I have a massive crush on Inspector Morse. OK, well, it's more than a crush, actually. It’s more of a very specific fantasy where I get to sit with him supping ales in the Eagle and Child as he recites Milton (if I’m lucky) and pondering the meaningless of life in that affable, lovely way only he does. Ahhh. How lovely, and how OXFORD! The next-best thing to this, seeing as John Thaw has gone (though Kevin Whately remains), is to enjoy his legacy. That legacy is Morse and its offshoot Endeavour.

Yes, yes I know: sitting around watching reruns of Morse might sound about as tempting as a Countryfile omnibus (dear god, no) but it’s very rewarding. And here are three good reasons why.

  • Oxford. Never has Oxford looked so hauntingly beautiful than in those sweeping shots of the dreaming spires in a world of frustrated academia woven together by Colin Dexter. The sky is not so much scraped as stroked by the dreaming spires. Where else can you see so many cardiganned dons dropping in on each other unexpectedly saying ‘care for a sherry?’. It makes you proud to live in this city – is there any better advert for it?
  • Surprising cameos. Liz Hurley (as a lesbian btw!), Billy from EastEnders… you name them, they’ve got the stars in the early days, popping up with awful ’80s fringes and jumpers as well as comedy Didcot accents (if they’re playing a red-herring wrong-un).
  •  Class war. There he is, the chippy Geordie Lewis, being rebuffed by toffs during a game of cricket. Meanwhile, Morse opens another bottle of wine and watches on, waiting to deliver a stinging put-down, and abruptly rejecting the advances of whichever 80s bit of posh totty is cracking on to him (there are surprisingly many of these: oh John, you are so aloof!).

You can also get ridiculously excited every time the Oxford Mail features in a storyline. No? Just me then...

But, even better is the frankly beautiful Endeavour, which returns to screens next July (but meanwhile you can catch a glimpse of them filming around the city). The joy of Endeavour is that you can see the young whippersnapper (played by glorious red-headed scouser Shaun Evans) who will evolve into the curmudgeonly old inspector we know and love. And this is not just a physical attraction (in spite of enjoying all those sepia-toned scenes lingering on the curve of the young Morse’s lips). No, no. His brain is AMAZING. For example, he managed to decipher the identity of a killer (in the November 29 episode – worth catching on iPlayer) by noticing a few random threads caught in a bicycle chain. (The fragments of subfusc show an absent-minded, impecunious man of the cloth. I mean, does detective work get more Oxford than this?). Not since Luther detected Alice was a psycho killer within five minutes (because she didn’t yawn when he did, FYI) has detective work been so bloody hot.

He’s also a skirt-chaser, with a weakness for a damsel in distress and does a great line in puppy-like attempts at flirting.

Who else could exude this sort of balls-out manliness in spite of being, well, a copper? I did, however, once date an Oxford cop, and he was lovely.

Morse – young or old – the ultimate ULTIMATE thinking woman’s crumpet. Tuck in!