Grantchester is a British ITV detective drama set in the 1950s and 60s in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester. Its first series was broadcast in 2014. The series originally featured Anglican vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton); subsequent series have featured vicar William Davenport (Tom Brittney) and vicar Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair). Each of them develops a sideline in sleuthing with the help of Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, played by Robson Green.
The series is based on The Grantchester Mysteries, collections of short stories written by James Runcie. The first series was based on the six stories from the first book, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death. A second series aired in March and April 2016, and a third series began its run on 23 April 2017. A fourth series was announced on 12 April 2018, and it was confirmed that this would be the last to feature James Norton in the lead.
Tom Brittney as the Reverend Will Davenport took over the lead from Norton in series four. The fifth series commenced in January 2020. A sixth series was commissioned on 17 July 2020, and began transmission on 3 September 2021. A seventh series was commissioned on 28 July 2021; it started production in summer 2021 with Brittney also directing for the first time. It premiered on 11 March 2022 and concluded on 15 April 2022.
In August 2022, ITV announced that the drama had been commissioned for an eighth series, with Al Weaver directing for the first time, to be broadcast on ITV from 11 January 2024 to 15 February 2024, a year later than planned due to the scheduling conflicts.
A ninth series was announced in July 2023, with Brittney announcing it would be his final series. He was succeeded by Rishi Nair as vicar Alphy Kotteram. A tenth series was announced on 18 June 2024 by Masterpiece on PBS. In June 2025, ITV announced Grantchester had been renewed for an 11th and final series. The eleventh series aired on PBS in June–July 2026.
Plot In the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester during the 1950s, Anglican vicar and former Scots Guards officer Sidney Chambers (James Norton), and subsequently his successors Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) and then Alphy Kotteram (Rishi Nair), work with the overworked Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green) to forge an unlikely partnership in solving crimes. Keating's gruff, methodical approach to policing complements Chambers' more intuitive techniques of coaxing information from witnesses and suspects. Some sub-plots deal with Leonard Finch's homosexuality before decriminalisation of male homosexual behaviour in England and Wales (1967).
Cast and characters Main James Norton as the Reverend Sidney Chambers, MC (series 1–4), an Anglican vicar who had been a Scots Guards officer during World War II. Robson Green as DI George "Geordie" Keating (series 1–11), a WWII veteran Morven Christie as Amanda Hopkins (née Kendall) (series 1–3), an heiress and art restorer at London's National Gallery; she has a romantic relationship with Sidney. Tessa Peake-Jones as Sylvia Chapman (formerly Maguire) (series 1–11), the vicarage's devoutly religious housekeeper Al Weaver as Leonard Ernest Finch (series 1–11), a curate whose licence is revoked in a later series, when he is discovered to be gay. Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman (series 1–11), a retired businessman who later marries Sylvia Kacey Ainsworth as Catherine "Cathy" Keating (series 1–11), Geordie's wife Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe (series 2–11), a photographer who gets secretly involved in a romantic relationship with Leonard Tom Brittney as the Reverend William "Will" Davenport (series 4–9), an Anglican vicar who was formerly an inner-city chaplain Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters (series 4–11), Geordie's colleague Melissa Johns as Jennifer Scott (series 6–11), a police secretary Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie Davenport (née Evans) (series 7–9), who later becomes involved with Will Rishi Nair as the Reverend Alpheus "Alphy" Kotteram (series 9–11)
Recurring Skye Lucia Degruttola as Esme Keating (series 1–11), Geordie's eldest daughter Pip Torrens as Sir Edward Kendall (series 1–2), Amanda's father Fiona Button as Jennifer Chambers (series 1–2), Sidney's younger sister; Amanda's former classmate Ukweli Roach as Johnny Johnson (series 1), Jennifer's boyfriend Nakay Kpaka as Walter Sterling (series 1) Tom Austen as Guy Hopkins (series 1–3), Amanda's husband, whom she later leaves and then divorces as Hildegard Staunton (series 1), a young German widow with whom Sidney has a brief romance David Troughton as DCI Benson (series 1–2), Geordie's immediate superior Joe Claflin as DC Billy Atkins (series 1), Geordie's colleague Lorne MacFadyen as DS Phil Wilkinson (series 2–3), Geordie's colleague Seline Hizli as Margaret Ward (series 2–3), police secretary, who has a relationship with Sidney and later an affair with Geordie Geoff McGivern as the Archdeacon (series 1–2), Sidney's superior Gary Beadle as Archdeacon Gabriel Atubo (series 3–6), the church's first Archdeacon of colour Neil Morrissey as Harding Redmond (series 2), Abigail's father Claudie Blakley as Agatha Redmond (series 2), Abigail's mother Emily Bevan as Hilary Franklin (series 3), Leonard's ex-fiancée Felix Scott as DI Sean Donovan (series 4), a fellow DI assigned to work alongside Geordie Simona Brown as Violet Todd (series 4), the daughter of a civil rights preacher, who later emigrates to the United States with Sidney Christian McKay as Anthony Hobbs (series 4), a colleague of Cathy's at Swinnertons Sarah Crowden as Mrs Bennett (series 4), a member of the parish council Jemma Redgrave as Amelia Davenport (series 4–7), Will's mother Dominic Mafham as St. John Gurney-Clifford (series 5–7), Amelia's husband Paula Wilcox as Diana (series 5), Cathy's mother and Geordie's mother-in-law, who has bipolar disorder Lauren Carse as Ellie Harding (series 5), an ambitious journalist who develops a friendship with Will Ross Boatman as Vic Morgan (series 5), a boxing trainer whom Will looks to for guidance Stuart Bowman as Bishop Aubrey Gray (series 6–11), the reverends' immediate superior Emily Patrick as Tamara Gurney-Clifford (series 6–7), Will's flirtatious socialite stepsister Ahmed Elhaj as Curate Henry Jones (series 6), Leonard's replacement when he is sent to prison Shaun Dooley as Johnny Richards (series 6), a lawyer and former war comrade of Geordie's Michael D. Xavier as DCI Elliot Wallace (series 7–8), Geordie's new boss, whose fiancée has a brief affair with Will Ellora Torchia as Maya (series 7), DCI Wallace's fiancée who has a brief affair with Will Isaac Highams as Ernie Evans (series 7–9), Bonnie's son from her first marriage Elliot Warren as Sam White (series 9), a preacher who befriends Leonard Christie Russell-Brown as Meg Gray, Alphy's love interest and Bishop Gray's daughter (series 10–11)
Cast timeline Character CastSeries1234567891011Reverend Sidney ChambersJames Norton colspan="4" colspan="7" Reverend William DavenportTom Brittney colspan="3" colspan="6" colspan="2" Reverend Alphy KotteramRishi Nair colspan="8" colspan="3" DI Geordie KeatingRobson Green colspan="11" Mrs. Sylvia ChapmanTessa Peake-Jones colspan="11" Catherine KeatingKacey Ainsworth colspan="11" Amanda Hopkins, née KendallMorven Christie colspan="3" colspan="8" Jack ChapmanNick Brimble colspan="11" Leonard Ernest FinchAl Weaver colspan="11" Daniel MarloweOliver Dimsdale colspan="10" DC Larry PetersBradley Hall colspan="3" colspan="8" Jennifer ScottMelissa Johns colspan="5" colspan="6" Bonnie DavenportCharlotte Ritchie colspan="6" colspan="3" colspan="2"
Production
Filming for the first series began in London, Cambridge and Grantchester from March to June 2014. The second series was filmed in autumn 2015, and guest stars included Neil Morrissey, Claudie Blakley, Nigel Planer, Andrew Knott, Nicky Henson and Oliver Dimsdale. The third series was filmed between August and November 2016, and filming for the fourth series commenced in June 2018. The fifth series was filmed in Cambridge and elsewhere during the summer of June 2019.
Grantchester itself is used for filming, with the Church of St Andrew and St Mary used for the church interior and churchyard scenes. Although the vicarage in Grantchester is used for exterior shots, a private home in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, doubles as the interior. The Windmill pub in Chipperfield is used for The Red Lion. King's Parade in Cambridge has been transformed to represent various 1950s street scenes, complete with period cars and buses. Horsted Keynes railway station, on the Bluebell Railway, in West Sussex has been used to double for Cambridge station.
Chatham Dockyard in Kent has doubled for various London locations, including the exterior of Kings Cross Station, Borough Market, and the exterior and interior of a warehouse and ropery. Commissioner's House was also used for filming.
After the third series, James Norton wanted to leave the series to pursue other acting opportunities. Also, actress Morven Christie had departed the show since her storyline involving Sidney Chambers and Amanda had concluded. Without Norton's participation, there was talk of ending the series, but Grantchester had proven to be so popular with television viewers that the producers felt that the show could continue with a new male lead.
At the start of the fourth series, actor Tom Brittney joined the cast as Will Davenport, a former inner-city chaplain who was appointed as Sidney Chambers' replacement as the Anglican vicar of Grantchester. James Norton made his last appearances as Sidney in the first two installments of the fourth season to help with the transition. At the end of the second episode, Sidney Chambers leaves Grantchester and moves to America. Starting with the third episode, actor Robson Green began receiving top billing in the opening credits.
The addition of Brittney to the series gave the opportunity for the remaining cast members to expand their roles, particularly Kasey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Geordie's wife, and Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe, a local photographer who is also Leonard Finch's best friend and lover. Both Ainsworth's and Dimsdale's characters had been on the back burner for the previous three years. By the time the fourth season began, Cathy was already working as a saleswoman in a department store, and Daniel's relationship with Leonard had become more intimate. The scenes around the Manor house owned by Will Davenport's parents were filmed in Rotherfield Park in East Hampshire.
The first episode of the fifth series continues to feature Will Davenport as vicar of Grantchester. The plot centres around the students of two colleges at the University of Cambridge: a 'prestigious all-female college' (the real-life women's college Newnham College, Cambridge) and a fictional men's college (filmed at St John's College, Cambridge). The sixth series expanded to eight episodes, rather than the standard six.
On 28 July 2021, ITV announced that filming for the seventh series of Grantchester had begun, with the series due for release on 11 March 2022, with Brittney directing for the first time. On 19 August 2022, ITV announced that an eighth series had been commissioned and filming had begun, with its release originally scheduled for late summer/early autumn 2023 but now delayed to early 2024.
In 2023, ITV announced that Series 9 would be the last to star Tom Brittney, and that he would be replaced by former Hollyoaks actor Rishi Nair in the role of Alphy Kotteram. The ninth series was broadcast on ITV in January 2025.
On 8 May 2024, ITV announced the series had been renewed for a 10th series, scheduled to air in January 2026. On 9 July 2025, ITV announced the series would end after its 11th series. It aired on PBS in mid-2026.
Critical reception