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The Wench Is Dead

Morse collapses during a conference on Victorian crime and is admitted to hospital. To pass his time in bed, he reads a book about the famous Oxford Canal Murder of 1859. A young woman was found dead in the canal, and the local police believed she was the victim of four rough boatmen who were carrying her by barge to London. A murder trial resulted in two of the men being convicted and hanged. Morse becomes convinced there was a miscarriage of justice and he enlists the help of a young police recruit, as Lewis is away on a training course. They trace the physical evidence from the crime, which is still stored in a local archive, and subject it to modern forensic tests. The results lead Morse to unearth an insurance fraud which was the motive for the framing of the boatmen - a fraud which is confirmed by a visit to a neglected grave in Ireland.

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  • Originally Aired November 11, 1998
  • Runtime 101 minutes
  • Special Position Airs after season 7
  • Content Rating United States of America TV-14
  • Network ITV1
  • On Other Sites IMDB
  • Special Category Episodic Special
  • Special is Critical to Show's Story Yes
  • Created January 2, 2021 by
    Administrator admin
  • Modified November 19, 2023 by
    TheWildGuy
Name Type Role
Malcolm Bradbury Writer
Robert Knights Director
Colin Dexter Director