The beloved period crime drama Grantchester makes its highly anticipated return to ITV tonight, Wednesday 7th January 2026, for the launch of its landmark tenth series. This comes after the recent announcement that the show will conclude after one more season, marking the beginning of the end for a series that has captivated audiences since its 2014 debut.
A Global Phenomenon Returns
Set in the 1950s Cambridgeshire village of Grantchester, the show follows the unique crime-solving partnership between an Anglican vicar and a local police detective. The new series sees Robson Green reprising his role as DI Geordie Keating, with Rishi Nair returning as Reverend Alphy Kottaram. The ensemble cast also features familiar faces including Al Weaver, Tessa Peake-Jones, and Kacey Ainsworth.
The drama has built a substantial global following, available for viewers in both the UK on ITV and ITVX, and in the US via PBS Masterpiece. Fans have taken to platforms like Reddit to praise the series, with one calling it a "must-watch for superb acting and writing" and another describing it as a "real historical saga about life with its joys and problems."
Secrets and Fractures in Paradise
In a recent discussion about the new series, Robson Green hinted at significant turmoil ahead for the close-knit community of Grantchester. He revealed that the dynamic between Geordie and Alphy will be severely tested by a long-buried secret coming to light.
"What you have to do... at the start, it's always this kind of metaphorical Garden of Eden. Everybody's in a good place, and what you have to do... is fracture those relationships," Green explained. He elaborated that a lie Alphy has been carrying since his arrival in Grantchester finally "comes to the surface in series ten, which has a profound effect on their relationship and really fractures the family of Grantchester."
The Beginning of the End
With the confirmation that the eleventh series will be its last, this tenth run marks a pivotal moment for the long-running show. The producers, led by writer Daisy Coulam, are clearly intent on raising the stakes for all characters, using both the central crimes and personal circumstances to create compelling drama.
As the series returns tonight, viewers can expect the usual blend of intricate period murder mysteries, but underpinned by deeper, more personal conflicts that threaten to tear the community apart. For fans of character-driven drama with a historical setting, Grantchester series 10 promises to be an unmissable chapter in the show's celebrated history.
