Norton, James Norton

CRIME FIGHTER: VICAR SIDNEY CHAMBERS IS BACK

Are you watching Series 3 of Grantchester? Good, because the star chatted to us.

James Norton is back as crime-fighting Vicar Sidney Chambers in series 3 of Grantchester on ITV Choice. We caught up with the actor about the new series and his character.

How does it feel when the first script of a new series arrives?

It is a bit of a homecoming for me every time. Grantchester is always beautifully balanced between being familiar and welcoming, both for us and the audience, and having that sense of nostalgia and affection. But also it always has that bite in the stories. As soon as you get the script it’s a complete page turner and I can’t wait to see what happens next. Not least with each episode but also what they do beautifully is maintain that narrative between Sidney and Geordie [Robson Green].

Do you believe that this new series is slightly darker?

If you described Grantchester to someone and they hadn’t seen it, they might assume it simply has that cosy, nostalgic, crime story feel. But as anyone who has seen the show knows, it is so much more. It has so many more layers and is so much richer, deeper and darker than that. What brings the darkness is partly to do with the way they don’t shy away from the issues of the time. We did an episode, for example, about the death penalty and homosexuality being illegal in the 1950s, along with various other themes of the period.

Series 3 is a very personal series. It’s perhaps less about the period, what defined the 50s in comparison to now, and is much more about the inner turmoil and personal journey of Sidney and Geordie. It’s about guilt and conflict. The conflict between love and duty. It is shocking and it is dark but in a slightly different and more personal way.

Baby Grace is played by twins. How was it acting with them?

Our twins were wonderful. One of them was slightly better behaved than the other.

When you have babies of three or four months old on set, everyone just turns into these mushy, gooey messes. Those little girls were literally handed around a crew of 100 people and didn’t seem to bat an eyelid.

Do you get a lot of Grantchester fans watching filming?

This is my first experience of this type of returning drama. I’ve never done the third series of anything. We have a very loyal fan base. People who fall for the show fall for it hard. It’s lovely because they know everything about it and they have relationships with the characters. They know more than us often about the world of the show. So they come to watch filming, especially when we’re in Grantchester itself, and they are just incredibly happy to be there. We also get attention when we’re filming in the centre of Cambridge. We’re lucky to have such a loyal fan base.

For three years, Robson and I have been trying to persuade the producers to have some Interpol story so Sidney and Geordie have to go down to Tuscany to rescue some wayward vicar or something. But they’re not having any of it, sadly.

You get a lot of a ention from both the public and media. How do you keep your feet on the ground?

I’m very lucky to have family who are really supportive. My dad is a regular extra on Grantchester. He usually does a day as various people. But we’ve never been able to persuade my mum. Until now. She is in series 3 of Grantchester with my dad as guests at a policeman’s ball. She was slightly terrified at how much she looked like my granny when she got the proper perm on and everything.

They’re amazing. They come to set and support me. But they’re also very wise and grounded themselves. My family and friends make life feel normal.

The crew and production team and rest of the cast are great. Robson Green has banked more TV hours in the UK than mostly anyone else. And yet he’s one of the most grounded, loyal, feet-on-the ground people I know. He always has a word for everyone. So unjudgmental and inclusive.

I’ve been lucky to be surrounded by great family who don’t allow my feet to leave the ground, but if they do, I get firmly slapped back down. And similarly with people I work with, like Robson. I look and learn from people like him. He was bombarded one day with fans and I said, “How do you deal with this?” And he said, “These people are the reason you are able to go on these amazing journeys and play these roles. They enable that career. So it’s a contract. You give them time because they give you this career.” It was a wise moment and I banked it. He’s a good man. – Citizen reporter