Grantchester (TV series)
| Grantchester | |
|---|---|
_titlecard.jpg) | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | The Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie |
| Written by | Daisy Coulam |
| Directed by | Harry Bradbeer |
| Starring |
|
| Composer(s) | John Lunn |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Diederick Santer Rebecca Eaton |
| Producer(s) | Emma Kingsman-Lloyd |
| Cinematography | Julian Court |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company(s) | Lovely Day/Masterpiece co-production |
| Distributor | Shine Group |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | 16:9 1080i |
| Audio format | Stereo |
| Original release | 6 October 2014 – present |
Grantchester is an ITV detective drama, set in the 1950s Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester, near Cambridge. It was first broadcast in 2014. The show features Anglican vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton), who develops a sideline in sleuthing with the help of Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green). The series is based on The Grantchester Mysteries, collections of short stories written by James Runcie.[1] The first series was based on the six stories from the first book, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.[2] A second series was commissioned in late 2014 and broadcast in March and April 2016 and a third series will air in 2017.[3]
Plot
Anglican priest and former Scots Guards officer Sidney Chambers (James Norton) and the overworked Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green) 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.
Cast
- James Norton as the Reverend Sidney Chambers (Series 1—present),[4] an Anglican priest and former Scots Guards officer
- Robson Green as Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Series 1—present),[4] a World War II veteran and police detective
- Morven Christie as Amanda Kendall (Series 1—present),[4] an heiress who works at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs Maguire (Series 1—present),[4] Chambers' religious housekeeper
- Al Weaver as Leonard Finch (Series 1—present),[4] Chambers' naïve and unworldly curate
- Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating (Series 1—present),[4] the detective inspector's wife
- Tom Austen as Guy Hopkins (Series 1—present),[4] Amanda's aristocratic fiancé, and later husband, who is wary of Amanda and Chambers' closeness
- Seline Hizli as Margaret Ward (Series 2—present),[4] junior office clerk at the police headquarters
- Pheline Roggan as Hildegard Staunton (Series 1),[4] a young German widow who develops a close romantic relationship with Chambers
- Pip Torrens as Sir Edward Kendall (Series 1)[4]
- Fiona Button as Jennifer Chambers (Series 1),[4] Sidney's sister
Production
Filming began in London, Cambridge and Grantchester from March to June 2014.[5]
Grantchester itself was used for extensive filming with the Church of St Andrew and St Mary for the church interior and churchyard scenes. A private home in Lemsford, Hertfordshire, was used to double as the vicarage. The Windmill pub in Chipperfield became The Red Lion. King's Parade in Cambridge was transformed into a 1950s street scene with period cars and buses; a restaurant is dressed with tables, chairs and menus that reflect the decade in which the show is set. Horsted Keynes railway station, on the Bluebell Railway, in West Sussex was used to double for the exterior of Cambridge station.[6]
Filming was also done in Kent at Chatham Dockyard, featured in episodes five and six, doubling as various London locations, including the exterior of Kings Cross Station, Borough Market, and the exterior and interior of a warehouse and ropery. The London Convent and Gloria’s bedroom scenes were also filmed in Commissioners House.[7]
Filming for the second series took place in London, Cambridge and Grantchester in Autumn 2015.[8] Guest stars for series 2 include Neil Morrissey, Claudie Blakley, Nigel Planer, Andrew Knott, Nicky Henson and Oliver Dinsdale.[9]
Critical reception
The first episode was generally well received by the critics. Michael Pilgrim of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Delightfully neat and economical of plot, it’s Cluedo with cassocks and just enough noir for the modern palate. Victoria sponge with a tablespoon of battery acid." He added that "There could be a worse antidote than Grantchester" in a grim October in the early 21st century.[10] Christopher Stevens of The Daily Mail considered it "an imaginative effort to solve the crossword by plucking hints from just about every classic crime series in television history", "shamelessly" borrowing from Inspector Morse, Miss Marple and Father Brown. He found the episode to be laden with nostalgia but judged it "an earnest attempt to construct an old-fashioned murder story, without naked corpses on the mortuary table or self-pitying depressive detectives, or any of the current fads in crime TV."[11] Ellen Jones of The Independent thought the programme "delightful, a new treat for fans of period-set, gently paced detective series like Endeavor, and also for fans of top TV totty James Norton."[12]
The first series was given a Metacritic score of 70, indicating generally favourable reviews based on 10 American reviews.[13]
Broadcast
The first series was broadcast in the UK on ITV starting 6 October 2014.[6] The show premiered in the United States on 18 January 2015 on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. It premiered in Australia on 28 February 2015 on ABC.[14] A French version premiered on France 3 from 12 July 2015. Series 2 was broadcast on PBS in the US from 27 March 2016.[15]
Ratings
The first series had an average audience of 6.6m viewers in the UK.[16]
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 6 October 2014 | 10 November 2014 | ||
| 2 | 6 | 2 March 2016 | 6 April 2016 | ||
| 3 | 7 | 24 December 2016 | 2017 | ||
Episode list
Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.[17]
Series 1 (2014)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Harry Bradbeer | Daisy Coulam | 6 October 2014 | 6.95 |
| When a man's death is ruled a suicide, his mistress appeals to the Reverend Sidney Chambers, insisting her lover was murdered. Chambers uses his position to make inquiries, bringing him the disapproving attention of an overworked local police detective, Inspector Geordie Keating. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Harry Bradbeer | Daisy Coulam | 13 October 2014 | 5.81 |
| Jennifer bullies Sidney into attending Amanda's engagement dinner, where he reunites with old school friends. Tensions rise when the engagement ring goes missing, and later one of the school friends is murdered. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Jill Robertson | Daisy Coulam | 20 October 2014 | 5.62 |
| Amanda asks a heartbroken Sidney to officiate at her wedding. Sidney investigates the death of a parishioner who predicted her future son-in-law would murder her. Mrs. Maguire calls Inspector Keating to investigate when the deceased's sister is also found dead. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Jill Robertson | Daisy Coulam | 27 October 2014 | 5.91 |
| Sidney rescues a parishioner from her burning home, but shortly afterwards her husband is stabbed to death in a public garden. As Sidney and Geordie investigate, they discover both incidents are related to illegal homosexual activity, revealing deep local and legal prejudices. Geordie is distracted when his baby son contracts a potentially fatal illness. (Note: This episode is not based on stories in the books). | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Tim Fywell | Daisy Coulam | 3 November 2014 | 5.63 |
| Sidney and Geordie are invited to Straight 8's Jazz Club in London, owned by the father of Jennifer's boyfriend. When the boyfriend's sister is murdered, the investigation reveals ties to a murder committed years earlier and a police cover-up. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Tim Fywell | Daisy Coulam | 10 November 2014 | 5.75 |
| Geordie is shot while he and Sidney investigate the shooting of a policeman. Sidney is shunned by the senior officer in charge when he finds a connection between the two shootings. Sidney's war flashbacks, Amanda's impending marriage, and Sidney's deception of Hildegard leave his private life in tatters. (Note: This episode is not based on stories in the books). | ||||||
Series 2 (2016)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Tim Fywell | Daisy Coulam | 2 March 2016 | 7.67[18] |
| Sidney is accused of sexual assault by the father of 15 year old Abigail Redmond, citing the evidence of her unseen diary. Geordie and Sidney find her body at a photographer's studio. Suspects include the photographer (who had taken and published adult photographs of the girl), her possessive and violent father, and her school friends. Sidney discovers Abigail was pregnant, and that his superiors in the church were hiding a secret. | ||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Tim Fywell | John Jackson | 9 March 2016 | 7.11[18] |
| The apparent suicide of a daredevil lecturer, fallen from a spire of King's College chapel, leads Geordie and Sidney into the world of Soviet spies. Sidney knows the spire cannot be climbed alone. When a witness claims the lecturer was pushed, suspicion falls on the lecturer's star pupil. An official warns Geordie to drop the investigation. Amanda's husband, Guy, threatens Sidney after a visit by Amanda. | ||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Episode 3" | David O'Neill | Daisy Coulam | 16 March 2016 | 6.90[18] |
| A young parishioner confesses to killing his landlord with a knife. Geordie and Sidney find the landlord alive and well. He is later killed in front of them by a hit and run driver. A knife wound leads them back to the young man, who has an alibi, and the landlord's manipulative wife, who cannot drive. Amanda, unhappy with Guy, returns to Grantchester and finds Sidney has a new girlfriend, Margaret. | ||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Episode 4" | David O'Neill | Joshua St Johnston | 23 March 2016 | 6.34 |
| Gary Bell is tried for Abigail Redmond's murder. Sidney and Geordie's disagreement over the case strains their friendship. A horse breeder is found hanged in his stable, just as his first wife was several months earlier. Sidney convinces Geordie they were both murdered by someone close to them. Amanda's disintegrating relationship with Guy leads her back to Grantchester, and Margaret becomes jealous. | ||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Edward Bennett | Daisy Coulam | 30 March 2016 | 6.10 |
| Amanda promotes a petition to stop Gary's execution. A man arrested by Geordie for physically abusing his wife dies in his cell; suspicion falls on Geordie, who has bruised knuckles and was friendly with the man's wife, who had no legal grounds to hold the man as his wife would not make out a complaint. Margaret's statement about Geordie's state of mind causes Sidney to doubt his friend's innocence. Dead rats at the dead man's house provide another solution. Sidney is present at Gary's hanging; Geordie's testimony at the trial and Sidney's inability to stop the execution drive him to drink. | ||||||
| 12 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Edward Bennett | Daisy Coulam | 6 April 2016 | 6.26 |
| The events of the previous months and his broken friendship with Geordie prey heavily on Sidney. Sam Milburn returns to ask Sidney for forgiveness, and Abigail's father threatens to kill him. When blood is found on the girl's gravestone and Milburn disappears, Sidney seeks Geordie's help to find him. They discover he is lodging with the mother of a missing 14 year old girl. Leonard uncovers evidence that the Archdeacon knew that Milburn was a serial abuser of young girls and tried to cover it up, but his celebratory mood is dashed by the man he has been seeing. Pregnant Amanda, unable to accept the future before her, leaves Guy and is disowned by her father; she turns to Sidney again for solace, and Sidney makes a choice that may alter his standing with the Church. | ||||||
Series 3 (2016–17)
ITV has commissioned a third series to air in 2017, beginning with a 90-minute Christmas special to air on 24 December 2016.[19]
References
- ↑ Graeme Virtue (3 November 2014). "Grantchester's holy sleuths are brimming with bromance and charm". The Guardian.
- ↑ "ITV commissions six-part series Grantchester". ITV. 7 November 2013.
- ↑ Walker-Arnott, Ellie. "Grantchester to return for a second series". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Grantchester: Cast & Credits". PBS. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
- ↑ "ITV media centre". UK: ITV Media. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- 1 2 Armstrong, Hayley (6 October 2014). "Production services website". UK: Creative England. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ↑ Kent Film Office. "Kent Film Office Grantchester Article".
- ↑ "Grantchester - And that's a wrap on Series 2!!! - Facebook".
- ↑ Watt, Andrew. "Neil Morrissey joins cast of Grantchester for series two". Cambridge News. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ↑ Michael Pilgrim (6 Oct 2014). "Grantchester, review, episode 1: 'delightfully neat'". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ Christopher Stevens (6 October 2014). "Call the cops! Robson Green has stolen from Morse AND Marple: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night's TV". The Daily Mail.
- ↑ Ellen E Jones (6 October 2014). "Grantchester, ITV - TV review: A delightful treat for period drama fans". The Independent.
- ↑ "Grantchester : Season 1". Metacritic.
- ↑ "Airdate: Grantchester". 8 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ↑ "Grantchester - 3 reasons to watch the new Grantchester... - Facebook".
- ↑ "ITV's Grantchester to return for a second series". UK: BBC. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 16 September 2015. ITV only, does not include figures from ITV+1
- 1 2 3 28 day data
- ↑ Young, Bill. "KERA.org". Retrieved 9 April 2016.