Grantchester is poised for a significant change as Will Davenport will no longer be teaming up with DI Geordie Keating.
After James Norton’s Sidney Chambers left the scene in the fourth season, Tom Brittney stepped in as the charismatic Reverend Will Davenport.
Since then, he’s been at the heart of the 1960s set detective series, embodying the clerical crime-fighter with zest.
In 2023, fans were disheartened to learn that 34-year-old Brittney would be scaling back his involvement in the beloved ITV drama, stating his desire to “focus on new projects”.
Bowing out, his final appearance in Grantchester will grace screens tonight, Wednesday, January 15, on ITV and ITVX, during the second episode of its ninth run.
Grantchester season 9: Why did Tom Brittney leave Grantchester as Will Davenport? (Image: ITV)
Grantchester season nine will welcome actor Rishi Nair as Reverend Alphy Kotteram. (Image: ITV)
In the run-up to his swansong, Brittney revealed more about the tough decision to bid farewell to the series.
Declaring it the “hardest decision of my life”, Brittney reflected on his departure as Will Davenport, expressing: “I spent five or six years, and the happiest years of my career so far, in doing Grantchester and playing a character that had so much depth and complexity and it was just a happy place, I’m sure you’ll hear that phrase plenty of times I’m sure.
“But I think all good things have to come to an end and I think it just felt like the right time to put a full stop, let’s say, on Will’s story and see where they took the story without him.
“I think Will had such a passionate and fiery start and I think you saw him go through everything and come to a reasonably happy ending.
“As sad as it was to leave, I think he left in peace and that felt like a good place to end it.”
Actor Tom Brittney took over from actor James Norton in ITV’s Grantchester as the village’s crime-solving reverend. (Image: ITV)
Although Brittney will be stepping down from his role as Reverend Davenport, the show Grantchester marches on with a fresh character set to fill the ecclesiastical shoes.
In the third episode of season nine, viewers will meet the new cleric, Reverend Alphy Kotteram, who is characterized as “cheeky and easygoing” yet comes with a past marred by clashes with law enforcement and power abusers.
The role of Alphy will be brought to life by actor Rishi Nair, known for his portrayal of lawyer Sami Maalik, and his appearances in The Marlow Murder Club and Count Abdulla.
Grantchester season nine continues every Wednesday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.