Robson Green and Tom Brittany return for series 6 of Grantchester. Photo: ITV

It’s amazing how just three words can make one happy these days as long as they are the right three words and in the right order. ‘Grantchester is back’ doesn’t quite erase all that 2020 has unleashed on Planet Earth but it does give us something to look forward to in the coming months.

Filming is underway in Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Hertfordshire with Robson Green and Tom Brittney reprising their respective roles as DI Geordie Keating and Reverend Will Davenport. It’s pretty clear that the DI and the Reverend are pretty psyched about returning to the streets of Grantchester.

Alongside Green and Brittany, Tessa Peake-Jones is expected to return as Miss Chapman and Al Weaver will once again play Leonard Finch, while Kacey Ainsworth (Cathy Keating), Oliver Dimsdale (Daniel Marlowe) and Nick Brimble (Jack Chapman) will also reprise their roles. A number of special guest stars have been confirmed for the series, including Jemma Redgrave, Gary Beadle, Dominic Mafham, Rachael Stirling, Miles Jupp and Rebecca Front.

While little is known at this point about the forthcoming sixth series, producers hinted that the new series will first see drama unfold at a holiday camp, saying: “In the first episode of the new series, Geordie, Cathy and their family, Will, Leonard and Mrs C take a much needed holiday together. However, what sets out to be a fun-filled break for everyone at a holiday camp, is interrupted by a tragic death at the resort. Geordie and Will are left with no choice but to help out, as an investigation into the death begins. As events unfold on the trip, there will be serious repercussions for the rest of the series.’

Adapted from James Runcie’s Grantchester Mysteries novels, Grantchester will return in 2021 on ITV and PBS!