COLIN Dexter, who died last week aged 86, became one of Oxford’s favourite sons for his crime novels featuring the brilliant, beer-drinking Inspector Endeavour Morse.

The bad-tempered sleuth became one of the world’s best-loved fictional detectives, with Mr Dexter’s prose prompting people across the world to fall in love with the dreaming spires and winding lanes where Morse plied his trade.

The 13 Morse novels, plus a book of short stories, were translated into 29 languages and sold four million copies in the UK alone, leaving an indelible mark on crime fiction.

In 2000, 13 million viewers tuned in to watch Morse die in the last of 33 episodes of the ITV series, which inspired sequel Lewis and ongoing prequel Endeavour.

Mr Dexter began penning the first Morse book – Last Bus to Woodstock – during a rainy holiday in Wales in 1972 and it was published in 1975.

Norman Colin Dexter was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire in 1930.

His father Alfred was a taxi driver, who also ran a small garage and motor accessories store, and his mother Dorothy helped in the shop.

He attended Bluecoat Junior School before winning a scholarship to Stamford School, where he was known as Dexter Two, with his older brother John being known as Dexter One.

He completed his National Service with the Royal Corps of Signals before reading classics at Cambridge University’s Christ’s College.

In 1956 he married Dorothy Cooper, a physiotherapist from North Wales and Oxford became their home in the 1960s.

A year later Mr Dexter was appointed senior assistant secretary to the Oxford University Delegacy of Local Examinations until his retirement in 1988, mainly due to ill health. He retained some responsibility for classics papers for several more years.

Mr Dexter lived in Banbury Road where he died peacefully on March 21.

By the time the final episode of Inspector Morse was broadcast it was estimated the franchise was generating £250m a year for the city in tourism.

Mr Dexter’s contribution to his adopted home was recognised in 2001 when he was given the Freedom of the City, just months after being made an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to literature.

When the first episode of the TV series was broadcast in 1987, he told the Oxford Mail: "The huge value for me as a writer is that, even if people haven’t been to Oxford, they would love to be in the city.

"I think if the story had been set in Rotherham or Rochdale no one would be particularly interested to see the streets and side streets but so many people outside Oxford are delighted to see the High Street, St Giles and the colleges.

"That is why I feel so grateful to my adopted mother city.”

Mr Dexter picked up The Golden Dagger Award for the crime novel of the year in 1989 and again in 1992.

In 1997 he won the Crime Writers’ Association lifetime achievement award – the Diamond Dagger – for his body of work.

As a lover of ale, crosswords, Wagner and English literature he shared many traits with Morse and was a regular crossword setter for The Oxford Times under the name Codex.

In 1999 he told the paper how he based the detective on himself.

He said: "Unless you are a genius, which I am not, I think most writers tend to be slightly semi-autobiographical in their characterisation.

"There is nobody else to go on is there?

"He has my political views, my religious views, what I think of all sorts of things in life.

"They are the only things I can go on really. And so I suppose that means he drinks too much, smokes too much and in general his music and hobbies are close to mine. He’s a sensitive sort of fellow though, a bit vulnerable."

Mr Dexter’s passion for literature saw him campaign to keep Summertown library open in 2011 in the face of local government cuts.

He regularly appeared in cameo roles in episodes of Morse and Lewis, continuing the tradition up until the most recent series of Endeavour.

In his 1999 novel The Remorseful Day, Mr Dexter took the decision to kill off Morse – a move that left many fans despondent.

After investigating 81 violent deaths Morse, who shared Mr Dexter’s birthday of September 29, 1930, died after tackling one final case.

Referring to the decision to kill his creation off ahead of the final episode of the TV series in 2000, Mr Dexter

said: "It is time for Oxford to become a safer place. He’s been with me a long time.

"There won’t be a dry eye in the house in the last 10 minutes."

Mr Dexter is survived by wife Dorothy, son Jeremy and daughter Sally.