Andrew Crompton ,the Master of Gresham College,Oxford ,is an astrophysicist of no little distinction and when he is found murdered in the Oxford Observatory it ,naturally ,causes a stir within both police and academic circles.There is no shortage of suspects .These include the College Porter,Temple<( Warren Clarke ) a domestic tyrant to his long suffering wife but a toady to those in authority;then there is the distinguished classical composer ,Raeburn (robert Hardy) and his wife (Diana Quick),not to mention Jeremy(Andrew Hawley) the bright and personable working class student and protégé of the deceased ,and the up and coming conductor Finniston (Andrew Calf).Not to mention sundry others all with means ,motive and opportunity to do the deed.
Lewis and his Oxford educated sidekick Hathaway (played as always by ,respectively ,Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox)are assigned to the case and conduct their investigation among the "dreaming spires "of the University and its erudite denizens.The series -like its predecessor ,Inspector Morse ,has always utilised classical music for gravitas and Holst is deployed frequently in the episode.this is all about "civilised" murder and urbane detection ,ahaving little to do with the reality of crime in the real world but essentially heir to the academic mysteries of such writers as Michael Innes and Sayers.Polished ,professional and proficient and well acted by a cast of genre veterans this breaks no new ground but will please those viewers who like cosy mysteries,as an antidote to grittier fare like "The wire"