Endeavour. Thanks for having me @mammothscreen."
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Fans couldn't contain their excitement and quickly rushed to the replies. "Looking forward to watching it!" one said, while another wrote: "Whoop! I am so excited for this new season." A third questioned: "This series? Does that mean there will be another series?"
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Although it's not been officially announced, many viewers believe that the Inspector Morse prequel series is likely to end with series eight. The new series - which will consist of three 90 minute films - take the episode count up to 33 in total, the same number of episodes both the original Inspector Morse and spin-off series Lewis ended with.
As for when viewers can expect the new episodes to hit screens, creator Russell Lewis revealed that if all goes to plan, the series will be out later in 2021.
In a chat with Radio Times, he said: "Ideally it would be lovely if it went out this year," adding: "The delay has purely been so far in terms of production, so… our timeline survives, fingers crossed... It's a matter for the network for when they want to schedule it."
© Photo: RexShaun Evans, Roger Allam and Sean Rigby will all be returning for the new episodes
He continued: "The audience is terribly keen to see it. I don't say that in any kind of grand way, it's just… they write and say, 'We're desperate to see what's happening with Endeavour.' As are we. It's our pleasure really to get back to it, and resume duties for Oxford's finest."
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The show resumed filming back in April after being forced to delay production for a whole year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and ITV has already released info on what to expect from the new series.
The first episode's synopsis reads: "Opening the series in 1971, a death threat to Oxford Wanderers' star striker Jack Swift places Endeavour and his team at the heart of the glitz and glamour of 1970s football, exposing the true cost of success and celebrity, and with it, a deep-rooted division that is soon reflected much closer to home."
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