Grantchester (TV series)
| Grantchester | |
|---|---|
|
First episode titlecard | |
| 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 | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Diederick Santer Rebecca Eaton |
| Producer(s) | Emma Kingsman-Lloyd |
| Cinematography | Julian Court |
| Running time | 45 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Lovely Day/Masterpiece co-production |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Original run | 6 October 2014 – present |
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Grantchester is a detective drama set in a 1950s Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester near Cambridge, where local Anglican vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton) develops a sideline in sleuthing—with the initially reluctant help of grumpy Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green). The series is based on The Grantchester Mysteries books written by James Runcie. The first television series is based on stories from the first of the books, Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death.
Characters
- Sidney Chambers is an Anglican priest (and former Scots Guards officer) who finds himself involved in solving crimes, assisting the overworked Detective Inspector Keating. They forge an unlikely partnership with gruff Keating's methodical approach to policing complementing Chambers' more intuitive techniques of coaxing information from witnesses and suspects.
- Geordie Keating also fought in the Second World War and does not suffer fools gladly. He understands what motivates people to kill. He is married to Cathy and they have four children.
- Amanda Kendall is the daughter of a wealthy society father. Her mother died a few years before and she has two younger brothers. She has known Chambers a long time, having gone to school with Chambers' sister, Jennifer; the two are in love but her father has arranged a marriage for her and she cannot refuse. She works at the National Gallery in London.
- Mrs. Maguire is Chambers' housekeeper and well versed in the Bible. She has suffered numerous personal losses in life and makes her bitterness and anger no secret. Chambers is the first young vicar she has looked after and she treats him like a son, trying to boss him about.
- Leonard Finch is Chambers' curate. Naïve and unworldly, he was a teacher at a girls' school, and studied theology and joined the church.
- Hildegard Staunton is a young German widow who develops a close romantic relationship with Sidney.
- Guy Hopkins is Amanda's aristocratic fiancé who is wary of Amanda and Sidney's closeness.
Production
Filming began in London, Cambridge and Grantchester from March to June 2014.[1]
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.[2]
The first series had an average audience of 6.6m in UK viewers and a second series has been commissioned.[3]
Second series filming will take place in London and Grantchester in 2015.[4]
Cast
- James Norton as the Reverend Sidney Chambers
- Robson Green as Detective Inspector Geordie Keating
- Morven Christie as Amanda Kendall
- Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs Maguire
- Al Weaver as Leonard Finch
- Pheline Roggan as Hildegard Staunton
- Tom Austen as Guy Hopkins
- Fiona Button as Jennifer Chambers
- Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating
- Pip Torrens as Sir Edward Kendall
- Camilla Marie Beeput as Gloria Dee
Broadcast
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.[5]
Episode list
| No | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original Airdate | UK viewers (million)[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Harry Bradbeer | Daisy Coulam | 6 October 2014 | 7.77 |
| 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 | 6.51 |
| 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 | 6.23 |
| 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 | 6.54 |
| 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 | 6.42 |
| 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 | 6.37 |
| 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). | ||||||
References
- ↑ "ITV media centre". UK: ITV Media. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ↑ "Production services website". UK: Creative England. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ↑ "ITV's Grantchester to return for a second series". UK: BBC © 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ↑ Walker-Arnott, Ellie. "Grantchester to return for a second series". Radio Times. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
- ↑ Knox, David (8 February 2014). "Airdate: Grantchester". TV Tonight. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
- ↑ "Weekly Viewing Summary (see relevant week)". BARB.