An old photo from Inspector Morse has left many people scratching their heads after discovering John Thaw’s age.
From 1987 until 2000, the detective drama series.
It comprised of 33 two-hour episodes each time, with the series repeatedly being namedof all time.
First appearing on the show when he was 44, Thaw wrapped up the role when he was 57.
But now a photo from one of the early seasons has left many questioning not only his age, but their own.
While it’s not uncommon to see many actors doing their best to fight the signs of ageing both on and off screen and being praised for looking ‘ageless’ (we’re looking at you Brad Pitt), John bucked the trend and instead embraced the grey hair he had in his 40s.
This week a viewer posted a photo of Thaw on X, pointing out how old the actor was when the photo was taken.
‘Watching the first episode of Inspector Morse. John Thaw is 44 here, the age I turn this year,’ they captioned the post.
Many people expressed their shock.
‘No way. He looks at least 10 years older,’ user Lucy Lace commented.
‘If anything, he looked even older in The Sweeney! The Benjamin Button of TV detectives,’ Stephen Kerr said.
Matt Brady quipped: ‘They all looked 60 in the past.’
Andy Ryan added: ‘Whenever people point out a guy from the 70s/80s looking older than his years, I think it comes down to hair – either white hair or balding. It’s more common now for men on TV to dye it, or just shave it all off.’
Some others suggested factors like smoking, sun exposure and a lack of cosmetic surgery could also be why he didn’t quite appear like some Hollywood stars of the same age do today.
However, in a similar sentiment, in recent years people have looked back at the cast of the 80s sitcom Golden Girls , questioning why women were made to look far older than they actually were.
Despite the characters being in their 50s, the friends Rose, Blanch, Dorothy and Sophia were put in perms, twin sets and pearls, a far cry from the portrayal of women of the same age in more recent shows like And Just Like That.
Inspector Morse is streaming on ITVX.
