Grantchester season 8 cast: who is in series cast with Charlotte Ritchie - has release date been postponed?

The latest season of ITV crime drama Grantchester, set in the quiet Cambridgeshire town at the start of the 1960s, arrives on our screens this spring. The show, based on the novel series by James Runcie has been on air for almost a decade and has proven very popular.

The latest season of the show began filming on location in Grantchester last August, with the main series cast returning and new guest stars joining the show. 

Season eight will feature everything from speedway racing to Cold War drama. Speaking to WhatToWatch, series star Robson Green said: "I’ve just watched the episodes actually and they’re as strong as ever. 

"Everybody is at the top of their game and I just feel so fortunate that I’m nearly 60 and I’m making a living out of doing something like Grantchester. It’s a lovely show to do and as I enter the last third of my life I just want to do jobs that are fun and with people I love working with."

Who is in the cast of Grantchester season 8?

Robson Green is set to return as Geordie Keating, the wiley Cambridgeshire police officer. He is ready to kick off the new decade with new intriguing cases, but he faces competition from young blood at the station. Green has starred in plenty of TV dramas including Touching Evil. and Wire in the Blood. His other TV credits include Mount Pleasant, Rocket Man, Northern Lights, City Lights, and Waterloo Road,  

Tom Brittney will also be back as Rev. Will Davenport, a maverick vicar who has found his groove working alongside Keating, helping him on his investigations. Brittney’s previous roles include playing Ken in mystery miniseries The Five, and Roger Lockwood in the final series of UnReal.

Charlotte Ritchie will reprise her role as Bonnie following her show debut in season seven. Bonnie is the wife of Keating’s wife and over the course of the previous season she formed a relationship with Davenport. Ritchie is best known for her comic roles, having appeared in sitcoms Fresh Meat and Ghosts, and game show Taskmaster, but has recently taken on more dramatic parts, starring in Call the Midwife and the latest season of You.

Other season eight cast members include:

• Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs Chapman

• Al Weaver as Leonard Finch

• Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating

• Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe 

• Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman.

• Shaun Dingwall

• Jeff Rawle 

• Jemima Rooper

How many episodes are there in Grantchester season 8?

Like the previous season, series eight of Grantchester will be made up of six 45-minute episodes which will air weekly.

When is the release date of Grantchester season 8?

An official release date for season eight of Grantchester has not yet been confirmed, but the series is expected to air on ITV1 and ITVX this spring. 

ITV had previously announced that the series would be released this month but later removed the show from the schedule. Watch this space for updates on the release date of Grantchester season eight.

Has the Grantchester season 8 release date been postponed?

Yes, Grantchester season eight was originally expected to arrive on ITV and ITVX late this month, a year after season seven debuted, but we now know that this is not the case. 

ITV has not given a reason for the change in schedule. Crime drama Redemption will air in the Friday night slot that Grantchester was expected to occupy. It may be that Grantchester’s release has been delayed because of the number of crime dramas currently airing on ITV - other similar shows airing weekly include Grace, Unforgotten, and The Bay.