ENDEAVOUR: Marry me.

JOAN: That’s not funny.

ENDEAVOUR: It wasn’t meant to be.

JOAN: I know. You were being nice. I don’t want pity. I couldn’t live with that. Never mind what Dad would say…

– HARVEST (S4:E4)

An exclusive Endeavour interview with Sara Vickers

Interview copyright © Damian Michael Barcroft 2023

DAMIAN: Sara, I’m thinking back to when Russ told me he knew that Joan and Endeavour would fall for each other the moment she first opened the front door to him in FUGUE (S1:E2) and everything that has happened to your character since then including being taken hostage during the bank robbery, running away from home, being a victim of domestic violence, suffering a miscarriage and getting entangled in an on-again, off-again relationship during which she and Endeavour ultimately broke each other’s hearts. Even though she didn’t want his pity during that scene in HARVEST, do you think there might have been the briefest of moments when Joan considered saying yes to Endeavour when he asked her to marry him?

SARA: That moment in HARVEST really encapsulates the essence of why Joan and Morse haven’t got together. What he should have said to her was those three magic words, “I love you.” I think if he had, we would have travelled a different path. To be offered marriage out of the blue, in such an emotionally turbulent moment, left her, I think, unable to process the proposal. It was clumsy of Morse. And if he was serious, he should have followed it up, fleshed out where it came from.

DAMIAN: And I wonder if there was ever a moment’s hesitation before Joan accepted Strange’s marriage proposal?

SARA: We have talked a lot about this during the filming of season 9. The hesitation. The feeling of something being unfinished. With Morse being absent from Oxford, again, I think the decision to get engaged was definitely easier and a positive one. A step in the right direction. She desperately needed to move her life forward. Strange has given her the chance of a new future. But Morse is always in her thoughts. I know he would have been a part of the decision process for her. And I think you can definitely see that hesitation in episode 2. He’s always been an enormous pull for her. Shutting that door for good will be painful.

DAMIAN: After not seeing each other for some time, Endeavour speaks to Joan at Belmont Lodge, the halfway house for mothers and their children, in STRIKER (S8:E1) and Russ’ directions read: ‘Endeavour alone for a moment. Through the window, Joan up the garden for the moment with some of the kids. He could be looking out of the window of his own house at his wife and kids. It’s a thought that might have stung once, now it’s just a dull ache.’ Away from the aforementioned scene in HARVEST, to what extent do you think Joan ever seriously considered the possibility of marrying Endeavour and having kids with him, and at what point did she become more realistic and arguably mature enough to abandon any such dreams?

SARA: Every little look and moment they’ve shared have been thoughts of ‘could we?, should we….?’. And those thoughts for Joan, were always thoughts of ‘could we make this work for the long haul, marriage and kids.’ Even though she rebelled when she ran away from home, I think she ultimately wants what her mum and dad have, true love and a family. These dreams have become faded and less frequent however. As time goes on it is hard to keep yearning.

DAMIAN: During the same scene in STRIKER and in reference to vulnerable mothers, Endeavour observes that Joan is ‘Saving the world’ and she replies, ‘One woman at a time.’ Looking back over all these years now, what was most fun for you to play as an actor, the young and playful kind of cute girl next door figure that we met in the first series or the stronger and more empowered woman we have come to know in these last few series?

SARA: Hmmm, good question… I think I’ve been getting quite nostalgic for the early days. I loved the carefree girl next door…early 60s outfits, beehives – though I don’t miss the backcombing and buckets of hairspray! – and flirting and teasing Morse. There was a playful simplicity.

DAMIAN: I know from reading various drafts of the scripts over the years that certain scenes were cut and some of these involved Joan and Strange. One particular scene that I remember reading years ago was where she kisses him on the cheek as they say goodnight – in the version that made it to the screen it was after their date at the Masonic Lodge Ball in SCHERZO (S8:E2) and Strange says, ‘Blimey, I won’t wash my face for a week now’. Therefore, Russ must have been planning this storyline for a long time so although there were strong hints during series 8, at what point were you made aware of the collective romantic fates of Joan, Strange and Endeavour, and what was your reaction?

SARA: I think I was told by Shaun Evans in a read-through for an earlier season. Perhaps 4 or 5? At the time I couldn’t see how it was going to come about. My biggest concern was wanting to have an ending for Joan that felt organic and not rushed or too contrived. Scenes were cut between Strange and I, as dramaturgically, it was agreed it was moving too fast; we had to find that balance of making it fully fleshed out but also interesting story telling.

DAMIAN: Back in NOCTURNE (S2:E2) which was set in 1966, Joan and her friend go on a double date with none other than Endeavour and Strange! With the benefit of hindsight, do you think that Russ knew even back then that Joan and Strange would one day become romantically involved?

SARA: I think season 2 may have been a little early to know, as Russ had only just decided Joan and Morse were going to become emotionally involved. So I reckon that may have just been coincidence.

DAMIAN: And again, retrospectively, isn’t it quite interesting to recall your response and consider you were at least half right in answering a similar question I asked you previously regarding the possible future of Joan and Endeavour when you answered, ‘Well, we know there will be no white wedding.’? 

SARA: Well that was the biggest obstacle to the Joan and Morse romance, Morse’s fate was already set in stone. But it’s wonderful that the audience keeps willing them to get together even though they know how it ends.

DAMIAN: In addition to her relationships with both Endeavour and Strange, it might also be interesting to remember that Joan went out on a date with Peter Jakes in HOME (S1:E4). All three are obviously policemen who were under the command of her policeman father. What do you think a psychoanalyst might have to say about all this?

SARA: Haha! I think they would have a field day! She never ventured very far from her Dad’s workforce. But I guess there is something she likes about a policeman. She knows the positives and negatives of life as a policeman. And there is obviously something she admires about a man in that line of work.

DAMIAN: You once used the word ‘intrigued’ to describe Joan’s attraction to Endeavour and continued that, ‘She is not one for the ordinary and Endeavour appears to be everything out of the ordinary. They have something they can’t put their finger on. But surely that’s the best kind of attraction – the indescribable.’ In comparison, I’m intrigued to know how you would describe her attraction to Strange?

SARA: I think the intrigued, indescribable quality that Morse showed, started to feel to Joan like emotionally unavailable. Always putting his work first, or so it seems to her. We see him not appear at the pub in episode 2, UNIFORM. I think she knows that would be her life. Forever coming second. Strange on the other hand, is upfront and is there at the drop of a hat. In the season 8 finale [TERMINUS] when they can’t find brother Sam, he provides the support that Morse can’t. He’s there when she needs someone and there is something very powerful in giving your time.

DAMIAN: Discussing the character development of Strange over the years, Sean Rigby told me that in the 60s he was ‘very much trying to find himself [and that] he is very sure of where he wants to go in the world but is still unsure of his footing within it’ and in another interview with him regarding the 70s, said he was ‘Harder. Tougher. Self-assured. He’s his own man now.’ What effect do you think Joan has had on this harder, tougher and more self-assured Strange?

SARA: I think most positive romantic relationships only add to someone’s feelings of security and self worth which in turn bolsters confidence and a sense of ease in the world. Joanie would always be championing Jim personally and professionally. But the initial change in Strange was already in motion before she came on the scene, and was definitely a factor in why she started looking at him in a different way. I think Sean has charted that change in his character beautifully over the years. Watching his work in series 9, Strange is a different man from the early episodes. 

DAMIAN: And from “Brother Strange” to her own actual brother, Sam, what was it like being reunited with Jack Bannon once again?

SARA: So wonderful. He’s a joy to be around and a fabulous actor. We couldn’t have wrapped up the show without him. We reminisced about the early days of filming. We lived in the same area of London for the first few series so we used to get picked up together and have lovely chats. I missed him not being around these last few years.

DAMIAN: Can you describe your emotions and thoughts as you filmed your final scenes and said goodbye to the cast and crew you’ve worked with for over a decade?

SARA: Filming the final series was an altogether surreal experience. I had just given birth six weeks prior to my first day, so emotionally and physically I had been through significant changes. Having my baby with me on set was wonderful but as you can imagine didn’t allow me to dwell too much on the finality of it all. I’m sure this was a good thing as I would have been a teary mess!

DAMIAN: Looking back at all the episodes over the years, do you have a favourite or a particular scene that you are most proud of as an actor?

SARA: Oh goodness. So many moments I could pick out. Again, as I’m getting nostalgic about everything, I think I would have to go for the date with Jakes in HOME. That was when I found Joan. Her true character. And I think Shaun and I found something in that scene when Morse walks her home, that stood the test of time.

DAMIAN: My final question, if Joan was a real person and a good friend of yours in real life, what romantic advice would you have given her in 1965 when she first started flirting with Endeavour?

SARA: He’s never going to tell you what you want to hear. You either need to take the lead and be okay with that or cut your losses and save yourself years of heartache.

DAMIAN: Sara, in addition to Endeavour and Strange, Joan has also stolen the hearts of countless viewers around the world with your thoughtful, sensitive and perfectly charming performance. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on Joan in this and previous interviews over the years.

SARA: Thanks so much Damian, it’s been a pleasure. I was given a wonderful gift the day I was cast as Joan Thursday. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity and for all the love and support the fans have shown her over the years.

Interview copyright © Damian Michael Barcroft 2023