James "Jim" Strange was a character in both Inspector Morse and Endeavour. In Endeavour, Jim Strange is a police constable, a uniformed police officer. He quickly befriends Morse after a bad introduction, a friendship which carries over from Endeavour to Inspector Morse. Strange is played by British actor James Grout. In the subsequent prequel series Endeavour, Strange is played by Sean Rigby. PC Jim Strange is a uniformed Police Constable, working alongside the young Detective Constable Morse. Strange interacts with the young Morse in a number of ways which point to the origins of later aspects of their relationship in the Inspector Morse series. Strange was the most well-known character played by Grout who died in 2012. When the character was introduced in Endeavour in 2013 he was given Grout's Christian name, James, in the diminutive format 'Jim'.
Relationship with Morse[]
As a young Constable in Endeavour, Strange is already in the habit of addressing people as "matey". Slightly overweight, and given to bouts of pomposity, he is nonetheless a dependable and honest policeman, with his mind set on a career in the police.
By the chronologically later stage of the (earlier) Inspector Morse series, Strange, holding the rank of Chief Superintendent, is the Divisional Commander for Oxford city, of the fictional Oxfordshire Police force. His relationship with the principal character, Morse, is at times turbulent. Strange is a traditionalist, a Freemason, and a stickler for rules and regulations. Morse is also a traditionalist, but not in the same conservative sense as Strange; likewise, Morse is not interested in Freemasonry, although he proves knowledgeable on the subject, and in the 15th episode Masonic Mysteries proves his knowledge from the sublime (deep symbolism of masonry) to the less so (revealing to a junior traffic cop that he knows the masonic handshake, and that he is fully aware of which members of the local police are in the lodge); it is certainly true that the rules and regulations often frustrate Morse, and this leads to disagreements with Strange - a theme also picked up by the prequel, which shows the two characters disagreeing over the importance of rules in series 1, episode 1.
However, it is also clear that Strange has a deep respect for Morse, even if not always appreciating his methods. Despite often addressing Morse, somewhat dismissively, as "matey", a clear mutual respect eventually shines through their relationship - in the final episode, The Remorseful Day, in which Morse dies, Strange's attitude towards Morse might even be described as fond and affectionate. This is even more apparent in the original novel in which Morse is shown to have acted to prevent a potential embarrassment for Strange. The "matey" form of address is explained in the prequel as a common form of address by Strange for all his acquaintances.
Chief Superintendent Strange also shows a clear respect for and of Sergeant Lewis, Morse's loyal assistant, sometimes consulting him directly, and occasionally even (as in Dead on time) approving his ideas without reference to Morse. Ultimately Strange gives Lewis strong encouragement to seek promotion to Detective Inspector, as indeed he had encouraged him earlier in the series to apply for a vacant Inspector's position in the Oxford traffic police. However, the character does not appear in the sequel series Lewis, in the timeline of which, he appears to have retired.
Endeavour[]
Series 1[]
In Endeavour, Jim Strange is a uniformed police constable. Morse meets him when exploring the sudden death of a secretarial student in the Endeavour episode "Girl". After a shaky start, Morse and Strange start to build a good friendship.
At the end of series 1, in episode "Home", Morse has to take a trip home after getting news that his father is dying. Upon recommendation from Morse, Strange is promoted to "Acting Detective Constable", to which Strange will "never forget".
Series 3[]
After DS Jakes resign he takes his place. Becoming Morse's superior which made their relationship a bit tense.
Inspector Morse[]
In Inspector Morse, Jim Strange is a Chief Superintendent.