Grantchester is back on TV screens tonight but those viewers tuning in expecting to see new character Alphy Kottaram arrive in the village will be disappointed. While actor Rishi Nair has joined the cast as new vicar Alphy, he isn’t in the first episode and viewers will have to wait until the third episode before he makes his first appearance. First, it is time to say goodbye to beloved Reverend Will Davenport, played by Tom Brittney, who is leaving the series after five years of starring alongside Robson Green as DI Geordie Keating.
Tom announced his departure from the hit show by saying: “I’ve had the most incredible time playing Will Davenport for the last five years. I got to solve crimes with my best friend, and work with the best cast and crew I could ever ask for. I’ll miss it more than anything. But it’s time for the baton to be passed, as it once was to me, and I’m so excited for Rishi to join the Grantchester family.”.
Rishi, meanwhile, is thrilled to be joining the detective drama series. “The welcome and support I’ve received from everyone has been overwhelming. The success of the show and the reason we are here for a ninth season is a testament to all the people that have previously worked on it. I'm really excited to get started and cannot wait for the Grantchester fans to meet Alphy and to see all that's in store for him.”.
Rishi is best known for his role in Hollyoaks as lawyer Sam Maalik, and he has also appeared in Silent Witness, Count Abdulla and Whitstable Pearl. Joining Grantchester for the ninth series, he says he felt like “the new kid in school,” especially as production had already begun when he started filming.
