Based on The Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie, Grantchester is back for a third season.
James Norton and Robson Green return as the unlikely 1950s crime fighting duo, Vicar Sidney Chambers and Police Inspector Geordie Keating, in six new episodes.
Buy Season 1 on DVD on Amazon here.
Buy Season 2 on DVD on Amazon here.
They are joined by Tessa Peake-Jones as Sidney’s sharp tongued housekeeper Mrs Maguire who keeps the vicar in check; Morven Christie as Sidney’s forbidden lover Amanda; Al Weaver as the timid curate Leonard Finch; Kacey Ainsworth as Geordie’s long suffering wife Cathy, Lorne MacFadyen as DC Phil Wilkinson and Seline Hizli as the feisty police secretary Margaret.
Episode 1
Sunday 23 April 2017, 9pm
It’s 1955 in Grantchester, local vicar Sidney Chambers [James Norton] meets with the new archdeacon, Gabriel Atubo. Acknowledging that Gabriel’s predecessor was dispatched under some controversy and embarrassment, Gabriel questions whether he can rely on Sidney to rebuild trust in the church and lead by example. Sidney reassures him he can be counted on.
Before the night is out, Sidney is on the dance floor with his old flame Amanda Hopkins [Morven Christie. Whilst they close in for a kiss, Sidney’s best friend DI Geordie Keating [Robson Green] sits nearby with wife Cathy [Kacey Ainsworth], the spark a little dimmer in their own relationship.
The next day Sidney accompanies Geordie to The Round Church in Cambridge, where an elderly man, Dr Terrence Atwell, lies dead. Whilst being pestered by church caretaker Mr Harland, Geordie tells Sidney about the victim; Dr Atwell ran a soup kitchen for the homeless. On closer inspection of the body, it appears Dr Atwell died by drowning. But how does a man drown in the middle of a church and is this connected to a series of murders targeting respected figures in the community?
Amanda gets a letter from estranged husband Guy [Tom Austen] saying he wants to see his daughter. Sidney can’t contain his frustration; Guy didn’t care when Grace was born. He’s clearly trying to control Amanda. But Amanda reassures him that she won’t let Guy take Grace away.
As Geordie and Sidney get closer to the truth behind the murders, Sidney is forced to confront the conflict between his relationship with Amanda and his calling as a vicar, and the fact that he and Amanda must face Guy, but will it be together or apart?
Episode 2
Sunday 30 April 2017, 9pm
A village cricket match – Grantchester vs Whittlesford – brings the community together. Sidney and Geordie form a batting partnership and they swat away everything the Whittlesford bowlers can throw at them until Geordie spots Margaret [Seline Hizli] in the crowd and falls foul of a thundering Yorker!
Cricket captain Geoff Towler (Peter Davison) is taking the match far more seriously than anyone else. When Grantchester’s young Pakistani batsman Zafar Ali arrives and takes to the field, Geoff is quick to side with the Whittlesford team over calls of LBW. Zafar insists it didn’t touch him, but Geoff decides to forfeit the match, rather than take his own batsman’s word.
Post-match, cricketers and spectators are enjoying the beer and buffet when one by one the cricketers keel over including Geoff, Geordie and Sidney. It’s a case of mass poisoning which leaves Zafar Ali dead.
Once recovered Sidney and Geordie must navigate racial tensions and village power plays to get to the truth. As Sidney and Geordie attempt to untangle the suspects and their love affairs, they come to blows about their own relationships.
Meanwhile, as Leonard tentatively begins the early courtship of fellow villager Hilary, he must fulfil his duty to the church and pay a visit to Amanda, warning her of the consequences of her relationship with Sidney.
Episode 3
Sunday 7 May 2017, 9pm
A quiet day in Cambridge is thrown into disarray as Leonard and his new lady friend Hilary are witness to an armed robbery at the post office. With a gun pointed in his face, Leonard attempts to talk down the masked culprit and receives a strike to the head for his bravery.
Back from a morning run, Sidney is joined by former flame Amanda at the vicarage. Having agreed not to take their relationship forward, they exchange pleasantries but keep their distance. As Amanda leaves, Mrs Maguire encourages Sidney to stay strong. Sidney’s longing for Amanda only worsens when he later sees her with estranged husband, Guy. Could Amanda be contemplating a return to her old life?
As Leonard is hailed a hero, Sidney and Geordie investigate the post office robbery and it soon becomes clear, this is the first of many. As the robberies become more violent, Sidney and Geordie must work quickly to unmask Cambridgeshire’s very own Bonnie and Clyde.
Episode 4
Sunday 14 May 2017, 9pm
After a guilt-induced sermon about desire and duty, Sidney questions himself about Amanda. He wants to resist but soon finds himself in an embrace with her, which is spotted by Leonard who berates Sidney for being such a hypocrite.
Meanwhile, Mrs Maguire is shocked when she is met by a visitor on her morning walk – the face from the past leaves her rattled to the core and she enlists Sidney’s help in dealing with her emotions.
Geordie and Phil head to a large Victorian factory to investigate the death of young employee, Josephine Sutton. Her limp body lies below an open hatch high in the wall – dressed for a night out with a bottle of gin nearby. She appears to have fallen but Geordie is immediately suspicious – the scene looks staged. Is someone trying to cover up a murder?
Hilary arranges for her and Leonard to have some engagement photos taken but Leonard is totally unprepared when the photographer arrives – his first love Daniel Marlowe. The encounter leaves Leonard reeling.
Sidney and Geordie both have to put their personal lives to one side as they look into the factory murder, but the further they dig the more it becomes apparent – secret forces are attempting to derail their investigation. Just who is out to get them?
Episode 5
Sunday 21 May 2017, 9pm
Having left his Grantchester life behind to do some soul searching, vicar Sidney Chambers finds himself heading toward a Romani travellers’ camp in Lincolnshire.
Having tracked down the culprit, Sidney tells himself he is there to retrieve Mrs Maguire’s life savings from the man who stole them but it soon becomes apparent, Sidney is just running from his old life and has no idea what he is going to do.
Seduced by the intoxicating, welcoming community he finds himself in Sidney begins to wonder if he’ll ever return home. But murder is never far from Sidney’s door and when one of the community is killed, Sidney the ‘outsider’ is suspect number one.
Cathy reaches the end of her tether and tells Geordie he has to leave the house. Devastated, Geordie heads to the vicarage but it surprised to find Sidney gone and a nervous Leonard spinning a cover story about Sidney going on a seaside holiday. Geordie immediately knows it’s a lie and presses Leonard into telling the truth.
When Geordie tracks Sidney to the camp, he finds his friend in a dark and conflicted place – he’s not ready to go home but not welcome at the camp. Can solving this murder bring some sense back to Sidney’s own chaotic life?
Episode 6
Sunday 28 May 2017, 9pm
On a Sunday morning in Grantchester, Sidney visits the Archdeacon to discuss his resignation. Sidney has lost his faith in a church that won’t allow him to be married to the woman he loves. With a heavy heart the Archdeacon tells Sidney he must go away and write a resignation letter in order to make it official.
Sidney visits Amanda, revealing his plan. Their moment of joy is cut short when Amanda asks if Sidney has told Mrs Maguire or Leonard… To Sidney’s relief, Leonard seems happy for them, but Mrs Maguire can’t contain her upset.
On his way out of the vicarage the next morning, Sidney spots Mrs Maguire crying, and then encounters Leonard, who is now wondering about his own future, should a less tolerant vicar move in. Sidney feels incredibly guilty but tells Leonard it has to be his decision.
In church, Sidney puts on his dog collar and leads a service, thinking his days within the village are now numbered but when a little boy called Jacob is abducted Sidney finds that the community need him more than ever.
Meanwhile, Mrs Maguire must prepare for her own future whilst struggling to come to terms with Sidney’s imminent departure. Geordie’s behaviour grows increasingly erratic as he struggles to cope with the mess he’s made of his family life, and as Sidney and Geordie move closer to discovering who has kidnapped Jacob, Sidney must choose to move forward with Amanda in London, or be there for his best friend Geordie in his hour of need.
Buy Season 1 on DVD on Amazon here.
Buy Season 2 on DVD on Amazon here.
Are you looking forward to Season 3? Let us know below…