GEORDIE actor Kevin Whately is returning to television in four new episodes of the Morse spin-off Lewis. And he revealed he has trouble remembering his lines because there is so much dialogue. He said: “In the first week of every film I really have to fight the panic because I think I’m just not able to remember so much dialogue. “Just having to learn another set of strange names for each episode is tricky. The guest characters always have strange names, so it can be daunting. “At the same time, I am trying to get rid of the last set of strange names and the last plot to try and stay in the moment. “Because of the way Lewis is written, my character has even more to say than John Thaw as Morse used to. I tend to concentrate like crazy on the words.” Kevin revealed he has a completely different way of working than his co-star Laurence Fox. He said: “Laurence is switched on when the camera is on him, but can switch off the moment it isn’t and be the party animal, which is great. “I don’t mean that in a derogatory way . . . he is just very sparky, whereas I stay concentrated throughout the day. I can’t jump in and out the way he can . . . it just doesn’t work for me. “From that point of view it is quite good that we dovetail. He is very good with the guests, like I used to be on Morse. He chats to them and makes them feel very comfortable, which lets me get on and concentrate.” Meanwhile, Laurence admits that he draws inspiration from the older man. He said: “The most exciting thing is that I look at him and realise he has done so much. “Lewis is a really complex character and, as much as people assumed he was just there to feed Morse’s genius, now he’s doing things his way. “There are reasons why Morse and Auf Wiedersehen, Pet were massive hits, and it isn’t just down to John Thaw or Tim Spall . . . it’s Kevin as well. V LEWIS will be shown on ITV1 soon. | 
