'Grantchester' Oral History: British Mystery Premieres Final Season
“Grantchester” begins its final season on June 14, with crime-solving vicars who seem to face far too many murders for one small British village. Variety spoke with the core cast members about staying with the same sharply written, witty and emotional show for 11 seasons, spanning the prim 1950s to the swinging ‘60s. It may be known as “Granny Chester” for its soothing country scenery and delicate balance of humor, crime and pathos, but that doesn’t stop the show from confronting a host of serious issues.
The show — which premiered in 2014 and will end with the 11th season — kicks off not that long after World War II. Britain is still deeply traditional, and a village like Grantchester is barely affected by the events of the outside world. Men are the stoic providers, women are mothers or prospective brides and vicars are basically saintly, even if they do like a wee tipple now and then. But as the series progresses into the 1960s, the good folk of Grantchester confront societal upheaval on a whole new level. James Runcie, the author of the book series “Grantchester” is based on, calls it “a social history of Britain.”
Vicars attracted to other men, non-white vicars, civil rights struggles, sex workers, rock ‘n’ roll and more — now, it’s all part of life for the residents of this Cambridge-area village. Against a backdrop of bucolic village fairs and secret romances, the characters are the constants — grouchy police officer Geordie (Robson Green), who begrudgingly becomes more tolerant; Tessa Peake-Jones’ Mrs. Maguire (later Chapman), the housekeeper who spreads her wings as she too embraces a changing society; Leonard Finch (Al Weaver), the fledgling minister who goes through massive life changes as he attempts to come to terms with his sexuality in a repressed era; and of course the three central vicars.
The trio of vicars starts with James Norton as Sidney Chambers, the doe-eyed clergyman with a taste for cool jazz and clever women. The series, which runs on ITV in Britain and PBS “Masterpiece” in the U.S., continues with Will Davenport (Tom Brittney), the affable clergyman hiding a difficult past, and then Alphy (Rishi Nair), the handsome but conflicted vicar of Indian heritage who felt he was destined to join the church after being abandoned on the doorstep of a chapel. All three vicars show a passion not just for ministering to their flock but for helping Geordie solve an unending series of murders and crimes of passion in the sleepy village of Grantchester and the worldly nearby city of Cambridge.
The funny thing about chatting at length with all the principals of “Grantchester” is how little of the conversation revolves around gruesome stabbings or diabolical poisonings. Perhaps that’s because solving the crime isn’t entirely the raison d’être behind “Grantchester.” Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters. It turns out the pursuit of justice is secondary to the quest for creating an intentional family, even if some of the family members are harder to get along with than others.
The show’s creator Daisy Coulam, Green, Nair, Weaver and Peake-Jones looked back at the high points of being on the same show for so long — and what’s in store for the final season.
Creator Daisy Coulam on how it started
Longtime television writer Daisy Coulam went on to create “Deadwater Fell” after launching “Grantchester” with producers including Emma Kingsman-Lloyd. But “Grantchester” is her longest stint on a show to date.
Related Stories
‘Vikings’ Creator Michael Hirst on Dream Project About Medieval Heretics and New Show ‘Bloodaxe’: ‘It’s a New World’