Overview: 1958: Rev. Will Davenport is at odds with his own ideals when Leonard Finch is caught up in a scandal. It will take all of Will’s skill and empathy to navigate the choppy waters and help the ones he loves.

DVD Verdict: It’s 1958 and trouble is brewing in the Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester. Reverend Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) relishes his role as a firebrand vicar, willing to rock the boat and challenge conventions to help people, but the very role he loves puts him at odds with his own ideals when his kind-hearted curate, Leonard Finch (Al Weaver) is caught up in a scandal.

Will’s best friend, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), finds his principles shaken, housekeeper Mrs. Chapman (Tessa Peake-Jones) is distraught, and Geordie’s wife Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) is defiant.

With eight new crimes around every corner, and morality and legality at loggerheads, for my money, the lovely, peaceful Grantchester started off as a typical English countryside mystery series. Not great, not bad, but always suffering from the miscasting of the pleasant but flat Morven Christie, who somehow is supposed to be the object of every man’s affection!

But as the show developed, it became more and more about James Norton, whose star rose quickly (and who was also once in contention for the role of the new James Bond, I’ll have you know).

But as he progressed through the series, sadly the show weakened, the mysteries waned, and instead we saw Norton taking his shirt off, constantly; chopping wood bare chested, for no reason; getting into fist fights, ridiculously get drunk off his ass for no good reason each and every night!

However, once Norton left for better roles, the show improved, turning into more of a psychological drama about the leading characters; they become more and more real and the mysteries less and less important.

Now we have Tom Brittney as Will Davenport and as much as he seemed weak as water in the opening introduction to us (via one of Norton’s last episodes), he subsequently became not just Norton’s able-bodied replacement, but made the Vicar a much more interesting character with a much better written back story.

I mean sure, they have him taking his shirt off here and there, having sex all over the shop (even with a Nun!), and drinking much like Norton, but there’s something more grounded here with this Vicar, in my humble opinion.

In conclusion, the eight new episodes (which bring us up nicely to date on what has been aired) are tight one, fun ones, thought-provoking ones and even tag in actual events that were happening back in the day.

A few red herrings thrown into the mix for good measure, and a little home front trouble for Geordie all means that come the final episode you will all be begging for the new series to start!

Oh, and as for those inquiring, all in all, there is a pay-off in the stories of Leonard, Mrs. Chapman, Geordie, and even Cathy, so hang on in there! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.