Why did Sidney Chambers leave Grantchester? Reasons behind the actor's sudden exit from the show

Sidney Chambers was the liked hero in Grantchester, an ITV hit show, a thrilling drama that fuses a mystery with the charm of a small English village. Portrayed by James Norton, Sidney was an Anglican vicar who had a talent for uncovering crimes alongside his close friend, Detective Inspector Geordie Keating.

However, he permanently left the town after the fourth season of the series. This unexpected departure has raised several queries among fans who became fond of his character.

Grantchester goes beyond solving crimes; it delves into human minds concerning religious beliefs as well as individual conflicts among others. So, why did James Norton, the actor who brought Sidney to life and was a central character to the show, decide to leave the show? In a 2019 interview with Masterpiece, Norton explained that the character has arrived at the conclusion and he decided to step away from Grantchester.

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Exploring the reasons behind Sydney Chambers leaving Grantchester

Norton felt that Sidney's story arc had come to a natural conclusion. He contended that the resolution of Amanda's problem and eventually his choosing her over church came across as like right place for him to stop. Norton stated to Masterpiece,

“It was a combination of things; the Amanda storyline tying up as it did with her and Sidney breaking up and him choosing the church in the third series felt like a natural conclusion to Sidney’s story.”

When preliminary talks regarding the fourth series were initiated, Norton stood at a crossroads: either pave the way for new adventures for Sidney or let another person take over from him. He chose the latter believing it would re-energize everything about it.

“Rather than do that it felt like it would be better to hand over the baton to someone else and give Grantchester a fresh injection of energy,” he said to Masterpiece.

Norton also pointed out that much of Grantchester had been seen through Sidney’s conflicted perspective, and he felt there was a limit to how deeply the show could continue to explore his character’s inner struggles.

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James Norton on Granchester's Sydney

For Sidney, Norton had imagined an intense and thrilling departure with a murder and a new vicar coming in to investigate it. However, the showrunners made it a more collaborative exit by introducing Reverend Will Davenport (played by Tom Brittney), who helps Sidney solve one last mystery before taking over as the new vicar.

Referring back to this scenario, Norton admitted that he was ready to take on other roles.

“It’s been a privilege to play such a wonderful character, but I feel like there are other vicars, other conflicted souls to explore," he remarked.

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Who takes after Syndey in Grantchester?

Tom Brittney, the actor who followed Norton in the role of Reverend Will Davenport, brought something new to Grantchester. Before he was cast in the show, Brittney was known for playing Lieutenant Jeremy Foster in the Outlander series which is popular with many people.

He was aware that fans’ love for Sidney Chambers would be a challenge to his character being accepted but remained confident about it.

In an interview published by Digital Spy in January 2020, Tom admitted how difficult it was to step into Norton’s shoes but he also had some positive notes about the future ahead. He said,

“It's their world and change is hard, and losing James Norton was really hard for people. But I know the show would continue because when I was filming I thought 'this is good' and I looked at (Robson's) reaction and it was good.”

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Grantchester’s audience remains glued by its mystery blended with drama touching on human feelings.