A new vicar is about to land in the village of Grantchester, as Tom Brittney prepares to leave the show for greener pastures. Grantchester, a staple of ITV in the U.K. and PBS Masterpiece in the U.S. since 2014, is no stranger to new cast members.
The first Cambridgeshire clergyman was portrayed by none other than James Norton—whom you might recognize from Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and the BBC’s Happy Valley. When Norton’s character Sidney Chambers decided to follow the love of his life to America, Tom Brittney’s Reverend Will Davenport dutifully took up his post and also found himself befriending Grantchester’s very own Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green).
Now, with Grantchester season 9 getting ready to launch, ITV and PBS have announced who will be replacing Davenport as the new vicar of Grantchester. Say hello to “charismatic vicar” Alphy Kotteram, as portrayed by actor Rishi Nair, whom viewers might recognize from a 250-plus episode stint on the beloved U.K. soap opera Hollyoaks. PBS describes Alphy as having “an instinctive distrust for authority and absolutely no desire to get involved in murder investigations.” Luckily for us viewers, however, “Alphy and Geordie will discover they have a lot more in common than they first think, and Alphy will find that in Grantchester, murder is never far away.”
What else do we know about Grantchester season 9?
Grantchester season 9 will officially be released on PBS Masterpiece in the U.S. on June 16, 2024, with new episodes dropping weekly after that. The new season will consist of a total of eight episodes. A U.K. release date is currently unknown, though British viewers should keep in mind that Grantchester season 8 premiered on ITV in the U.K. well after it premiered in the U.S.
Brittney will still be present in season 9, perhaps handing over the baton to Nair on screen—it certainly would be interesting to see these two characters interact, especially since when Norton left the show, he and Brittney never shared any time on screen. The official synopsis hints that Brittney will leave Grantchester mid-season, as it reads:
In Season 9, it’s 1961 and life is good for Will and Geordie. The families are always together, from Sunday lunches to planning summer holidays and with honorary grandparents Mrs. C and Jack, and adopted uncles Daniel and Leonard, it’s one big happy family! But when Will is approached with a life-changing offer, can he leave Grantchester, and Geordie behind?
As Geordie struggles with personal loss and ever-growing family conflict between Cathy and teenage daughter, Esme he has no one to turn to. But when he arrests an intruder breaking into the Vicarage, he may find his days of working with a Vicar are not over.
Despite Brittney’s departure, plenty of other familiar and beloved characters are set to return, including Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs. C, Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe, Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie, Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters, and Melissa Johns as precinct secretary Miss Scott.
The official trailer for Grantchester season 9 proves that the inevitable goodbye between Geordie and Will won’t be an easy one. Geordie has always had a hard time expressing his emotions and watching another one of his closest friends leave can’t be easy for him. Will’s replacement, however, certainly seems primed to liven this gorgeous sleepy town up a bit, and we can’t wait to see what happens next. You can watch the official trailer below.
Grantchester is one of the best period detective dramas out there. Let’s see what the new season, and the newest vicar, bring to the table.
(featured image: PBS/ITV)
