1 day Ago By Ella Scott
Every episode from season three of Foyle’s War has finally been made available to stream on ITVX . The iconic four-part outing, set in World War II Hastings, sees Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (played by Michael Kitchen) embroiled in a web of SOE espionage while fighting against sabotage and murder. Created by British author Anthony Horowitz, 70, Foyle’s War was initially designed to replace Inspector Morse - a beloved detective TV drama officially ending in November 2000.
Inspector Morse spin-off Lewis and prequel show Endeavour were later commissioned, but it was Foyle’s War that ITV drafted in to become its immediate successor Beginning broadcast in October 2022, the program’s first six seasons see enigmatic detective Foyle investigate various crimes during World War II. Before later being recruited to MI5 , the protagonist takes on everything from murdered farms to uncovering deep-rooted corruption. The third outing of Foyle’s War originally aired in 2004; comprising four episodes including: ‘The French Drop’, ‘Enemy Fire’, ‘They Fought in the Fields’ and ‘A War of Nerves’.
All can finally be enjoyed in full by streaming on ITV’s free viewing platform, ITVX. Unfortunately, after five seasons, Foyle’s War was cut abruptly by Simon Shaps who was ITV’s director of programmes at the time. It was presumed that ‘All Clear’, the final episode of series five, would see the end of Christopher Foyle.
Horowitz even went as far as to actually discard scripts in the works for future seasons. However, the broadcaster reversed the decision a year later by announcing the period drama would return for a sixth outing in 2010. Foyle’s War managed to hang on for a few more years, with series seven and eight also making it to primetime television before the plug was pulled for good in 2015.
Despite bowing out with ‘Elise’, the final episode of season eight, fans and even Horowitz himself held hope there would be some kind of revival. “I’d certainly be up for a Christmas special or two if anybody asked,” he told Radio Times in 2019. However, the Magpie Murders writer quashed dreams soon after, claiming it would be too expensive for ITV to revive the original PBS Masterpiece Theatre mystery series.
“To be fair to ITV it’s a cost thing. To do two 96-minute films set in the Forties or early Fifties is just so ruinously expensive and difficult. “So I’m not bitter or angry with them, I quite understand where they’re coming from,” he said .
Season three of Foyle’s War joins series one, two, five six and eight on ITV’s streaming platform. Series four and series seven are still unavailable but can be watched elsewhere. You can stream episodes of Foyle’s War on ITVX now.
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