What Does the Morse Code in the Inspector Morse Theme Say?
It spells M-O-R-S-E, the detective's name. Composer Barrington Pheloung also sometimes hid the name of the killer in the music.
The motif behind the theme
MORSE
-- --- .-. ... .
A clue in the theme tune
Barrington Pheloung built the staccato opening of the theme on the Morse code for M-O-R-S-E, first heard in 1987.
He went further than that. He spelled out the name of the episode's killer in Morse in the music, and sometimes another character's name as a red herring. Reports differ on how often: one tribute says often, others say occasionally.
Sources
Send your own hidden message with our secret message maker, or try typing in Morse code with your eyes using Blink Morse.
