ITV bosses nearly killed off Robson Green's character in the final series of Grantchester, but a change of heart gave him a happy ending instead.
Geordie's fate
For 12 years, viewers have followed Geordie Keating, played by Robson Green, as the crime-solving detective in the Cambridgeshire village. The show, set in the 1950s and 60s, paired Green with three different vicar sidekicks: Sidney Chambers (James Norton), William Davenport (Tom Brittney), and Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair).
The 11th series was announced last year as the last, following the end of Vera after 14 years. The series hasn't aired in the UK yet, but US viewers on PBS have seen that Geordie nearly dies after being shot, though he survives.
Writers' change of heart
Screenwriter Daisy Coulam told the Mirror: "I mean the amount of times we tried to be like, ‘He should die. He should definitely die’. I mean he died probably about four times in the story meeting and we just couldn't do it. It would just be too big."
She added: "You're like ‘No, because you need that moment at the end’. You need hope and you need joy because it's a (platonic) love story and you need your two lovers alive at the end, I think."
Next project
Green has moved on to a new BBC crime series, Northumbria Mysteries, filmed in Northumberland and North Tyneside. He plays Joe Ruby, an ex-convict and gambler, who teams up with DI Rose O'Connell (Liz White) to solve crimes. Filming has wrapped, with locations including Alnwick, Morpeth, Rothbury, and The Red Lion pub in Earsdon.
