Tom Chambers cracks the Morse code to playing the inspector in House Of Ghosts at Grand Opera House, York, from tomorrow

Tom Chambers’ Detective Chief Inspector Morse in Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts. Credit: Johan Persson

TOM Chambers returns to the York stage on Tuesday for the first time since appearing in Torben Betts’s ghost story chiller-cum-psychological thriller Murder In The Dark at the Theatre Royal.

In that September 2023 premiere tour he waded through the quagmire of playing washed-up pop star Danny Sierra, a deeply unlovable, self-pitying alcoholic.

Now he plays another chap who likes a drink, the “high-functioning alcoholic” Detective Chief Inspector Morse, an altogether more popular fellow – “the nation’s favourite detective”, as co-producer Simon Friend calls the erudite opera, crossword and real ale enthusiast from Colin Dexter’s novels and 13-year television series, developed by Anthony Minghella and Kenny McBain in 1987, starring John Thaw.

Chambers is appearing in Simon Friend Entertainment and Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s new touring co-production of the first stage play in the Morse franchise, written by Alma Cullen in 2010 after penning episodes as The Secret Of Bay 5B (1989), The Infernal Serpent (1990), Fat Chance (1991) and The Death of The Self (1992) for the ITV series.

Tom Chambers’ washed-up pop star Danny Sierra in Torben Betts’s psychological thriller Murder In The Dark, on tour at York Theatre Royal in September 2023. Picture: Pamela Raith

“I am absolutely thrilled to be bringing to the stage the nationally loved character of Inspector Morse,” says Tom. “Played by John Thaw in the TV series, it is an iconic role which audiences clearly loved alongside the  Morse murder mysteries.

“This brand-new production is a tantalising tale, rich in story and character and even unpicks some of Morse’s closely guarded personal life. It’s going to be a fabulous evening of entertainment.”

In Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, a chilling mystery unfolds when a young actress dies suddenly on stage mid-performance. Morse embarks on a gripping investigation, one that begins as a suspicious death inquiry but takes a darker turn when the legendary inspector, in tandem with Detective Sergeant Lewis, uncovers a connection to sinister events in his own past, 25 years earlier.

“We’re at Richmond Theatre this week after opening Birmingham three weeks ago,” says 2008 Strictly Come Dancing winner Tom, who is reuniting with director Anthony Banks after collaborating on the 2020/2021 tour of Dial M For Murder.

Tom Chambers’ Detective Chief Inspector Morse with Teresa Banham’s Ellen in Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts. Picture: Johan Persson

“It’s a brilliant piece of writing by Alma Cullen, who wrote for the TV series: beautifully written – very slick, very smooth – so it’s like watching Morse on TV with lots of short scenes, but now like Tetris on stage, where we’ve worked on the stage movement like in a ballet.

“The show has been working really well. I’m just amazed how much the audiences love Morse, and the relationship between Morse and Lewis [played by Waterloo Road alumnus Tachia Newall] is so well expressed too.”

Audiences have warmed to Tom’s portrayal of Morse. “Being the youngest of five, I’m a natural pleaser,” he says. “But I definitely feel that it’s also about what John Thaw brought to the role. Somebody pointed out I’m playing Morse at exactly the same John Thaw started playing him. [It turns out this is not correct, Chambers is 48, Thaw was 44]. John stayed looking that way for decades!

“John brought his natural brilliance to it, and I feel it’s written in a way that you can imagine his Morse saying it, so you don’t want to swim against the tide. It feels nourishing, comforting, like soul food, where you know Morse and what it will be like and it feels a pleasure to be there. It’s like a two-way relationship [with the audience]. We give a sense of John Thaw without being a copy.”

Partners in tackling crime: Tom Chambers’s Detective Chief Inspector Morse, right, with Tachia Newall’s Detective Sergeant Lewis in Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts. Credit: Johan Persson

House Of Ghosts has the structure of a story within a story, where Morse is transported back to 25 years earlier, surrounded by actors from a production of Hamlet in university days. “It’s satisfyingly intricate,” says Tom. “One of the delights is that information unravels in such a clever way that audiences feel complete when it’s finished, and the music fits in beautifully too.

“It’s one of the favourite pieces that I’ve done because I’ve really enjoyed trying to be the opposite of performing. Watching John Thaw, who was so ‘unpolicemanlike’, it’s made me realise that the craft of acting is to be as relaxed as possible but with intention – you can still feel your heart beat, and your jugular on your neck, especially on first nights. I just love the dialogue too, and Morse’s attitude; how he’s analogue, not digital. Just charming.”

Tom, by the way, has many fond memories of York. “My aunty, Shirley O’Brien, is from York. We’d always end up in the Minster,” he says.

Simon Friend Entertainment and Birmingham Repertory Theatre present Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, Grand Opera House, York, September 23 to 27, 7.30pm plus 2.30pm Wednesday and Saturday matinees. Box office: atgtickets.com/york.

The poster for Anthony Banks’s touring production of Inspector Morse: House Of Ghosts, playing Grand Opera House, York, from tomorrow

REVIEW: Andrew Tymms’s verdict on Paranormal Activity, Leeds Playhouse ***

 Melissa James as Lou and Patrick Heusinger as James in Paranormal Activity at Leeds Playhouse. Picture: Pamela Raith

IT is a balmy Summer evening in Leeds but despite the sweltering temperatures, there is a chill in the air as the world premiere of Paranormal Activity arrives at the Playhouse.

A Leeds Playhouse and Simon Friend Entertainment co-production in association with Gavin Kalin, Ken Davenport and Jonathan & Rae Corr, the show is based on a film first released by Paramount Pictures in the UK 15 years ago.

A relatively low budget found-footage film, the original became a word-of-mouth hit and is regarded as being one of the most profitable films ever made.

If you have seen that film (or any of its many sequels), you will be familiar with the basic premise. A young couple are haunted by a strange presence within their home, inspiring them to set up a camera to try and capture evidence. Of course, technology has come on a long way since then…

In keeping with the subject matter, the whole show seems to be shrouded in mystery, with signs outside the theatre reminding us that we are not allowed to take any photographs or breathe a word of what we have seen to others. “SHHH!” instruct the posters, “NO SPOILERS”.

Perhaps, therefore, it is best to play it safe with the synopsis provided by the Playhouse website, which states: “American couple James and Lou move to London to escape their past…we can’t say anything else.”

We may not know what to expect but expectations are still high that this will succeed in maintaining the original spirit of those films and go some way towards re-creating the fear. As with many scary films, the real horror here is less related to the events themselves and more the impact that they are having on their relationship.

Fly Davis’ residential set is on more than one level, and it is worth keeping an eye on what is happening upstairs when the characters are downstairs and vice versa. It manages to be spacious but claustrophobic, cosy yet disconcerting. Several of the home appliances seem to be in desperate need of an electrical safety test. It might be time to call in the professionals to investigate.

Written by Levi Holloway and directed by Felix Barrett, the artistic director of Punchdrunk, who specialise in creating unsettling immersive theatre, it is no exaggeration to say that this is a sensory experience with a cacophony of disturbing sounds, atmospheric rumblings and frequent blackouts that serve to intensify the impact of what you have just seen.

The sense of impending dread is palpable throughout as we silently scream warnings at the cast (Melissa James’s Lou, Patrick Heusinger’s James, Jackie Morrison’s Ethylene Cotgrave and Pippa Winslow’s Carolanne, James’s mother). You are anxious to know what happens next but genuinely afraid to watch. There were blood-curdling screams, hands over eyes and leaping up from seats…and that was just the audience.

Your overall enjoyment may depend to an extent on your own beliefs regarding the supernatural, but seeing is believing and not everything here is quite what it seems to be. The effect is often disorientating, and like the characters themselves, by the end, we are left uncertain as to who or what to believe – creating an overwhelming sense of paranoid activity that will follow you home afterwards and linger long after the final curtain falls.

Paranormal Activity ran at Leeds Playhouse from July 4 to August 2, featuring illusions by Chris Fisher, lighting designs by Anna Watson and sound design by Gareth Fry.

Review by Andrew Tymms