Endeavour will continue its ninth series on Sunday and fans will no doubt be looking forward to the next chapter in the final season. The drama returned last month alongside familiar faces Shaun Evans as the titular character and Roger Allam as DCI Fred Thursday.
But how much do you know about another star on the show, Abigail Thaw? The actress portrays Dorothea Frazil in the crime drama, and even has a special family connection to the story of Morse. Find out more below…
© Photo: ITVAbigail plays Dorothea Frazil in Endeavour
Who is Endeavour's Abigail Thaw?
Abigail Thaw is an actress who has appeared in many shows in her career such as Poirot, Vanity Fair and Housebound. In Endeavour, however, she's known as Dorothea, the editor of the Oxford Mail newspaper where the show is set.
The actress has appeared many times throughout the show's nine series and her character has a close bond with Shaun's Endeavour Morse. Endeavour's clearly having a tough time in the final chapter of the story, and a scene from series nine episode one between him and Thursday left fans at home feeling emotional. Watch the video below to see what happened...
MORE: 9 surprising facts about Endeavour you need to know
MORE: Shaun Evans' emotional parting message ahead of Endeavour's final episode
WATCH: Endeavour and Fred Thursday's heartbreaking scene in episode one
What is Abigail Thaw's family connection to Endeavour?
Fans may know that Abigail Thaw is the daughter of the late actor, John Thaw. John is perhaps best known for portraying the role of Endeavour Morse in the original series, Inspector Morse, between 1987 and 1993, meaning Abigail's on-screen character appears alongside the detective her father made famous.
In her debut on the ITV drama, there was a brilliant Easter egg moment, which sees her ask Endeavour if they've met before.
© Photo: RexAbigail's father John Thaw played the original Inspector Morse
The detective replies no, and Abigail's character says: "Maybe in another life," referring to her late father's character. John died in 2002 aged 60 after battling oesophagus cancer.
But Abigail's family connection doesn't stop there. Some years later in another epic full circle moment, Abigail's daughter (John's granddaughter) also starred in Endeavour – and she played a young version of her real-life grandmother!
Molly Shaw appeared in series seven as Sally Alexander, who was a historian and feminist activist. Sally was married to John between 1964 and 1968.
Like this story? Sign up to our What to Watch newsletter and get the heads-up on the shows and films everyone’s talking about.
