INTERVIEW WITH AL WEAVER - LEONARD FINCH
When you first joined the cast of Grantchester, did you think it would run for five series ?
No, I don’t think any of us did really. You sign up for one and see how it goes, and then when it
becomes popular you want to keep it going. It’s all about the stories and the writing, the quality of that.
In the first episode, Leonard has just returned from a holiday in Marrakech with Daniel. What else does he have in store for him ?
He’s had a great time on holiday and is the throes of love. He’s been swept off his feet and has had a bit of a sexual awakening, I would say. To be able to go out to Morocco and hold hands with a man on the street is a huge thing for him. It’s probably the most free he’s ever felt. So he comes back to this fishbowl again and is dealing with that and how he can share his life with Daniel, but at the same time keeping it a secret.
Following their fallout in the last series, how is his relationship with Mrs C ?
They’re dealing with it in their own way. She obviously knows about Daniel but as long as he’s not at the vicarage, it’s all fine. He keeps it like that but there’s also some times where Daniel sneaks in and out, so he’s taking his risks but he’s just crazy in love. They’re back to normal in general though.
Do you think Mrs C will ever accept Leonard and Daniel’s relationship ?
She’s from a different time so if would be very difficult, but she loves him to bits and they have this mother and son relationship. I think, ultimately, if it came down to it, she will have to accept it but you just can’t force these changes so rapidly.
What else is in store for Leonard this series ?
There is a storyline with Mrs C and her husband Jack where they have a big falling out over something. So, Leonard gets involved in reconciling them two which is quite fun. He’s learning to let go of things from the past, so he invites his Dad [Sean Gilder] down to stay at the vicarage. He’s confronting the past and how different they are and we get to see that relationship. There is some emotional stuff there.
And there is a television in the vicarage this series ?
Yes, that’s been quite fun to play with. Leonard’s been watching Mrs C get quite obsessed with it and he keeps finding her there watching TV programmes. The whole series is all about new beginnings post World War II. People can spend again, live a bit more freely and things are a bit more exciting in the world. Technology is one of those things that come into it.
Grantchester often explores difficult storylines and themes doesn’t it ?
I think that is the main thing about the show. This series deals with some really dark issues like sexual abuse, drug abuse and so on. As much as it is a crime show, those dark issues keep the audience interested and it’s great for us because they give us a lot to play with. I think viewers can see that.
All the cast always speak highly of their time spent filming Grantchester. Why do you think that is ?
Yes, it is like a family. Tom’s been welcomed into the fold and Lauren [Carse] who has come onboard as well as Ross Boatman who plays the boxing coach, Vic, and some young actors. They love it! Everyone is just really happy. The writing is really good and we make an effort to make it a happy place for anyone who comes onboard.
You want them to go away and have had a really good experience and I think everyone does. It’s because we care about it and we care about the reputation of the show. Also, we want really good actors to come in and the better the workplace is, the more chance we’ll get those people. It’s a really nice place to work.
INTERVIEW WITH KACEY AINSWORTH - CATHY KEATING
When you first joined the cast of Grantchester, did you think it would run for five series ?
I could instantly see how it was working. I think I saw that the first day of the first series, when I met James Norton and Robson Green and worked with them for the first week. You could already see that the writing and the premise was really good. You could see that people would love the characters.
Grantchester provides nostalgia, but also explores darker themes and issues. Why do you think that appeals to viewers ?
I think it makes it more real. I think you can sometimes watch period dramas and it’s all about what it looks like, with lots of upper class-ness, but not really dealing with things that people can still relate to today.
That’s what it does really well. It dovetails issues we still have today, things we’re still dealing with today - whether it was an issue that began in the fifties or it was something that we haven’t really moved on from today. I think it’s really good that they deal with the ordinary, everyday things in life that come up too. It isn’t what happens to famous people, it’s what happens to everyday people that viewers will latch onto.
In the last series Cathy got a job, is she still working in this series ?
Yes, she’s also trying to get involved in work stuff. She’s realised that when you get into a workplace, there’s other things you can do, so she gets involved. Cathy’s clearly found something that she’s quite passionate about. That’s why she’s getting more and more involved with things that are extra to do with work such as joining the work union and representing her co-workers.
Is her husband Geordie any more accepting of her job in this series ?
I’m not sure he is. I think he understands how much she loves it and I think he likes the fact that he’s not coming home to her talking about the laundry, they’re talking about other things and he can see that there’s a little spark in her and he quite likes that.
He likes the fact she’s got lots to say and is having lots of experiences. However, it still jars with him in terms of how a traditional family was thought of at that time. He does support her but he’s also trying to find ways of not having to do as much himself, which is a very male thing to do.
Cathy and Geordie actually have a visitor come to stay with them this series too, don’t they?
Yes, they do, in the form of the much talked about or alluded to, Cathy’s mum, who comes to stay with them in order to help. You initially think it’s going to be OK but it ends up not being OK at all.
All of the cast speak very highly of their time working on Grantchester. What do you think makes it so special ?
I suppose it’s down to the leads, and if you have people who enable everyone to do their job really well, and who are also really focused on their job. Everyone is looking towards the same goal and everyone wants to do their best because they see everyone else doing their best. It’s about standards, I guess, and the standards are very high and always have been, especially with Robson. He never walks in and asks what scene we’re doing. I’ve worked for years and have worked with people who do that, and they do still do a good job, but because he’s on it, everyone else is on it.
Tom Brittney joined the cast last year. Has he settled in well ?
Yes, he’s done brilliantly. It was quite a nice, slow introduction, the writers didn’t push him straight in and expect people to accept him, they allowed you to find out who he was through little bits of story about his family and his life. I think that was really well-placed and it’s brilliant of the writers to have done it that way rather than just introducing him as the new vicar. Also Robson’s an enabler - he helps everyone come on board and is always very welcoming to everyone. They were able to find a bond really early on and have been able to build on that a lot this series.
INTERVIEW WITH TESSA PEAKE-JONES - MRS CHAPMAN
When you first joined the cast of Grantchester, did you think it would run for five series ?
Well we were just saying a couple of weeks ago when we were in the vicarage, about when we first came on set and Robson made this joke, he pretended he was on a zimmer-frame, walking across the lawn saying, ‘we’ll all be here on our frames’ and we all hooted with laughter. And when we were back there a couple of weeks ago, he said ‘oh god, it’s coming true!’.
I think he felt all along that it’d be successful, of course you never know, you hope it’s got all the right ingredients, sometimes you get fabulous programmes and they don’t get recommissioned. It’s a show we’re all proud of, we love the storylines, we love the new guests every week and Tom has fitted in amazingly, having walked into the new vicar role. I think he’s doing brilliantly and there’s a lot of energy in the show and it could go on and on - who knows we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Why do you think viewers enjoy watching Grantchester so much ?
I think it’s for several reasons, I think we need nostalgia, we need to look at nice things, happy times and the fifties was a lovely period in time. Also Grantchester’s set in summer, so you see these beautiful countryside scenes in glorious weather and the regulars are likeable.
I think the audience likes a bit of a murder but they don’t want it to be the complete pre-occupation of every week and I think what this show does really well, it adds to that, with the regular characters’ dilemmas that they might have. You get to see the emotional and personal lives of the people in the show as well as the crime, so I think it ticks lots of boxes.
What does Mrs Chapman have in store for her this series ?
She’s patched up things with Leonard so that’s good and at the beginning of this series she’s happily married to Jack Chapman [Nick Brimble]. She still wants to be a housekeeper, he’d be quite keen for her to stop work but she wants to continue, she likes pottering around the vicarage and being involved with Will and Leonard and wouldn’t give that up I think. Things happen during the series that reveal stuff to her about her husband that she didn’t know and that throws her beliefs in life and morality into a bit of a spin so some of the series is watching her personal story.
After falling out with Leonard last series, is Mrs Chapman a bit more accepting of Leonard’s lifestyle choices now ?
She adores Leonard like she does Will or Sydney. I think because she doesn’t have any children of her own, they’ve sort of become her substitute sons so she’s always been very fond of Leonard. But I think last series she had to overcome this shock of finding out about him being gay which I think for her, with her religion and her age and how she was brought up, meant that she was quite blinkered. This series, I think she’s just assuming or pretending that it’s not happening and that’s her way of dealing with it, ‘if I don’t see it, it’s not happening’.
There’s a television in the vicarage this year - where does that come from ?
Young Will has introduced various things to the vicarage, there’s a coffee machine in the kitchen which Mrs C really doesn’t like because it makes noises and steams, she doesn’t really like anything that’s moving on in life or modernising. Then Will brings this thing in with pictures. Mrs C starts by objecting and thinks, ‘what on earth is this thing?’, but as usual she ends up being the one that watches it more than anyone else. She gets caught several times on the sofa at night still watching it. I think it’s that thing of not wanting to move forward and then thinking, ‘oh wow, how did we ever cope without it ?’.
Tom Brittney joined the cast last year, has he settled in well ?
He’s wonderful, Tom has just slotted in and it’s like he’s always been there - I mean he’s great as Will but he’s just such a lovely, lovely person. I do think this company is a very welcoming group of people so you’d be hard pushed not to be able to settle in. Everyone adores him, he makes everyone laugh and he takes the work seriously, the public love him too. In fact I was saying to him the other day, when I get stopped now by people to talk about Grantchester they all say without hesitation, ‘we all love the new vicar, he’s just gorgeous’ - that needn’t have been the case, it’s all credit to Tom.
Why do you think everyone enjoys working on Grantchester so much ?
As usual with these things, I think it comes from the top. And there’s obviously no egos - when Diederick Santer was in charge he’s an incredibly lovely person and now with Emma Kingsman-Lloyd [executive producer] and Richard Cookson [producer] - I think when they’re all lovely and concerned and care about the people in it I think that just rubs off on everyone.
INTERVIEW WITH TOM BRITTNEY - WILL DAVENPORT
How did it feel returning to Grantchester after joining the drama last year ?
It was a joy to come back for another series. I was nervous going into the series after taking over from James [Norton]. You hope that people want to see more of it so it was great they asked me to come back and come and play with my Grantchester family again. It’s just a dream.
Was it good to be reunited with Robson Green ?
It was amazing. We carried on seeing each other between filming. We became better and better
friends so it’s just like being reunited with your best friend again and getting to go to work together every day.
What does your character Will Davenport have in store for him this series ?
If you thought they put me through the mill last year, they’ve doubled it this year. You meet Will and he’s now embedded himself in the village of Grantchester and he’s very much part of the community. Everyone seems to be accepting him as the vicar and he is still trying to hold onto this idea of being an eternal optimist, he’s really holding on to that ethos. The more he gets involved in the crimes, the more he starts to be challenged and see more of the darker side of life and people and he finds it harder to hold onto that idea.
Also, he is trying to deal with many different things, he is dealing with the loss of his father. He’s trying to keep his mother happy after what happened last series and keep his friendship with Geordie going, and search for a father figure. He also deals with a new woman in his life who challenges his very tightly hold vow of chastity.
How does Will and Geordie’s relationship develop this series ?
A year has passed and they’re better friends than ever. But the one thing that Will really needs in life and what he is searching for is a father figure. He may have found it in Geordie, but there is something that he isn’t quite getting from Geordie that he finds in the character of Vic [Ross Boatman] who runs the boxing club. He seems to understand Will’s problems a lot more and Will starts to grow a bit further apart from Geordie as he gets closer to Vic.
Ellie Harding [played by Lauren Carse] catches Will’s eye this series, what happens ?
Will meets this character, a journalist from the local paper, Ellie Harding. She has befriended Geordie, she gets stories from him on the sly because she runs this gossip column. Will meets her at the beginning of episode one and instantly he's attracted to her, she is a beautiful, stunning woman. But there is something different about her compared to other women in the 1950s.
She is strong, independent, outspoken and isn’t scared of speaking her mind and getting in the way and causing trouble. Will finds that both attractive and has a moral issue with the way she goes about her business. So, he has this constant battle with her wit and being very attracted to her at the same time. Slowly they start to see different sides of each other and that relationship develops quite a lot.
Is Will Davenport still driving his motorbike in this series ?
He is and I passed my motorbike test so I can do it all on my own without a stunt man, and I’ve been taking full advantage of that. I absolutely loved being back on the bike again.
What is the main theme of this series ?
The main theme that goes through the series is this idea of ‘Eden’. Harold Macmillan was saying at that time in the fifties that Britain had never had it so good. But in actual truth, underneath, there is always this dark side bubbling, and no more than in the village of Grantchester. With Will, he is striving for everything to be perfect and to see everyone as inherently good but he starts to realise that isn’t true and that people can be evil and he sees that with people who are very close to him.
Grantchester often explores difficult storylines and themes doesn’t it ?
It’s a funny thing that people view Grantchester as a cosy crime series but actually Grantchester has never shied away from tackling deep, dark, real issues that existed at the time. A lot of people may look back and think the fifties were lovely and Britain was great but this is exactly what Grantchester is exploring, because it wasn’t.
There were so many different criminal and social issues, personal issues that people were going through and a lot of the time had to be hidden from society. Grantchester has never shied away from trying to tackle those. So, I think it’s a lot darker than what people give it credit for.
All the cast of Grantchester speak very highly of the show and how much they enjoy being in it. Why do you think that is ?
We all refer to it as our happy place, it’s the Grantchester family. Every single member of the crew and cast is such a joy to work with and loves being here. We’re well known for that in the acting community and actors want to be a part of the show because you have such a wonderful time.
Whether you’re coming in for one line or a bigger part, we love making people feel welcome and
having that family unit. I think it’s because everybody cares, there aren’t many shows like that. Every single person cares about making the best show they can and it really does show.
INTERVIEW WITH ROBSON GREEN - GEORDIE KEATING
When you first joined the cast of Grantchester, did you think it would run for five series ?
If anyone would have told me that the premise of a detective and a vicar solving crime in the 1950s in the village of Grantchester would run and run and be the success it is, I would have said, ‘What?’. But when I first read the script I knew instinctively it would be a hit. I loved the script, the charm of it and the relationships I really liked. We did the read-through and it was a joy to read and after the first week of filming I thought, ‘this could run and run’, because it’s so likeable.
Grantchester often explores difficult storylines and themes doesn’t it ?
I think this is the darkest series yet. However, the light and shade still remains because this is one of the funniest series as well. The charm remains throughout the series, despite the terrible things that are happening because the characters, you care about them enough to want to follow them. The series has gone from strength to strength and I feel, and I think everyone agrees, that this is the best yet, most definitely.
How does Geordie and Will’s relationship develop in this series ?
Well it feels as if Geordie is the father Will never had, and Will is the son Geordie never had. Will didn’t fight in World War II whereas Sidney [Chambers] did, Will has no experience of war and the terrible destruction that took place. Will has never seen that and Geordie has, so there is often that feeling from Geordie that Will has no idea what he’s talking about because he hasn’t lived that experience. There is also that lovely argumentative aspect of their relationship but done in a likeable way.
Will hasn’t gone through what Geordie has gone through, there has never been that shared experience. In a way, Will sometimes comes across as a petulant teenager and Geordie to Will comes across as a grumpy old dad! The father and son aspect of the relationship is cemented in this series. And looking out for each other, the love for one another and mindfulness for one another is very strong in this series.
In series four, Geordie seemed to be struggling to keep up with the times, is that the same in this series ?
I think because of the way Will is with him, Geordie tries to change but he realises that he is such a principled man, and he sticks to his principles and I don’t know if that would ever change. And if it did I think it would affect the relationship and the programme. The costumes that I wear as Geordie, we’ve got to the point where I don’t change my costume, the shirt, tie, shoes and socks.
Obviously, there are seconds and thirds of that costume, but it’s just one look. And he will not change that look. He’s comfortable and he’s very happy and he has an inner peace with who he is and what he looks like. I think that is a very endearing aspect of his character. No-one will ever change what he wears, to the point that the only change we’ve ever made with the costume is the tie. I think it’s important for his look and the way he is, he is stuck in his ways but his ways are principled. He has incredible integrity and I think he sees that as a good thing. I think it’s good for the show as well.
How are things between Geordie and Cathy this series? Geordie and Cathy have a visitor come to stay don’t the ?
The whole series deals with the theme of secrets and lies. Keeping secrets from a loved one or someone you care about. On the surface everything appears happy in their relationship, Geordie has accepted Cathy’s position and vice-versa. Everything appears good, and Geordie suggests they get help to improve what is really good and so they move the mother-in-law in and this brings up so many secrets and so many lies that Cathy has held deep inside for so many years. They manifest themselves throughout the series and it all comes to a head with Cathy.
The cast always speak highly of their time spent filming Grantchester. Why do you think that is ?
People say again and again that Grantchester is a family but it’s not just that sycophantic actor speak. It’s real! We all look out for one another and we all take care of one another. The family aspect of Grantchester is real. And because we care so much about it, you end up loving it. I’ve been in the business for 35 years and I’ve never been on a film set that is so joyous and life-affirming to be part of, I’m not exaggerating.
There is a serendipity amongst everybody, a lovely happy connection with everyone, the whole team. We all respect each department and what each person plays in making this joyous and very entertaining show. I think that manifests in front of the lens.