The ninth series of Inspector Morse prequel Endeavour will soon be filmed in Oxford, according to a film fans' website.

A casting call went out in February for series nine but so far there have been no official announcements.

However, insiders close to production company Mammoth say they have been told filming has now started.

Read again: Fish and chips costing too much to produce

Fan site Premiere Date said: "Hey, guys! Great news for Endeavour fans as Series 9 is finally confirmed!

"Filming of new episodes is scheduled for May and will take place in Buckinghamshire, and in Oxford with Christ Church, Magdalen College and St Edmund's Hall featuring prominently.

thisisoxfordshire:

"The ninth season will be set in 1972 and will again be comprised of three 90-minute episodes.

"The Series 9 renewal means that Endeavour will break the so-called 33-episode curse.

"You see, the other two shows – Inspector Morse and Lewis – both ended after 33 episodes, and fans have long speculated that Endeavour would meet the same fate.

Read more: ATM blow up gang is jailed for total of 74 years

"Shaun Evans and Roger Allam will both be back to reprise their lead roles, and the release date for Series 9 is set for the autumn of 2022."

The filming of series 9 will coincide with the 10th anniversary of Endeavour's launch in 2012.

thisisoxfordshire:

Earlier this year another fan site, iheartbritishtv.com, discovered a clue suggesting series nine will go ahead.

The site said: “We spotted something new - a casting notice for series 9 of Endeavour.

“Dated February 22, 2022, it mentions the new season will begin filming in May 2022 in Buckinghamshire.

“Matthew Hamilton is listed as the associate producer/line producer for the project, with Mammoth Screen as the production company.”

The casting notice on UK Production News was for three 90-minute episodes.

Asked if series eight would be the last, Shaun Evans said earlier: “That’s a decision for the whole team.

Read again: Pair accused of giving prisoner a black eye

"As we have always done, we need to finish this series, take a look at them, take a view over what was done well, if there’s still a story to tell and if we all still want to tell it. So, we’ll see.”

thisisoxfordshire:

ITV has yet to officially confirm series 9.

John Thaw became recognised around the globe as Oxford-based Inspector Morse, thanks to the ITV series which ran between 1987 and 2000.

thisisoxfordshire:

The actor died in 2002 but his memory lives on and while he had many roles it is perhaps as Morse that he is best known.

Episodes of the Inspector Morse sequel Lewis, starring Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox, ran from 2006 until ITV announced in 2015 the ninth series would be the last.

Oxford author Colin Dexter’s first Inspector Morse novel Last Bus To Woodstock - the first of 13 - was published in 1975.

Read more from this author

This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF