Endeavour Filming Series 8 – March 2021 – Part 2

All photos are copyright ©walkingtoursofoxford, please do not share individual photos but you are welcome to share the link to this post so that everyone can see!

It was interesting to see all the positive comments and eager anticipation for Endeavour season 8 as it began filming last week.

Reading some of the comments and thoughts, it would seem many people share my view that this will be the last season. That is a bitter pill to swallow as we will miss our Endeavour but I have high hopes that the writing, casting, directing …. will all be as magnificent as always. I could be wrong, I hope that I am but remember there was 33 Morse episodes, 33 Lewis and after these 3 that will bring is to 33 Endeavour. What are your thoughts? Do post in the comments below as I would love to hear from you.

My concern is that it can’t end well. We never hear of Fred Thursday in Morse later so I fear something will happen to him. I have been rewatching Endeavour over lockdown 3 and it has been gripping, when watching in close succession to see Fred and Endeavour relationship become close and then begin to wane.

I have just rewatched Coda (season 3. Episode 4) of Endeavour which has some superb acting. What jumped out at me this time was, when Endeavour and Joan are caught up in the bank raid and she is trying to conceal her identity. They ask her for her name, thinking on the spot she says ‘Joan Strange’. There is some speculation that Joan will marry Jim Strange, is this a hidden message?

Also, as we move forward is anyone else thinking that this will be the first without Barrington Pheloung? I am feeling a little melancholy. I was lucky enough to meet Barrington some years ago at Colin Dexters memorial service and he was a lovely chap. The Morse universe will miss him.

Mind how you go!

Heidi x

Endeavour Season 8 filming 14/3/21. Shaun Evans double. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge
Endeavour season 8 filming 14/3/21. This scene took 15 takes! ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge
Endeavour Season 8 filming 15/3/21. Behind closed doors! ©walkingtoursofoxford

Endeavour Series 8 Filming – March 2021

All photo’s ©walkingtoursofoxford. Please do not share individually but do share link to post for everyone to see!

In ‘Normal’ times, we would have already been treated to series 8 of Endeavour. We last saw our hero on TV screens in “Zenana” back on 23rd February 2020 and season 8 was confirmed at that time. Then Covid hit and England entered a full national lockdown on 23rd March 2020, exactly one month after that last episode airing on ITV filming, along with our entire way of life stopped.

Endeavour filming season 8 15/3/2021 Exeter College, Oxford. ©walkingtoursofoxford
Shaun Evans

Summer came and went and with that we enjoyed some normality and our Morse / Lewis and Endeavour tours resumed which continued to run through August / September and October before Lockdown 2 in November. It was a busy 3 months with most tours going out full. ‘Staycations’ became popular and as many had rewatched the programmes during those challenging ‘Stay at home’ months, we had visitors from all corners of the United Kingdom. The guides here at “Walking Tours of Oxford” also used those lockdown months to rewatch episodes; entire seasons – a love of all three programmes was reignited and we had time to reconnect and remember all those little moments and connections that run so deep.

As we now look towards a release from lockdown 3, we will be returning with our tours on 17th May (subject to government guidelines). It might be possible to operate some private tours prior to this date.

Tours will be smaller than before and college entry may not be possible but, in some ways, this has given us the freedom to explore the street scenes further and many of the colleges are still seen and talked about, albeit from the outside. We have invested is a state-of-the-art sound system, no other tour company offers this in Oxford, and we believe it enhances the tour experience as it means everyone can hear no matter how busy Oxford gets. Moreover, it allows for complete ‘social distancing’ between your individual group and others on the tour. Each person on our public tours is provided, at the time of the tour and free of charge, with a small headset and earphones. However, we do encourage our guests to bring their own earphones which can be used with the headsets. All equipment has been thoroughly sanitised between each use.

It was uplifting to see that filming had resumed on Mothering Sunday – 14th March 2021. Two guides made it in that day and met Shaun and the crew and were lucky to get some photos which we are sharing below. It was a little surreal to see the crew and cast all masked up in-between takes. Filming continued inside Exeter College, which has a long association with the Morse universe on Monday 15th March. Heidi, owner of Walking Tours of Oxford was able to witness some of the filming that day and a selection is here for you.

Tomorrow is a good day!

Come and join us to see just where all this took place along with other episodes of Endeavour Morse and Lewis. See the locations and hear the stories – all our guides are fully qualified – members of The Institute of Tourist Guiding and the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides.

Quote code NDVR8 at checkout for a 10% discount on our group Morse / Lewis and Endeavour Tours which is available for any tour date throughout 2021 but for bookings taken prior to 17th May. We anticipate that tours will get booked up so don’t delay and book today!

Filming on Merton Street, Oxford 14/3/2021. Endeavour Season 8. ©walkingtoursofoxford Jane Mead
Endeavour season 8 filming 14/3/2021. Merton Street, Oxford. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge
Endeavour Filming season 8 15/3/2021. Exeter College, Oxford ©walkingtoursofoxford
Endeavour Filming season 8 15/3/2021. Exeter College, Oxford ©walkingtoursofoxford
Shaun Evans ‘getting ready for take’
Shaun Evans – filming in times of Covid. March 14th 2021. ©walkingtoursofoxford Christine Bainbridge