Tom Chambers is widely known for his appearances in some of the BBC’s most popular TV shows. His career took off with the role of Sam Strachan in Holby City in 2006 and his popularity with audiences was cemented when he won Strictly Come Dancing just two years later. Since then his fans have booed him as the dastardly Max Tyler in Waterloo Road and cheered him on as Inspector Sullivan in Father Brown. He’s currently swapping screen for stage, starring in a new play featuring Colin Dexter’s legendary Oxford detective, Inspector Morse.
We met Tom over Zoom to find out more about the play, and how he felt about taking on such an iconic character…
How has Morse been adapted for the stage as opposed to the screen?
So, it's written by Alma Cullen, who was one of the original writers of the TV show, and it's a play within a play. Morse is at the theatre revisiting former colleagues from university days who are involved in a production, and the person he's gone with is a kind of unrequited flame/love interest. It all happens in real time: Morse is a member of the audience when something happens on stage. He thinks ‘this isn't right, I'm going to get up there and sort it out’.
Are you enjoying the role?
The lovely thing for me is, I'm desperately trying not to ‘act’ as there are these colourful actors in the play within a play on stage. It’s a strange balance of performing, but at the same time, not.
John Thaw, bless him, was so beautifully un-policemanlike and very normal, with all those characteristics and mannerisms we know and love. I have to go into a place of utter relaxation but with a purpose.
The relationship dynamic between Morse and Lewis is fantastic. I actually was in Waterloo Road with Tachia Newall [who plays Lewis] in 2009. He was playing one of the school pupils and I had to tell him off, banging on the desk. He was a naughty boy and now 17 years later, we're back together again. He is such a beautiful soul and it’s such a pleasure to work with him.
So many other jobs are angst, drama, asking for forgiveness, doing the wrong thing, being angry, bitter and all those things. Whereas with this, Morse’s moral compass is on the right side most of the time. It's been such a joy.
Was it daunting taking on a role so closely identified with another actor?
Because it is written for John Thaw you can't help but have this kind of presence…like in the film Ghost – the shining of the light in that final scene when Patrick Swayze is the beam. John Thaw beams through the scripts and I want to give the audience what they want.
I did go back and watch some of the original series on ITVX; the way he would walk or move, his status and gravitas, or maybe the tone in the voice in places where it's appropriate. [That said] I obviously can't help but be myself – although I did think I'm still a bit too young to be Morse until someone said, ‘John Thaw was actually 48 when he did his first episode’.
If someone was unfamiliar with Morse, would they still be able to enjoy the play as a murder mystery?
You don't have to be a Morse fan at all to enjoy it. It’s just a great story; great storytelling, and great characters. If you're interested in murder mysteries, it's absolutely right up there. It’s set in the 1980s and there's a lot of humour, so it's not really dark. Much like the original books, there’s a lightness to it.
It's fairly fast paced; like a TV episode, it really does bounce from scene to scene. It's like a game of Tetris with very clever staging which moves around with swirling, rotating scenery.
Obviously, you’re currently playing Morse and famously, you are also DI Sullivan in Father Brown. Crime clearly pays! Is there a dream role within that genre that you would love to play?
I do love the 1980s. I love Dirty Harry – he's just mega cool. I'm so uncool, hence being more of a more of a John Thaw than a Clint Eastwood.
Do you think you could be a successful murderer?
I was in Dial M for Murder, the Alfred Hitchcock play, and I was the murderer. That was fun, but no. Playing Max Tyler, the evil Machiavellian Executive Head in Waterloo Road was such a horrible experience. I'd probably handle it better now because I can deal with compartmentalising but when you're living with that character for 15 hours a day [it] starts to get under the skin.
You’ve had many memorable TV roles, what’s different about theatre?
I love theatre. Theatre is like going to the gym; it's a real craft. It’s the fact that the audience actually becomes the conductor and you really tune into this two-way relationship: you feel an audience wanting to respond to something, and you tap into that.
When you’re in the audience watching someone on stage, you can glance left or right and see people reacting; rolling their eyes, or squirming, or laughing at exactly the same thing at the same time. That’s really lovely. I think it's a very inclusive experience and gives people a sense of togetherness. We are actually all pretty much the same. We’re all people with the same feelings, desires, wishes and love.
All experiences of togetherness – whether it's live music or theatre or sport – are great. During Covid, they said that it was micro exchanges (like waving at the postman) that build our general state of happiness. I think theatre is a massive dose of that.
Finally Tom, what are you looking forward to in 2026
This might be an age thing, but it’s the thought of spring. I never used to think about spring when I was young: I used to think about bars and music and going out and socialising or getting some sort of adrenaline kick fixed.
Also, Father Brown is being commissioned again for series 14 in April, and it really is charming. It's becoming a little cult favourite with a younger crowd as well, because there’s nothing too gritty, gory or disgusting, so that will be nice.
Genuinely, though, for 2026, it’s about making the best of whatever you come into contact with. [Maybe you] can't change the world, but whoever you are with, do a Vera Lynn. She always said, ‘just encourage’. Everything should be about encouragement. Why not?
Tom Chambers will be appearing as Inspector Morse in House of Ghosts at New Theatre, Oxford from 20-24 January 2026. For more information or to book tickets, visit inspectormorseonstage.com.
