Grantchester star Robson Green tells What's on TV that there's a rocky road ahead for the crime-fighting clergyman and his loyal detective sidekick...
Robson Green has hinted about what's to come for vicar Sidney Chambers and sidekick Inspector Geordie Keating in the upcoming series of Grantchester.
Robson's detective Geordie is back alongside James Norton's crime-fighting clergyman Sidney Chambers to investigate more murders in the otherwise seemingly idyllic village of Grantchester, as the 50s-set drama returns for its third series next week.
Starting on Sunday, the new series picks up from last year's Christmas special, which saw Sidney's true love Amanda Hopkins (Morven Christie) give birth to a baby daughter, Grace, fathered by estranged husband, Guy (Tom Austen).
Robson Green as Inspector Geordie Keating, alongside James Norton as vicar Sidney Chambers
Talking exclusively to What's on TV, Robson revealed: "We come into series three and we find Sidney and Geordie in a state of denial. Sidney's embarking on a relationship with a married woman, in the 50s, who just happens to have a child to another man. Geordie, on the other hand, has embarked on a campaign that's destroying everything precious that’s in his life."
Robson went on: "He feels like he is paralysed with the burden of guilt and routine and his marriage and his children, and he focuses his life on someone else. So, slowly but surely, he starts to destroy that really precious thing, the only thing that he knows."
And Robson revealed that Geordie and Sidney's complicated love lives result in the otherwise close friends soon locking horns…
"In their attempts to give each other advice, it's absolutely futile. They’re not qualified becaue they're both doing something wrong," said Robson. "But there is a desperate need for one another, a genuine affection for one another and, the way they’re behaving, is jeopardising that central heart of the piece. That's always good to play and it's great ingredients for quality drama."
Sidney and Geordie might argue on screen - but James and Robson are great friends off it
Robson believed his close friendship with James off-screen was key to Grantchester’s success.
“We get on well behind the camera and I think that shows in front of it,” he said. “We both share the same comedic timing, we never analyse it, we don’t talk about it, we don’t work hard at it, it’s just there. And if we have to go again [for another take], it’s because we’re having too much fun… seriously, too much laughing.”
So it should come as no surprise that Robson was thrilled when Grantchester was commissioned for a third series.
"Diederick Santer, who’s our executive producer, called Grantchester his 'happy place' and I know what he means," said Robson. "It's very rare you get offered a job or a third series of something and you are genuinely, to the core, really happy that it's going to a third series.
"A lot of the mistakes I've made in my career have been financially based; you know you're only doing something for the money. This, absolutely not. No way."
Grantchester starts on Sunday, April 23 at 9pm on ITV.
