A Grantchester stalwart has spilled the beans on the “only” condition under which they would bid adieu to the beloved ITV show.
Grantchester’s ninth season is gearing up for a bit debut, slated for January 2025 merely half a year after we last visited the nostalgic 1960s Cambridgeshire hamlet.
The detective drama’s horizon gleams bright, with the wraps just coming off the filming of its tenth chapter, following a summer reunion of the cast and crew.
While the heart of Grantchester beats strong with returning originals, the most dramatic shift has been the shake-up when it comes to the show’s vicars.
From seasons one through Four, James Norton graced the screen as Sidney Chambers, until Tom Brittney stepped up as Will Davenport, swapping sermons for sleuthing over the subsequent five instalments.
ITV Grantchester star on one reason they’d quit beloved series (Image: ITV)
Actor Robson Green has played Geordie Keating since the very first season of Grantchester. (Image: ITV)
It’s out in the open that Brittney is set to hang up his clerical collar after series nine, ushering in Rishi Nair as the new vicar on the block, Alphy Kotteram.
Amid this change, Robson Green, who portrays Detective Geordie Keating, mulled over his own future during a Q&A preluding the show’s highly anticipated return.
He expressed: “I’m very blessed that I can do other stuff, I do documentaries and other dramas…but why would I want to leave?
“People say it’s good to get out of your comfort zone, which we all do every day we stand in front of the lens, but I mean it when I say it’s the gift that keeps on giving because it’s a beautiful place to turn up to and I never take one second of Grantchester for granted.”
Green hinted at the possibility of leaving Grantchester, but only under one condition.
The star elaborated: “I would only leave if the standard of writing capitulated, and it hasn’t because Daisy’s [Coulam] at the helm and Emma’s [Kingsman-Lloyd] at the helm, and they were there right from the start with Al [Weaver] and Tessa [Peake-Jones] and Kacey [Ainsworth].”
Grantchester season nine will welcome actor Rishi Nair as Alphy Kotteram. (Image: ITV)
“And what Daisy created hasn’t shifted, it’s only held a high standard, it is a quality drama with the writing, that’s why it’s a global hit.
“I think, like anything, like Tom [Brittney], there may come a time when I just go ‘Oh it’s not working’, that time hasn’t come yet.
“But I have turned down dramas on the basis that the quality of writing is not up there like Grantchester and that’s why I stay with it.
Despite his success, Green remains grounded: “And in my ripe old age, I’m still able to do other stuff. If it was the only thing I was doing, that might have been an issue but it’s not and I’m very lucky.”
He went on to add: “I love going back to it and I love this new journey that I’m on with Rishi [Nair] and Alphy Kottaram and just completed series 10, it’s remarkable.
“The standard is still as high as ever. Just one day I will solve a crime on my own!”
Grantchester season nine is to premiere in January 2025 on ITV and ITVX.