ITV Grantchester fans make feelings clear on Tom Brittney replacement after ‘heartbreaking’ exit: ‘Not the same!’
ITV favourite Grantchester continued on Wednesday, with new reverend Alphy Kottaram (played by Rishi Nair) making his debut.
Kottaram is the third actor to take on the role of the village staple, with Tom Brittney having made a “heartbreaking” exit as Will Davenport last week. Prior to Brittney’s stint on the show, James Norton featured as Sidney Chambers.
Fans of the period drama were devastated by Will’s departure, with the character’s emotional farewell to DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green) leaving them in tears.
A Radio Times synopsis for the latest episode read: “Following the departure of Will Davenport, Grantchester has a new vicar in the form of Alphy Kottaram but Geordie manages to get off on the wrong foot with him.
“The pair soon find themselves teaming up to investigate the murder of a local landowner.”
With Will having become such a beloved character in the series, some fans were unsure of the new vicar, with some arguing the show “isn’t the same” without Will.
Sharing their first thoughts on the new vicar, viewers had mixed responses on social media. Although some thought the new character seemed promising, many were missing Tom Brittney’s Will.
One penned on X: “I’m still missing Will. It’s not the same without him but yes Alphy is growing on me and it’s hilarious #Grantchester.”
“I don’t dislike Alphy at all, I just can’t get over Will not being here. I will, eventually, I’m just still in denial that he’s gone,” a second admitted.
A third shared: “We’re all pining for Will,” while another commented: “Don’t think I’ll be used to Will not being around for a while.”
“I’m sorry, Alphy is fine but please bring back Will! It is just not the same without him!” one fan wrote.
However, some took to Alphy very quickly, labelling him a “lovely addition”.
One posted: “#grantchester I love this new vicar already!”
“This new vicar is a breath of fresh air! Such a lovely addition to the cast!” someone else remarked. (sic)
Sadly for Alphy, he was met with a somewhat frosty welcome by the village, a feature that actor Nair touched on in a recent interview with press.
Detailing how reactions to Alphy’s race would be explored upon his arrival, Nair explained: “This was the first time I did any period [drama] and, for me, it was really important that we did address that and that it was played out in the series.
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“I think we would have really missed the trick and not played the truth of society if I just came into 1962 Rochester and everyone’s just absolutely lovely to me and no one bats an eyelid because that’s not what would have happened.”
Reflecting on filming his goodbye scenes with Brittney, Green explained to GB News and other press: “Tom’s a very close friend, and when that day came to say goodbye to him, there was no acting required – we hadn’t even started the scene and we were in bits.
“It was a really tough day to film, but it’s a beautiful scene, a beautiful goodbye.”