Young Morse’s cryptic clues are as tantalising as a fiendish crossword

What a combination, Morse and women’s lib. they go together like smoked fish and custard, or Italy and cricket. the testy detective returned for a new series of Endeavour (ItV), easily the best period crime drama on telly and at its confident peak here.

the Seventies have arrived and brought demands for equal rights with them. Not that the fairer sex had much chance of fair play in unreconstructed Oxford.

there was a flasher on the canal towpath, dropping his trousers to scare the girls. almost as unpleasant, though somewhat more refined, one of the dons — Professor Blish, played by angus Wright — boasted that he refused to allow his wife to have a chequebook, since domestic finances were self-evidently a male domain.

his research fellow, a blowhard called Dr Dai Ferman, had learned everything he knew about sexual equality from the Carry On films.

‘Battle of the sexes? It’s war, mate,’ he snorted. ‘and they’ve got the bazookas. how’s your poor little peashooter going to compete with that?’

Shaun Evans not only plays Morse but directed this episode.

the opening ten minutes were a montage of mostly wordless scenes, swirling in a nightmarish crescendo to the first murder.

Morse visited teatro la Fenice in Venice, while DCI Fred thursday and his wife Win were enjoying a stand-up comic at the working men’s club.

a woman in a gypsy shawl lingered in the mist by the canal. Morse did a crossword, and daydreamed of a mysterious aficionado of opera in a green dress who briefly became his lover.

By the end, Morse hadn’t caught the towpath psycho, the flasher had been despatched by a swordsman in a cape, and the lady in the green dress had turned up in Oxford . . . as the wife of an elegant stranger named Ludo (Ryan Gage).

Ludo (the name means ‘I play’ in Latin) was flamboyantly cultured, equally knowledgable about wine and music.

he made a great show of befriending Morse — in fact, given the right paperwork, Ludo might have adopted him on the spot.

I’m pretty sure the title of the opera where Morse and Mrs Ludo met will turn out to be an oblique clue. Sadly, since I’m not flamboyantly cultured, I didn’t recognise it. But I did spot the tune whistled before the first victim was killed: a music hall melody called Oh, Oh, antonio, all about jealousy.

the chorus goes: ‘ Oh, oh, Antonio, he’s gone away/ Left me alonio, all on my ownio/ I want to meet him with his new sweetheart/ Then up will go Antonio and his ice- cream cart.’ What can it all mean? a jealous lover, Venice, vengeance... some invisible web seems to connect these themes, as though there are clues here just out of reach. Or am I reading too much into this?

there was nothing complicated about My Family And The Galapagos ( C4) as explorer Monty halls and wife tam returned to this natural wonderland in the Pacific Ocean with their two small girls. this is a family holiday with a mission, to teach the children about nature and inspire them to love and protect it. after his first visit, in 2018, Monty said he hoped young viewers would relate to his lively, inquisitive girls, Isla and Molly.

It’s a shame, then, that the show isn’t on until 8pm, after the Great Pottery throw Down, which surely has more adult appeal. the two programmes ought to have swapped slots.

Isla, aged seven, summed up the excitement of the Galapagos: ‘ It’s a crazy and wonderful fantasy place. I love it.’

the show is light on detail and at times it is like watching a family’s holiday videos.

But it’s a great way to showcase wildlife for youngsters.