Samuel West to narrate new Inspector Morse audio series

Actor Samuel West is reading the entirety of late Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse series, as well as the short story collection Morse's Greatest Mystery and Other Stories, for a new audio series from Pan Macmillan. 

West, who plays journalist Frank Edwards in ITV drama "Mr Selfridge", has won two Spoken Word awards, an Audie, a Talkie and nine AudioFile Earphones awards for his audiobook narration. 

The new unabridged editions he is narrating will be available as audio downloads and be published in October and December this year.

West said he was "honoured" to be recording the "fantastic" books, praising Dexter's "complex, deep protagonist and sidekick" and "fascinating supporting characters, fiendish plot puzzles and great writing". The first Inspector Morse novel - Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975 and the 13th and final installation in the series, The Remorseful Day, was published in 1999. 

West said audio could sometimes be an even more immersive experience than reading. "Audio is a good way to meet these stories: you paint the scenery yourself, so the listener becomes involved in the book in a way that’s not always true as a reader," he said. "As an actor I love doing them because you cast the whole thing in your head and then get to play all the parts yourself. What could be better?”