Shaun Evans, who starred as Endeavour Morse on the hit show Endeavour which concluded back in 2023, previously opened up about the ending for his character - and why he "doesn't think that he is okay".
The actor, who is set to star opposite Anna Maxwell-Martin in ITV's upcoming show Before I Kill You, spoke about the ending of the beloved crime series, particularly about the original show, Morse, which follows the detective as an older man. He said: "[W]e know he does continue, but what shape does the next few years take? And I imagine they’d be pretty depressing.
"So I don’t think he is okay. But I also think life’s messy, innit? Life is that way. Sometimes you have moments of real joy and happiness, and then others of not. And I think that’s where we live. And in a way, I think that’s why I feel proud."
He added: "[W]ho’s not to say that those years won’t be incredibly sad and won’t be incredibly desperate and depressing for him?"
The character, who had a will-they-won't-they relationship with Joan Thursday throughout the show, eventually ends up alone, with Joan marrying another man. Shaun told PBS: "Do I wish that he would’ve ended up with Joan? Would that have even brought him happiness? I mean—at least this is my interpretation of it—I don’t think that even that would’ve brought him happiness.
"It may have brought him happiness in the short term, but then what? And I think there’s something kind of perfect about the glimmer of hope, Oh, had it worked out, that could have been a wonderful thing. But actually, would it have been a wonderful thing? I don’t know. Do you know what I mean? Because if it would’ve, why didn’t he do it?"
His new series follows Shaun as a real-life serial killer, John Sweeney, and his relationship with his partner, Delia. Speaking about the show, Shaun told ITV: "I've previously worked with World Productions and ITV separately, so I'm looking forward to joining forces to tell this story. A story that is quite rightly told through the victim's lens, Delia.
"We have an excellent script from Nick Stevens and I couldn't be more delighted to work with Anna."
The show has already been released in other territories including Canada, and fans have shared their verdict on social media. One person posted: "Such a good series! Well written and brilliantly acted. Don't miss it!"
HELLO! has reached out to ITV for the UK release date, who have confirmed that it will be released in Autumn 2024, so stay tuned!