Grantchester season 9: Release date and latest news

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media about leaving the show, Brittney said: "Well, it was one of... it was the hardest decision of my life.

"I’ve spent five or six years – and the happiest years of my career so far – doing Grantchester and playing a character which just has so much depth and complexity. It was just a happy place.

"But I think all good things have to come to an end, and it just felt like the right time to put a full stop, let's say, on Will's story and see where they take the story without him.

"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. But I think he left in peace, and that felt like a good place to end it."

Brittney's departure has opened the door for Rishi Nair (Hollyoaks, Count Abdulla), who is playing charismatic vicar Alphy Kotteram alongside Robson Green.

Revealing more about the new character, Nair told RadioTimes.com and other press: "He is anti-police. He has this kind of perception about the institution. Growing up as a brown man in the '40s and '50s in Britain, his experience with the police would have been very different to the previous two vicars.

"So, he has this kind of perception about them, and he has this personality trait that anyone that abuses their power, or anyone in a position of power that abuses that, he always stands up to that morally.

"And obviously Geordie’s first interaction with Alphy is he's come to arrest him. He thinks that he's broken into the vicarage and he's stealing."

Nair continued: "So he immediately puts Geordie in that box of this police institution that he's grown up around, and that's why their relationship is really rocky to begin with.

"And Alphy actually doesn't want anything to do with Geordie, and Geordie comes and asks him for help with the case, and Alphy’s like, 'I'm a vicar, why am I going to help you with the case? Absolutely not.'

"But as the series progresses, Alphy sees Geordie for the man he is, and actually he sees that they have a lot more in common than they first thought. And how those two characters develop in that relationship is a really beautiful thing."

But when can we expect the new season to land on our screens? Read on for everything you need to know about Grantchester season 9.

Grantchester season 9 release date

Season 9 will arrive in the UK on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 9pm on ITV1.

Grantchester season 9 cast: Who's returning? And who's new?

There's some major cast changes on the horizon as Tom Brittney steps down from his leading role in Grantchester as beloved vicar Will Davenport.

The news was announced in 2023, with Brittney saying in a statement: "I've had the most incredible time playing Will Davenport for the last five years. I got to solve crimes with my best friend, and work with the best cast and crew I could ever ask for.

"I’ll miss it more than anything. But it’s time for the baton to be passed, as it once was to me, and I’m so excited for Rishi to join the Grantchester family."

Rishi Nair has replaced him as vicar Alphy Kotteram. Described as having "no desire to get involved in murder investigations", he soon discovers that he's got more in common with Geordie (Robson Green) than he initially thought.

Speaking to Radio Times magazine about the new cast additions for season 9, Green revealed: "After [Geordie and Alphy] first meet, Geordie’s wife Cathy (played by Kacey Ainsworth) asks him what he’s like, and he says, 'He’s got a good right hook, and that’s all I know.' So that’s the 'in' for the episode.

"Mrs C (played by Tessa Peake-Jones) refers to him as 'a swarthy gentleman, not from these climes', so we deal with that.

"This whole peaceful, hospitable village is flipped on its side as people’s true thoughts and feelings are laid out on the table. This new energy has entered the village."

While each episode of the new season will feature guest stars, the confirmed cast list for Grantchester season 9 so far is as follows:

• Tom Brittney as Will Davenport
• Robson Greene as Geordie Keating
• Rishi Nair as Alphy Kotteram
• Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie
• Al Weaver as Leonard Finch
• Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs C
• Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating
• Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe
• Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman
• Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters
• Melissa Johns as Miss Scott

What happened at the end of Grantchester season 8?

Well, season 8 dealt with the emotional rollercoaster that Will was going through after being involved in a tragic motorcycle accident.

We saw how the vicar reached his lowest point, turning to pills to self-medicate and ending up bloodied and beaten up in a random police station away from home in the season 8 finale.

Geordie was understandably disappointed in Will, but the two were quickly embroiled in a murder case after a local farming couple were found stabbed to death. In the dramatic fallout, Will is abducted but eventually finds out truth behind the murders.

Returning back to the village, Will is determined to put his recent rocky past behind him and seeks forgiveness from his wife Bonnie, just as she goes into labour.

The finale also saw the vendetta that DCI Elliot Scott (Michael D Xavier) has against Leonard reach a new uneasy level as the police officer got Leonard arrested and raided his halfway house. The episode then sees Elliot hit Leonard in a shock scene.

Because of his use of excessive force, Elliot is reported to the commander by Larry (Bradley Hall) and tells Geordie that his retirement hasn't been accepted as Elliot is being forced to transfer. So, in good news, Geordie is here to stay!

The final scenes are of Will and Bonnie's newborn son James being baptised, and while giving his sermon, we also see that Leonard has been successful in keeping his halfway house from being closed and it remains a safe haven for others.

Things certainly turned around for Will by the end of the season, with his sermon of hope driving forward some positivity for the new season to come.

Grantchester season 9 plot: What will happen?

While things ended on a high note for our main characters, we do know that season 9 will likely be an emotional one as the village (and viewers) have to bid farewell to Will and his family.

The synopsis for season 9 reads: "It’s 1961 and life is good for Will and Geordie. The families are always together, from Sunday lunches to planning summer holidays and with honorary Grandparents Mrs C and Jack, and adopted uncles Daniel and Leonard, it’s one big happy family!

"But when Will is approached with a life-changing offer, can he leave Grantchester, and Geordie, behind?

"As Geordie struggles with personal loss and ever-growing family conflict between Cathy and teenage daughter, Esme he has no one to turn to. But when he arrests an intruder breaking into the Vicarage, he may find his days of working with a Vicar are not over."

It continues: "Reverend Alphy Kotteram has an instinctive distrust for authority and absolutely no desire to get involved in murder investigations.

"But Alphy and Geordie will discover they have a lot more in common than they first think, and Alphy will find that in Grantchester, murder is never far away.

"From deadly circuses, abandoned babies, and hostile historians to vanishing valets and murderous satirists, together, Geordie and Alphy witness first-hand how religion can be corrupted, but also how faith, love and friendship can offer hope – and renewal."

Is there a trailer for Grantchester season 9?

Yes - you can watch the trailer right now.

Enjoy it below.

Grantchester season 9 will begin airing on ITV1 on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 9pm.

Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guideto find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.