The end is near for ITV's beloved detective series, Endeavour. The ninth and final series of the drama draws to a close on Sunday night, marking Shaun Evans' final outing as the awkwardly charming Inspector Morse after ten years on screen.
So why is the drama ending? Shaun recently revealed one reason why the detective show simply couldn't go on.
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In a new interview, the 43-year-old actor said that, much like Morse, he has changed and doesn't feel as though he can continue playing the character.
"I don't feel like that person any more," he told RadioTimes.com. "I don't think I can honestly keep doing that job because I've changed, I feel different.
The final episode of Endeavour airs on Sunday
"My hunger remains, wanting to get things done and make work, but that solitude, that difficulty connecting, I've worked through."
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Speaking about drawing the story to a close, Shaun, who has been on our screens for over 20 years, said: "The story is all, and when it's told, it's told.
"That time was coming, and you don't want to repeat yourself. You shouldn't stay just because it's comfortable. You owe it to the audience to do it well and then call it a day."
Shaun has played the titular detective for ten years
For those unfamiliar with the drama, it serves as a prequel to Inspector Morse and follows the early years of the titular character, chronicling his evolution from an eager young detective to the lonely character we know him to be in the original series.
The ninth season, set in 1972, finds Endeavour and Thursday entering a new era of change in both their personal and professional lives. The third two-hour film will air on Sunday 12 March and is the last fans will see of the beloved detective duo as we know them.
Opening up about filming his last scenes with Shaun, Thursday actor Roger Allam said: "Those final two scenes between Thursday and Endeavour were wonderful to act with Shaun," he said. "And terribly emotional as well. Because we have been having exchanges in pubs and outside of the car for all of these years.
"To realise that these were the last ones had a big impact on us as well and helped in the playing of it. Because it’s literally true that this is the parting of the ways for both the characters and the actors. Let’s say it helped access the emotions of the scene."
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