'Grantchester' Season 3 Arrives Christmas First on Masterpiece

Grantchester, the period drama about crime solving Anglican priest Sidney Chambers and his partner Inspector Geordie Keating returns this weekend with Christmas in June.

Geordie: Sometimes, Sidney, I really do think that you must have God on your side.
Sidney: I certainly hope so. Another round, Inspector?
- Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death, pg 392

"What is Grantchester?" a friend of mine asked recently. Even as a PBS watcher, the mystery series had escaped her notice. But have no fear, those who have missed out on ITV's latest mystery series, based on the short stories by James Runcie. Grantchester returns this coming Sunday for it's third round of episodes, and now is the perfect time to pick it up.

For those unfamiliar with Runcie, he's actually a playwright and TV producer who has a couple of BAFTAs to his credit, along with a few novels. But it wasn't until his book Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death arrived in 2012, consisting of six short mysteries, that he became a household name. So far, there are seven books in what has become known as "The Granchester Mysteries", with Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love arriving just this year. (It's no accident that the titles of the myseries imitate the famous Harry Potter books. Runcie is a big fan, and was the filmmaker behind the 2007 documentary J.K. Rowling: A Year in the Life.)