MASTERPIECE’s Grantchester is about to embark on its eleventh and final season. Set in the 1950s and ‘60s in a quiet village in Cambridgeshire, England, the community is somehow both rife with murders and mysteries but also warmth and welcome. This feeling of amiability stems from the friendships and sense of family among the main characters — a gruff police detective and his wife; the resident vicar and his curate; and a stern, motherly housekeeper. Over the past eleven seasons, there have been three different vicars leading the church, each with his own personality and quirks. Each of the three has earned the trust and support of the community (and viewers), and there are fierce debates about “the best” vicar. The arrival of the final season on Sun (6/14) at 9 p.m. on GBH 2 is a good time to look back at these three vicars and what made them each unique.
The Three Vicars
Sidney Chambers
Played by James Norton, Seasons One through Four
Will Davenport
Played by Tom Brittney, Seasons Four through Nine
Alphy Kotteram
Played by Rishi Nair, Seasons Nine through Eleven
Favorite Mode of Transportation
Sidney: Bicycle
Will: Motorcycle
Alphy: Red Triumph convertible
Main Personality Traits
Sidney: Norton once described Sidney as “fresh and green and like a bouncy labrador.” This vicar is young and charming with a buoyant spirit. He connects with his congregation by speaking from the heart and sharing his personal struggles. He is not without a dark side, however, as he wrestles with his memories of World War II in the Scots Guard. As he once said to his curate Leonard Finch (played by Al Weaver), “It’s life we deal in, Leonard, the good, the bad. All the grey areas in between.”
Will: The community was unprepared for the arrival of the leather jacket–wearing, motorcycle-riding Will Davenport. He is younger than Sidney and brought a rock and roll, modern, end-of-the-1950s vibe. Will’s defining characteristic is his optimism. He truly believes that good will prevail, and he uses his rebellious streak to fight for positive change. This “boat-rocker” approach does not always keep him in good stead with the church superiors.
Alphy: Alphy did not sneak quietly into Grantchester. Instead he roared onto the scene in his convertible. He is a happy, glass half-full, kind of person. Charismatic and witty, he does bring with him an ingrained mistrust of the police after growing up as a man of color in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s. His arrival in Grantchester did not help in this regard. He and Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (played by Robson Green) met because the housekeeper Mrs. Chapman saw a Brown-skinned man at the vicarage and assumed Alphy was an intruder. (Watch this first moment on Season Nine, Episode Three.) It took some significant arm-twisting to get him involved in police work. Alphy finally addressed the unusual relationships directly, saying to Geordie, “I hear you have a thing for vicars.”
Alphy is proudly working class and less tortured than the previous vicars. He spends more time focusing on village injustices and less on his own personal dramas. But while at first he appeared very forthcoming, he did have a secret that became a major plot point for Season 10.
Favorite Things
Sidney: Sidney’s passions are jazz music, whiskey, rowing on the river, and backgammon with Geordie. (He puts a jazz album on his record player in the very first minutes of his first episode.) His other favorite hobby is dating. Sidney always has his share of women who want to date him, and he is happy to oblige. Geordie noted that when it comes to Sidney, “It is ALWAYS about a girl.”
Will: Rock and roll, motorcycles, boxing, and his cappuccino machine. (After an appearance at the start of Season Four, Will and his motorcycle ride into Grantchester in the second episode, when he takes his place as vicar.)
Alphy: While Sidney loved cricket, Alphy is truly obsessed with soccer. (Nair once said that he hopes Alphy is a Manchester United fan like he is. Off-screen, Nair is a devoted soccer fan, even coaching to supplement his acting income in his early days.)
Relationships
Sidney: Sidney’s relationships with those around him defined his tenure in Grantchester. The housekeeper, Mrs. Chapman, saw him like a son. Leonard viewed him as a mentor. But, although he and Geordie were polar opposites, their friendship was deepest of all. In a birthday toast, Sidney said, “Someone recently asked me why we were friends, seeing as we have so little in common. He’s old enough to be my father. And he has a terrible habit of beating me at backgammon. Thing is, I don’t think we’re that different. We both want the world to be a less frightening place. Maybe that’s it. You’re a grumpy old sod, but I’d be lost without you.”
Sidney had the most romantic entanglements of the vicars. His longtime will-they-won’t-they relationship with Amanda had many ups and downs. Ultimately, it is love that Sidney follows when he leaves Grantchester. Learn a bit more about Sidney’s relationship challenges.
Will: Brittney faced a challenge in winning over viewers who were not ready to let Sidney go, but Will’s deep and genuine friendship with Geordie (and with Robson Green off-screen as well) made viewers quickly fall in love with him. Geordie became a father figure, determined to support him in every way.
Will and Geordie do have one major point of friction: Will had avoided military service because his family was upper class. Early on, this was a major sticking point for Geordie, but it also meant that Will did not have the resulting demons that Sidney spent years fighting.
Will has some romantic missteps, including an affair with an engaged woman. Eventually, he found a deep and trusting relationship with Cathy Keating’s niece Bonnie and left the show a happily married man with a son and a stepson.
Alphy: Alphy and Mrs. Chapman took awhile to find footing, as he was used to doing things on his own, and she struggled with internal prejudices. Over time, she becomes a fierce ally and their bond is cemented. Alphy and Leonard connect over the secrets they each carry. And like the two actors before him, Nair says that the best thing about being part of the show is the incredible on- and off-screen friendship he formed with Robson Green. Soon, the new crime-solving duo will say goodbye to the community that has been a staple for so many viewers for the past eleven years.
While Alphy hoped to find a romantic partner, he struggled with some past history that shook his trust. Time will tell if the things he learned about his family in Season Ten will allow him to pursue his current relationship fully in Season Eleven.
Actors’ Off-Screen Life
Sidney (James Norton): In his off-screen life, James Norton is a fan of vintage fashion and modeled for English fashion brand Smythson, Vogue, and Italy’s L’Uomo Vogue. Somewhat ironically, he holds a theology degree from the University of Cambridge, just like the vicar he played. Hear a bit more about James Norton off-screen as he plays “The Bromance Game” with Robson Green.
Will (Tom Brittney): Before Grantchester, Brittney studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He was an experienced actor with previous appearances on Call the Midwife and Outlander. He had the chance to get behind the camera on Grantchester as well, directing a Season Seven episode.
Alphy (Rishi Nair): In his earlier years, Nair studied law but then pivoted to acting. GBH viewers may recognize him from appearances on Whitstable Pearl and Season One of MASTERPIECE’s The Marlow Murder Club.
Get caught up on MASTERPIECE’s Grantchester here. Find out what to expect from Season Eleven on the official Grantchester homepage and with this promo.
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