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Colin Dexter

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Born in 1930 in Stamford in Lincolnshire, Colin Dexter did his national service with the Royal Corps of Signals before reading classics at Christ’s College, Cambridge.

After graduation he moved into teaching, beginning his career as assistant classics master at Wyggeston School in Leicester. His fascination with the subject would later inform his most celebrated literary creation, but before his writing career was to begin he was forced to give up teaching as his hearing deteriorated.

It was during a family holiday in 1972 that he decided to put pen to paper and write his first detective novel. The first paragraphs penned on that trip laid the foundations for the character that would make Colin such a celebrated literary figure: Inspector Morse.

Sharing his author’s own tastes in classical music, literature, crosswords and real ale, the irascible Morse proved to be a massive hit when Last Bus to Woodstock was published in 1975, and went on to appear in 13 novels. His character was brought to life unforgettably on the small screen by John Thaw in ITV’s BAFTA-winning Inspector Morse series which ran for 30 episodes and spawned the spin-off series Lewis, with Kevin Whately.

Colin has won several Gold Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and was awarded an OBE for his services to literature in 2000.