The Cast of Grantchester Season 8
The Grantchester gang is back in action for Season 8! Reacquaintance yourself with the beloved stars of the series, like Tom Brittney, Robson Green, Al Weaver, and more. Plus, get some teasers of what’s ahead in the all-new season for our favorite (growing) found family: the Davenports, the Keatings, the Chapmans, and Leonard and Daniel.
Grantchester Season 8 is airing on Sundays at 9/8c, now through August 6, 2023.
[Contains spoilers from Season 8, Episode 1]
- 1.
Tom Brittney as Will Davenport
The Actor: Audiences may recognize Brittney from his portrayal of Jack Rawle in Season 3 of Call the Midwife or as fan-favorite Lieutenant Jeremy Foster in the first two seasons of Outlander. Film fans may also have spotted him alongside his idol Tom Hanks in the film Greyhound (2020).
The Character: Brittney plays Will Davenport, vicar extraordinaire, one half of the dynamic crime-solving duo in town and, now, family man. Will’s dreams came true in Season 7 when he married Cathy’s sassy niece Bonnie Evans and officially took on the role of stepfather to Ernie. But can such bliss last forever?
Season 8: “Things are good, but it’s Grantchester. Things are always good…and then they’re not,” Brittney teased.
The season kicks off with the very happy news that the Davenport family is expanding. A wife, a stepson, a baby on the way…Will’s dreams have come true. But when he’s is involved in a motorbike accident that leaves a man dead, he finds himself questioning not only his faith, but himself.
“Will has spent his entire life trying to be the best person he can,” Brittney said. “And now he’s done one of the greatest sins that you can ever do. So the rest of the [season] is [everyone] trying to see how he puts his life back together after that.”
News: Sadly, Season 9 will be the last for Brittney, who joined the series in Season 4. (However, Grantchester won’t be without a vicar once he steps away — actor Rishi Nair will don the robes as new vicar Alphy Kotteram!)
- 2.
Robson Green as Geordie Keating
The Actor: Aside from his work on Grantchester and Soldier Soldier, Green is also recognized for roles in Touching Evil and Reckless, as well as his numerous outdoor adventuring specials, like Robson Green: Walking Coast to Coast. He also appeared in the series Being Human alongside Poldark star Aidan Turner.
The Character: Green plays Geordie Keating, the gruff yet lovable detective in town and the other half of the crime-fighting duo (with good pal Will). He’s had his bumps in the road, and he may not always be the perfect, but he never stops trying. Reunited with Cathy and basking in joy for Will and Bonnie at the end of Season 7 seemed like happily ever for Geordie…or was it?
Season 8: This season, Geordie finds himself in perhaps his toughest work situation yet. “There are three things that are really important to Geordie in his life, and without them, he can’t function. Cathy, the kids and his work,” Green said. “At the start of the [season], one of those starts to be threatened… His superiors have decided that they want him removed, they’re gunning for him, and they can move Geordie wherever they want and whenever they want. If he argues it, they’ll make life very difficult for him.”
And yes, eight seasons in, Green is happy as ever working on the beloved series. Well, except for one thing, perhaps. While he admitted “there are lovely people to work around” on set, he confessed that “Tom [Brittney] can be a bit of a nightmare…”
- 3.
Al Weaver as Leonard Finch
The Actor: Weaver is no stranger to longtime MASTERPIECE fans! Weaver played journalist James Edwards in Press and an antiquities museumemployee in Sherlock’s “The Blind Banker” episode. He’s also known for his role in the hit film Colette alongside Poldark star Eleanor Tomlinson, Baptiste and Mrs. Wilson star Fiona Shaw, and Les Misérables star Dominic West.
The Character: Weaver plays Leonard Finch, former curate, romantic partner of photographer Daniel Marlowe, and champion for those in need.
Season 8: After deciding to step away from the café business at the end of Season 7, Leonard and Daniel find themselves on a new path in Season 8. They begin running a halfway house for those struggling with addiction and mental health. But will Leonard find himself in over his head (again)? And can he find a balance between his work and his relationship with Daniel? Only time will tell.
Fun Fact: This season, Weaver found himself taking on another role in the Grantchester world as a director! The actor who has been with the series from the very first episode stepped behind the camera (while also acting) for Episode 3, which airs on Sunday, July 23 at 9/8c.
“When you’re thinking about directing, you kind of think, well, what kind of person do I want to be? What kind of director do I want to be?” said Weaver of his directorial debut. “So a lot of that was thinking, what are my sensibilities? I felt quite responsible to come in with energy and be prepared and be open to things, but [also] have a plan. I spoke to a lot of directors who gave me really good bits of advice.”
- 4.
Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs. C.
The Actor: Some may recognize Peake-Jones from her role in Season 1 of Unforgotten, but she’s also known for her work in the 1980 film Pride and Prejudice and the series Only Fools and Horses.
The Character: Peake-Jones returns as the steadfast, strict, caring and above all supportive matriarch of the group, Mrs. Chapman (née Maguire). After a harrowing Season 7 for Mrs. C., the formidable woman feels like she has a new lease on life and “she’s going to grab every minute as it comes along and appreciate life.”
Season 8: Mrs. C. is back on her feet and once again stepping into the role of pseudo-parent to Will and Leonard. But with Will and Bonnie now married, Mrs. C. is no longer the Vicarage housekeeper, which leaves her feeling “slightly at a loss.” Peake-Jones explained, “Bonnie is now there, she’s looking after Will, Leonard has his own life at the halfway house, so she is not quite placed anywhere.” Her work “gave her a sense of purpose.”
Even so, she remains a steadfast presence in all their lives, being there for her loved ones, whether they like it or not. After all, where would any of them be without her?
(Watch our video recap of Mrs. C’s Season 7 journey.)
- 5.
Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating
The Actor: Ainsworth played the long-suffering Little Mo in the British soap opera EastEnders and also previously appeared in the popular police procedural, Holby Blue. She also took the role of kind Miss Gullet in the children’s program, The Worst Witch.
The Character: Ainsworth returns as Cathy Keating, the fierce, strong-willed wife of Geordie, mother to the Keating brood, and now a proud working woman.
Season 8: Cathy’s feeling happy and whole once again after reuniting with Geordie and recommitting to their marriage. That joy is only amplified by the news of Bonnie and Will’s blossoming family. But when Geordie’s career is threatened and Will fights a war with himself, Cathy is determined to help rather than stand on the sidelines.
Ainsworth, for one, believes Cathy is suited well for the job of keeping her loved ones afloat. “She’s quite pragmatic and she’s quite blunt sometimes, as well,” she explained. “And I think that’s a good thing… She’s a good person to have on your side because she will tell you the truth. She will pull you up if she thinks you are not behaving well.”
(Refresh yourself with a video on Geordie and Cathy’s Season 7 journey here.)
- 6.
Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie Davenport
The Actor: In early 2023, Ritchie starred in the fourth season of the hit Netflix series You as the newest love interest of main character (and serial killer) Joe, played by Penn Badgley. She also returned to her recurring role as Alison Cooper in the TV series Ghosts (though Alison is not a ghost, just someone who can see them).
The Character: Ritchie returns in Season 8 as the new Mrs. Bonnie Davenport, Will’s equal in life and love, loyal mother to Ernie, and now, mother-to-be yet again!
Season 8: The new Mr. and Mrs. Davenport are still very much living in bliss and excited as ever about bringing a new sibling for Ernie into the mix! While Bonnie doesn’t exactly love all the responsibilities of a vicar’s wife, she does love Will, and that’s all there is to it. But when Will finds himself at the center of tragedy while also growing increasingly nervous about the daunting prospect of fatherhood, anxiety spikes for Bonnie, too.
While things may be bumpy at home in the Vicarage, however, Bonnie has other relationships that are hitting their stride — those with Mrs. C. and her aunt Cathy. “She seems to have slotted in pretty well,” Ritchie said of the gang accepting Bonnie (and Ernie!). “In fact, what I love about this series is there’s quite a lot of major solidarity between the women in the show. Cathy and Mrs. C. and Bonnie form quite a formidable trio.”
(Check out a video recap of Will and Bonnie’s love story.)
- 7.
Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe
The Actor: Dimsdale has joined the cast of Hotel Portofino in Season 2 as Henry Bowater, an old acquaintance of Bella Ainsworth (Natascha McElhone; The Truman Show, Californication, The Crown).
The Character: Dimsdale returns as Daniel Marlowe the ever loving, supportive, grounding partner to Leonard, talented photographer, and (finally) fully accepted member of the Grantchester family.
Season 8: Leonard and Daniel embark on a new adventure as they open a halfway house for those who in the community who need a chance at rehabilitation. But as Leonard pours more and more of himself into helping others and puts his own needs on the back burner, Daniel finds himself more concerned than ever about those who may seek to take advantage of Leonard’s kindness. How will their relationship fare this latest endeavor, noble as it may be?
