Endeavour's time is running out
Endeavour could finish after its eight season, which airs next year, with star Shaun Evans saying "we shouldn’t be staying at the party too long".
The hit ITV series follows Morse in his early days as he works through his career as a detective, with actor Shaun playing the main protagonist.
However, the star has now revealed that his time on the show is drawing to a close, despite the show attracting more than six and a half million viewers at its peak.
“This is our story and we shouldn’t be staying at the party too long,” Shaun told the Radio Times. “It’s difficult because it’s like planning your own funeral.
“Why would I not want to be earning this money? Why would I not want to be hanging out with these people who I love? But you have to be strict. We shouldn’t be milking it”.
The star revealed that a final decision surrounding the show’s future will be made following discussions with the programme’s cast and crew.
“It’s something I want us to come to an agreement on as a team, because my decision will have a knock-on effect for everyone,” Shaun admitted.
“I want to make sure that everybody feels, within reason, that we’ve finished it in a satisfying way”.
MORE: Endeavour season 7 on ITV – Start date, cast, plot and everything you need to know
The actor’s co-star Roger Allam agreed that the show shouldn’t prolong its plot, adding, “There should probably be one more series that wraps up our characters’ stories before it jump-cuts to Inspector Morse”.
Showrunner Russell Lewis has also weighed in on the situation, revealing that he wouldn't want Endeavour to run into the original Inspector Morse series, which famously starred John Thaw.
“I’ll do it for as long as they want me to, but I do know how it ends,” he revealed. “We wouldn’t want to get to the point where you can see the join. I think we’ll bow out long before that”.
