When I first heard the premise of
Grantchester—local vicar develops an interest in sleuthing—I remember thinking: dear God, not another do-gooding religious character solving mysteries. Hasn't this been done before, like, a dozen times? And whilst 'a dozen times' may be something of an exaggeration, anyone who's seen
Cadfael,
Father Brown, or
The Father Dowling Mysteries must surely sympathise. This just
isn't a novel concept. I mean, it
is the concept for
some novels (if in doubt, check out Ellis Peters, Ralph McInerny, or G.K. Chesterton's bibliographies), but this really shouldn't have been the foundation for such an outstanding show.
