The latest puzzle for Robson Green’s Grantchester detective to solve? How to get his sidekick’s car back on the road!
As an enjoyable 1950s crime drama set in the bucolic Cambridgeshire countryside, Grantchester triumphed in the ratings.
But the same cannot be said for the vintage cars on set.
Filming on the ninth series for ITV was halted this week after the open-top red Triumph Herald broke down while wandering the winding lanes – forcing Robson Green, who plays Inspector Geordie Keating, to get out and push.
Green, 58, wearing Keating’s trademark beige mac, saw the funny side as the cast and crew tried to get the classic engine going again.
In the driver’s seat was his colleague Rishi Nair, 32, who took over as Vicar of Grantchester from Tom Britney. It took half an hour of tinkering under the hood before the car came back to life.
As an enjoyable 1950s crime drama set in the bucolic Cambridgeshire countryside, Grantchester triumphed in the ratings. But the same cannot be said for the vintage cars on set
Filming on the ninth series for ITV was halted this week after the open-top red Triumph Herald broke down while wandering the winding lanes – forcing Robson Green, who plays Inspector Geordie Keating, to get out and push
Green, 58, who sported Keating’s trademark beige mac, saw the funny side as the cast and crew tried to restart the classic engine
The series has been hugely popular here and in the US since it started in 2014. It used to have six million viewers every week in Britain, although that has now dropped to around four million.
Adapted from James Runcie’s series of short stories, The Grantchester Mysteries, the first three seasons starred Happy Valley actor James Norton as the village vicar Sidney Chambers.
He teams up with Detective Inspector Keating to form an unlikely crime-solving partnership.
When Norton left to pursue other recording projects, Britney replaced him as the new parish vicar, Will Davenport.
After Britney’s five seasons, she is handing over the baton to former Hollyoaks actor Nair, who will play Rev Alphi Cotteram.
After taking on the role, Nair said, “I’m excited to get started. I can’t wait for the fans to meet Alphi.’
Regular cast members expected to return for the series include Al Weaver as curator Leonard Finch, Tessa Pick-Jones as Mrs. C and Casey Ainsworth as Green’s wife Cathy.
Cambridge Royal Parade was used to depict street scenes from the 1950s, complete with vintage cars and buses.
The eighth season is being shown in the US and is expected to arrive on ITV1 and ITVX later this year.