Why James Norton leaves the show

Grantchester returns to PBS July 14, but the first will be a sweet sour for fans of the British crime drama. James Norton, who plays Vicar Sidney Chambers in the series, moves on and a new cloth man has arrived to take his place at Grantchester Rectory. But will he be able to replace the Anglican-loving jazz-loving and crime-solving priest of everyone?

Why James Norton leaves 'Grantchester'

Norton played in Grantchester since 2014. When he joined the crime drama produced in the UK by ITV, he had only a handful of credits to his credit, including supporting roles in such films as An education and Pretty and the television series Death comes to Pemberley.

Since then, Norton's star is on the rise. He played the violent rapist Tommy Lee Royce in the drama of the BBC Happy Valley, which earned him praise (plus some death threats), which played in a 2016 television adaptation of War and peace, and appeared in a memorable episode of Black mirror, "Nosedive". In 2018, he landed a leading role in McMafia, a co-production of the BBC and the AMC where he plays the son of a British-born British criminal. Later this year he will play John Brooke in Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Little woman alongside Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep and Emma Watson.

With more opportunities beckoning – there are even rumors that it could be the next James Bond – Norton decided that it was time to move on to something else Grantchester. It did not hurt him to think that the story of his character had come to a natural conclusion.

"It was a combination of things [why I chose to leave]Norton told Radio Times. "Amanda's plot, as she did with Sidney and her separation, and the choice of the church in the third set seemed a natural conclusion to Sidney's story."

"It seemed better to pbad the torch to someone else and give Grantchester a new injection of energy," he added.

How Norton wanted the story of his character to end

Fans will have to log in to see exactly what drives Sidney Chambers to leave Grantchester for good. One thing we know is that the producers did not accept Norton's suggestion of killing his character.

"I've had some light talk with some of the producers who have come up with dramatic, absurd and wacky versions of his release," he told Radio Times. "I wanted Sidney to be a victim of a horrific murder and the new vicar should then investigate the crime."

Tom Britteny to replace Norton on 'Grantchester'

Norton is still here for the first part of Grantchester Season 4. But in the middle of the season, he will leave. The new actor, Tom Britteny, will badume the role of minister to the Grantchester faithful – and resolve the various crimes in the village, with the help of detective Geordie Keating (Robson Green).

Britteny (that viewers can recognize from Unreal and Outlander) plays Will Davenport, the rebellious young vicar with a dark past who succeeds Sidney Chambers. The actor knows that the Norton character will be missed by his fans, but he hopes they will accept the change. He told Arizona Republic that having both characters side by side in the first episode of the season would make the transition easier.

"I'm so happy that the writer handled it that way," Brittney said. "People really like James Norton. You do not want it to be: "OK, today, the guy you love is gone, so get used to this new guy." It could have gone wrong. "

Grantchester Season 4 begins July 14 at 9 / 8c.

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