It’s a cruel summer for some villagers
Grantchester STV, 9pm
IT’S a wonder any tourists head to England, in particular its “quaint” towns and villages.
If Marple, Inspector Morse, Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, Inspector George Gently, Father Brown, Vera and Agatha Raisin are anything to go by, a visit to one of these picturesque locations usually ends in murders or some sort of suspicious death.
Thankfully, most holidaymakers can differentiate fact from fiction, and millions still make a beeline to the idyllic locations of the hit dramas.
And in addition, readers and viewers continue to enjoy the exciting, if somewhat far-fetched mystery tales, both on paper and on screen.
All of which brings us to the latest run of Granchester.
The sixth season of the drama based on James Runcie’s short story collections only ended in the autumn, but such is the appetite for the longrunning whodunnit, fans are already being treated to another batch of episodes.
Tom Brittney and Robson Green are reprising their roles as Reverend Will Davenport and his crime-solving partner DI Geordie Keating.
Additionally, Tessa Peake-jones is back as Mrs Chapman, as is Al Weaver as Leonard, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel, Nick Brimble as Jack, Melissa Johns as Miss Scott and Bradley Hall as Larry.
The last time we saw Geordie, he was wrestling with his personal demons after confessing what happened in the Burmese prison camp, while Will was wondering about his future in the church after his run-in with the bishop.
We rejoin the duo in the long hot summer of 1959, with wedding season in full swing in the Cambridgeshire village.
Among Will’s many brides-to-be is Adele Fitzgerald (Anna Wilson-jones), who lives on the once-splendid, but now declining Fitzgerald Estate with her green-fingered spinster sister Maude (Emma Cunniffe).
The body of a dead man is found in the grounds and is quickly identified as the sisters’ errant brother Lord Edmund Fitzgerald, who has been travelling the world since the war.
Will and Geordie find themselves at odds with Geordie’s new boss DCI Elliot Wallace (Michael D Xavier) and DC Larry Peters (Bradley Hall) in viewing the death as a murder.
As they investigate the Fitzgerald family history, Will and Geordie find themselves looking into Edmund’s own romantic past. Could a story of lost love hold the clue to his killer?
It looks like romance might also be on the cards for Will when he meets an enigmatic woman at a jazz club, while Geordie is currently staying at the vicarage in Leonard’s old room, but has a plan to win back estranged wife Cathy.
“The situation Geordie is in lends itself to lots of levity but he is a shadow of his former self,” says Green, who has played Geordie since 2014.
“He’s back to square one and almost a bachelor again and realises he has to try and get Cathy back.
“The one person Geordie seeks advice from, who he shouldn’t seek advice from is Will, there’s a funny irony being played out throughout the series.”
If you’re not a Grantchester fan, Sister Boniface Mysteries is making its debut over on Drama.
The Father Brown character played by Lorna Watson will be solving lighthearted murder mysteries in 1960s rural England – it appears there’s plenty of cases to go around.