Roger Allam made a candid admission about his TV career following the season finale of ITV's hit detective drama series, Endeavour. The 72-year-old, who first ventured into the acting world in 1976, is best recognised on the programme for his role as the stern yet kind-hearted detective inspector Fred Thursday. Throughout its 2012 premiere and 2023 finale, he starred alongside Shaun Evans, who played a young Inspector Morse in the prequel series of the long-running 1980s favourite.

Following the show's conclusion, Roger admitted he "didn't know what to do" as other TV roles were few and far between. Although the actor returned to the big screen in Tetris just a few days later, it was two years until he was credited in another production. Roger kicked off 2025 with a role in the comedy film Brighton Storeys before appearing in the short film Learners.

That year, Roger made his eagerly-awaited return in the World War I drama film, The Choral. The historical movie was widely praised for its poignant storyline and strong performances from its star-studded cast.

In addition to Roger, The Choral also featured Ralph Fiennes, Mark Addy, Alun Armstrong, Robert Emms, and Simon Russell Beale.

Reflecting on the two-year hiatus, the actor shared: "Endeavour had just finished, another TV thing which I thought might have a few series in it didn’t get made, and I just felt completely adrift. I didn’t know what to do."

Speaking to The Telegraph, he added: "But then I don’t work as much as other actors. I just don’t have the energy any more. I look at someone like Lesley Manville, who always seems to be filming a TV series while doing eight shows a week in the West End, and I think, 'My God!'"

Although he hadn't appeared on screens for two years after Endeavour, Roger was acting alongside Joanna Lumley in their BBC Radio 4 comedy, Confessions from a Long Marriage, from 2020 until 2025.

In the hilarious audio series, they play a free-spirited couple who have been married for 40 years as they navigate ageing and keeping the passion alive, a role in which the star told the publication that he receives "fan mail".

Now, Roger is taking his talents to the stage, as fans will soon be able to see him in the flesh for the new production of Alan Ayckbourn's classic comedy How the Other Half Loves, which will be running from July 29 to September 19, 2026.