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| Title: | Grantchester: Series One |
| Starring: | James Norton, Robson Green |
| Genre: | Detective Drama |
| Number of Episodes: | 6 |
| Channel: | ITV |
| Certificate: | UK: 15 |
| Release Date: | UK: December 1 2014 |
| See If You Like: | Inspector Morse, Cadfael. |
Detective dramas have been a staple of the ITV schedule for years, and always seem to prove popular; with efforts such as The Bill, Midsomer Murders, Inspector Morse, Lewis, and A Touch of Frost being amongst the best known, and most loved to date; and Grantchester looks set to continue the tradition of ITV producing high quality British detective dramas for murder-mystery loving fans.
Based on James Runchie’s The Grantchester Mysteries novels, Grantchester takes place in a sleepy 1950s village where, following the apparent suicide of a member of his flock, a local war hero turned vicar (James Norton, Rush) turns his mind to crime-solving, and teams up with a grumpy and reluctant detective (Robson Green, Soldier Soldier) to form an unlikely crime-fighting duo.
It’s not the most original idea; having two starkly different male leads join together in order to solve crimes, bouncing various characters traits off one another as they do, setting it in a sleepy town, and even having a whiskey-drinking lead with a number of vices (the vicar does like his drink, and has a way with women) out their solving murders seemingly no-one else ever could; but somehow Grantchester retains an undeniable charm which makes it inexplicably likeable.
The likability of the show mainly emanates from it’s two leading actors, as Robson Green delivers another solid, ITV-friendly, performance as the gruff middle-aged detective; effectively delivering both the comedy and harsher sides of his character when needs be (even if the writing does sometimes leave him a little slap-dash and not quite as dark as he could be), and James Norton is both charming and believable as the quizzical young priest, and most importantly he’s undeniably mother-able; the sort of nice young boy your granny would love to bring in for a cup of tea and an eccles cake.
And that’s not a bad thing, because the setting, the in-built prejudices, the clean cut nature of those involved and the clear morals of the investigators work to perfectly please and entertain Grantchester’s key audience; the ageing Morse crowd who either remember the Grantchester days, or simply long for simpler times once again, and love the idea, spice, and puzzle behind a good murder-mystery.
Though at the end of the day, who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? We’re hard wired to pick at puzzles, and strive to get to the bottom of perplexing cases, and the cases which form the backbone of Grantchester are varied, interesting, and as good as any TV drama you’re likely to see at the moment. They may not be as intricate, flamboyant, or off-the-wall as Jonathan Creek, as violent as CSI, or as clever as BBC’s Sherlock, but with Grantchester you get exactly what you expect; solid, well made, ITV drama.
It’s cliched; right down to the setting, the dialogue, and getting all the suspects together in a room for the big reveal at the end of the episode or having an everyday experience bring forth an epiphany; but with decent mysteries, high production values, and two solid lead actors, Grantchester’s the perfect Tuesday evening, or Sunday afternoon, viewing. Green and Norton have great chemistry, and Grantchester is not only a worthy successor to Morse (effectively blending the best of Morse and Cadfael), but a great Christmas gift for your Gran, and anyone else who loves a good detective drama.
