Everything to Remember Ahead of 'Grantchester' Season 9

Once upon a time, in a little town called Grantchester in 1954, a vicar named Sidney Chambers (James Norton) had just finished officiating a funeral when he was asked to look into the death to see if it was really a suicide. His investigation brought him face-to-face with the local Detective Inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), and a beautiful friendship was born. Geordie became friends not just with Sidney but with the Vicarage housekeeper, the widowed Mrs. Sylvia Maguire (Tessa Peake-Jones), and the closeted curate Leonard Finch (Al Weaver).

Sidney and Geordie fed off each others' issues. Sidney was nursing a broken heart because the upper-class girl he carried a torch for, Amanda Kendall (Morven Christie), was engaged to a suitable rich fiance, and he was going to officiate the wedding. Geordie was married to Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth), and they were struggling to raise four children on a shoestring budget. His stress led him to an affair with the office secretary, Margaret (Selin Hizli), and nearly ended his marriage; Sidney, who was womanizing (including also sleeping with Margaret!) to try and forget Amanda, became his drinking buddy, a less-than-ideal helper to fix it.

Amanda's marriage to Guy Hopkins (Tom Austen) fell apart quickly, and she was disowned by her father (Pip Torrens) for divorcing him. After giving birth during the series' only Christmas special, she and Sidney hook up, as he struggles to balance his faith while technically sleeping with a married woman. Leonard also falls in love with photographer Daniel (Oliver Dimsdale), and, in a panic, gets engaged to a woman on the advice of the new Archdeacon, Gabriel Atubo (Gary Beadle). Mrs. M also falls in love with the rich Jack Chapman (Nick Brimble) but admits she's not widowed, just abandoned. Luckily, her husband, who ran away with the Romani, turns up dead, freeing her to become Mrs. C.