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Departed Grantchester star Tom Brittney gives his thoughts on show ending: "A beautiful goodbye"
The ITV crime drama is coming to an end with its 11th season.
Kudos/Masterpiece
- James Hibbs
Published: Wednesday, 8 July 2026 at 6:00 am
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It's been a year since it was confirmed that beloved ITV crime drama Grantchester would be coming to an end with its upcoming 11th season, and now series icon Tom Brittney has given his thoughts.
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Brittney, who also directed on the series, played Grantchester parish priest Will Davenport from the show's fourth season, after James Norton departed his role as Sidney Chambers. He left the drama in season 9 in 2024, with Rishi Nair taking on the priest role as Alphy Kotteram.
Recently, Brittney spoke with Radio Times about new MGM+ crime drama The Westies, in which he stars alongside JK Simmons.
When asked for his reaction to Grantchester coming to an end, Brittney said: "Oh, I was both heartbroken, in the sense of like, it was one of the longest running shows I think that ITV had had in that way.
"And so I was very proud of the creators. Because I know after James Norton left, they were like, 'We'll try and get a new guy, it'll probably fail, but we'll try it,’ and so there's no pressure on me to try and keep it going. And then luckily, it did, and I did six or seven wonderful series of that, and I loved it. It will always be a special place in my heart."
Brittney continued: "And then Rishi taking over - I thought was he was just brilliant, and I got to direct him a bit as well, which was just fascinating, seeing the person in your old job and going, ‘I used to do this.’ But he carried the show to a beautiful ending.
"I was actually at the wrap party at the end of last year to say goodbye, and me, James, and Rishi were all there, and it was a beautiful goodbye to a beautiful show that I think people will always remember fondly."
Grantchester season 11 is currently already airing on Masterpiece in the US, while it is expected to arrive on this side of the pond on ITV in 2027.
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Brittney's new series, The Westies, has been described as "a gritty and kinetic crime drama centring on New York City’s infamously violent Irish gang of the same name".
The synopsis for the series says that it "is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall."
The synopsis continues: "Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia."
Grantchester seasons 1-10 are available to stream on ITVX in the UK. The Westies will be available to stream exclusively on MGM+ from 12 July 2026 in the UK.
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Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
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