James Norton leaving Grantchester after season 4 episode 2

It’s been well-known for some time that James Norton would be leaving Grantchester during the current fourth season. Yet, the question still remained as to when that would be happening. We now have an answer to that, and it is sooner rather than later.

Speaking via Digital Spy, Norton confirmed that season 4 episode 2, airing this Friday on ITV, will be the final one featuring his character of Sidney. This was a subject of much deliberation leading into the fourth season being planned — he knew that he wanted to move on from the show, but also wanted to ensure that the character had a proper send-off after spending so much time within this world:

“We talked about perhaps doing a special, a one-off … And we talked about me doing a whole series and having a new guy come in and we would run concurrently for six episodes.

“Y’know, there’s one version of this where, at the beginning of the series, it’s a letter from Sidney [saying], ‘I had to pack my bag and leave…’ and that would’ve just been so cynical. I would have hated to do that.

“Two episodes felt like the right amount. After that, you’ve got four full episodes of Tom Brittney and by the end of the series, I think Sidney will be a distant memory! All Tom needs is a few episodes and then the show will have assimilated his character, his energy and it’ll be a new thing, in the best possible way.”

We really like how the series is doing this, and we kind of wish more actors would choose to depart this way — if they choose to depart shows at all. There’s a recognition here on the part of Norton that Sidney means a lot to people as a character and he doesn’t want to do anything to take away that legacy. He wants him to have a proper farewell, while also getting a chance for him to continue to mix things up in his own career. We certainly do get that Norton’s star is on the rise — he has another show on the air now in McMafia and, beyond just that, there’s been rumors about him and feature films for some time. We don’t necessarily buy into all of the James Bond hype, but that’s mostly due to the fact that so much of it has come out far earlier than it needed to. Why are we talking about this so soon in the process? There’s plenty of time to discuss this after Daniel Craig’s time is done.

Related News – Be sure to get some more information right now on Grantchester, including some other information on what lies ahead

What do you want to see when it comes to Grantchester season 4 episode 2? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments. (Photo: ITV.)