Small-town crime
Murder-solving duo return to PBS in new season of ‘Grantchester’
Decades of British crime dramas set in idyllic country towns have taught us that there is usually something dark and mysterious hiding, even in quiet corners like County Cambridgeshire. The highly anticipated new season of “Grantchester” makes its North American premiere Sunday, July 10, on PBS. Make sure to check your local listings for more detailed viewing information.
If you, like PBS, are no stranger to a period drama, then you may already know that “Grantchester,” set in the town for which it’s named, depicts a series of investigations led by DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green, “Strike Back”) and his unlikely crime-solving partners during the 1950s.
The first four seasons of “Grantchester” saw Keating team up with local vicar Sidney Chambers, played by James Norton (“Happy Valley”), until he fell in love with a woman and, having lost faith in the church, chose to immigrate to America to be with her. His absence was filled in Season 4 when the series introduced the new vicar in town, Rev. William Davenport, portrayed by Tom Brittney (“UNREAL”). Davenport was quickly swept up in Keating’s proceedings and soon became his new right-hand man when local crimes took place.
The pair of investigators can’t do it all alone, though, as they would be nowhere without the help of the dutiful Mrs. Sylvia Chapman, played by “Unforgotten” star Tessa Peake-jones. Mrs. Chapman keeps the church in good order while remaining deeply engrained in the fabric of her community.
The eagerly anticipated seventh season of “Grantchester” sees the town celebrate the summer of 1959 with, according to the PBS website, “wedding season in full swing.” Certainly, with romance in the summertime air, there is bound to be some drama brewing about the town.
After bringing memorable guest characters to life in series like “Outlander” and “The Five,” Brittney was more than ready for a leading role when it came time for “Grantchester” to welcome a new vicar. Brittney’s Davenport, who makes a strong impression in his new home by driving a motorbike and insisting his parishioners call him “Will,” immediately butts heads with Keating over his investigative process, but they quickly find their rhythm and are able to get to the bottom of the many murders in Grantchester.
Every small town ruffles its feathers when someone new rolls in, and “Grantchester” is no exception. With its latest arrival, Davenport, fully settled in, it’s time for Grantchester to welcome another new face. Best known for her performances in BBC sitcom “Ghosts” and period drama “Call the Midwife,” Charlotte Ritchie joins the “Grantchester” cast as Bonnie, a young woman who becomes close with Rev. Davenport this season.
The “Feel Good” actress spoke with Whattowatch.com about her character, saying that Bonnie is “a very selfassured and quite steady sort of character who’s widowed. She’s lost her husband and she has a young son, but she’s kind of taking that in her stride. She’s quite independent and I think she’s fun.”
Ritchie added that the connection between Bonnie and her “Call The Midwife” role of Barbara, a nurse in 1959 London, didn’t come to her immediately, but she went on to say, “I feel lucky that I get to play very gutsy women! But it was definitely a kind of appeal — I love that era, the whole feeling of it is so interesting.”
Like many procedurals before it, “Grantchester” brings to life the social issues of the time and ties them to the things that are still making news today. With a series based in the church, it was only a matter of time before “Grantchester” focused on historic abuse within Christian church settings — as was evidenced in the second season’s overarching storyline about a local vicar, known to have a history of abusing young girls, who is suspected in the death of a local 15-year-old.
The period drama has also spent time exploring what it was like in Grantchester during the civil rights movement, using Keating’s wife, Cathy, played by “Eastenders” actress Kacey Ainsworth, to demonstrate the domestic struggles of women reentering the workforce after men returned after World War II. While his ego is hurt as the “breadwinner” of the family, Keating is not without his own faults and dalliances within their marriage, so Cathy’s independence is really more than expected.
While leading actor Brittney doesn’t have real-life experience as either a vicar or an investigator, he does have access to an exceptional resource when it comes to fictional crime: his mother is mystery novelist Lynn Brittney. She is the author behind the Mayfair 100 series, a series of murder mystery novels set in London during World War I.
About his mother’s influence on his acting career, Brittney told Masterpiece that, “I think we’ve both helped each other a little bit. I think me, being on a crime show, I can kind of go, ‘Well, these are some of the things I’ve learned about how crimes work.’” He went on to add that they have something specific, though unsurprising, in common, given her books and his career in “Grantchester”: “We both love crime and it’s quite a nice little collaboration.”
Tune in to see what social and criminal issues the newest season of “Grantchester” has in store when it premieres Sunday, July 10, on PBS. Check your local listings for airtimes.