Grantchester fans really don't want Tom Brittney to leave as they share reactions

Although his exit won't come until later in the run, we were given a tease of his departure in the season opener, when he was called for a meeting by the bishop to offer him a new inner-city post in Newcastle, a "bigger parish, with tougher challenges".

His initial reaction was to say no, but his view had changed by the end of the episode and his exit is now imminent.

Viewers are already bracing themselves for the sad departure, with many fans taking to social media to make their opinions clear.

"It's so good to have #Grantchester back. @tombrittney will already be missed," one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), while another added: "I’m not ready for change, can’t you stay Will?"

Meanwhile, a third viewer said: "It shows how mentally unprepared I am for next week because that end scene already made me emotional."

It's not just fans who have been emotional about the exit, with the cast and crew also revealing that they found it tough to say goodbye to Britney.

"There was no acting required when that day came to say goodbye to Tom," long-time star Robson Green said. "We hadn't even started the scene and we were in bits."

And series creator Daisy Coulam added "Everyone was in bits behind the camera too. Everyone was balling their eyes out."

But although fans across the board are clearly sad to see Brittney go, the good news is that a brand new character is stepping in to take his place, with Rishi Nair joining the cast as new vicar Alphy Kotteram.

Speaking in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, Nair revealed how he sought advice from Brittney ahead of his first scenes – and it turns out he got some very valuable tips.

He laughed: "He gave me some great advice about working on the show, and a lot of advice on looking after Robson Green! I’m sure that advice came from James [Norton] initially, and has worked its way to me now."

Grantchester airs on Wednesdays on ITV1 and ITVX.

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