Kevin Whately

Best known as the man who worked side by side with Chief Inspector Morse on some of his most troubling cases Kevin Whately is a British actor whose talent and abilities range from comedy to drama and mystery.

Despite training as an accountant and beginning his career as a folk singer Kevin Whately has been working consistently in British television for almost four decades; during the early years of his career he played a variety of small roles across British soap operas, dramas and comedies, including positions in Shoestring, Juliet Bravo and Coronation Street.

He landed his first major role, in the British comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in the early 1980’s where he starred alongside a number of other actors who have since become legends of British film and television including Timothy Spall and Jimmy Nail. The show was vastly popular and recommissioned for a further two seasons in 2002 after more than 12 years away.

Firmly established as a strong comedy actor Kevin Whately demonstrated his versatility when, in 1987 he joined John Thaw in the Granada series Morse. His character, Sergeant Robbie Lewis, was a dedicated and hard-working character, set in opposition to Morse’s often uncompromising and well-educated self, Lewis remained more in touch with the victims of the crimes they investigated, providing the human element that softened Morse’s immense intellect.

Morse ran for thirteen years and, following Thaw’s death, Kevin Whately went on to reprise his role as Lewis in the spin off show of the same name. Now Chief Inspector himself Lewis is partnered by Detective Hathaway, fellow British actor Laurence Fox. The spin off series received a great deal of praise from Morse fans and continues to air on prime time television.

Over the years Whately has also provided the voice over for a variety of productions, from audio books to adverts and charitable campaigns Whately’s immediately recognizable accent has been used to promote a variety of products and causes. Most recently, in 2025, Kevin was appointed OBE for services to Drama and to Charity.