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Tomorrow marks 31 years since the premiere of Vicar of Dibley.
When it first aired in November 1994, the series arrived less than a year after the Church of England ordained its first female priests - making Geraldine Granger both topical and revolutionary. Dawn French’s portrayal of the bubbly, compassionate village vicar offered a new kind of TV heroine: one who could tackle tradition with humor, kindness, and a LOT of chocolate (which is obviously better than anything Mrs. Cropley would ever cook).
Created by Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Blackadder), the series combined sharp comedic writing with genuine warmth, turning its cast of quirky villagers into household names. Three decades later, it remains one of Britain’s most comforting comedies - one many people have told us they’ve watched repeatedly over the years.
In the US, it’s available to stream HERE on BritBox.
What we’re…
Watching: King & Conqueror - This one popped up on Amazon Prime (US) without a lot of fanfare. The series explores the relationship and events around William of Normandy and Harold of Wessex in 1066, and while the drama is compelling, it will likely drive you a bit mad if you know even a little bit about British history. If you can shut off that part of your thinking and pretend it’s more of a historical fantasy, it’s more enjoyable. James Norton and Nokolaj Coster-Waldau star.
Reading: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to Solving a Murder by FH Petford - I mentioned this last week over on our Great British Book Club mailing list, but we have a lot of cosy mystery fans here, too, and the author has participated in the community a bit over on Facebook. In 1914 Cornwall, Alma Timperley inherits her late aunt’s seaside hotel - only to discover it doubles as a spiritualist retreat for guests hoping to contact the dead. When a maid’s body is found and whispers of a German spy spread through Falmouth, Alma must use her own ghostly gift to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again. Only 99 cents at time of writing.
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THIS WEEK IN BRITISH TV
On BritBox, new episodes of season 3 of Beyond Paradise continue weekly through the 18th of November. The period drama Ten Pound Poms premiered on the 29th (two episodes, then weekly episodes). On November 7th, they added Belgravia, and on the 13th, Season 3 of Blue Lights begins, with episodes coming out once weekly.
On Acorn TV, new episodes of The Light in the Hall and Season 2 of The Gone continue to air weekly. On Fridays, new episodes of the Graham Norton Show arrive on the platform. On the 10th, look for Season 2 of the Australian series Scrublands.
On MGM+, new episodes of Robin Hood arrive weekly on Saturdays.
On Amazon Prime Video, Malice premieres on November 14th. The six-part thriller stars Jack Whitehall as a charismatic “manny” with a dark side. David Duchovny also stars as the husband and father whose family Whitehall infiltrates. King & Conqueror was also added recently (all episodes at once).
On PBS and PBS Masterpiece, tonight (Nov 9) is the finale of the first season of the new Maigret adaptation. We’ve seen some rumors that development work is already underway for Season 2, but nothing official.
On AMC+, the Graham Norton Show continues with new episodes on Thursdays.
Oh Hulu, look for Caroline Flack: Search for the Truth on Monday, November 10th. The two-part docuseries takes a look at the final months of Flack, who took her own life after being bullied online.
Over on Apple TV+, new episodes of the Mick Herron adaptation Down Cemetery Road continue on Tuesdays. Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson star in this Oxford-area thriller.
FIVE TO TRY
Just for fun, a few shows and films you might have missed…
Silent Hours - In this psychological crime thriller set in Portsmouth, ex-Navy commander turned private detective John Duval (James Weber Brown) becomes the prime suspect when three women are brutally murdered, drawing in naval officer Commander William Calthorpe (Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey) and psychiatrist Dr Catherine Benson (Indira Varma, Game of Thrones).
The Mixer - Simon Williams (Upstairs, Downstairs) stars as Sir Anthony Rose, a 1930s London aristocrat who secretly becomes gentleman thief “the Mixer,” robbing crooks to return their loot to the rightful owners, with Jeremy Clyde and Catherine Alric in support.
Above Suspicion - Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone) plays ambitious detective Anna Travis, mentored by tough senior officer James Langton (Ciarán Hinds, Rome) as they tackle a series of high-profile murder investigations based on Lynda La Plante’s crime novels.
The Job Lot - Sarah Hadland (Miranda), Russell Tovey (Him & Her), and Angela Curran (This Country) lead this workplace sitcom about the frazzled staff and eccentric jobseekers at a chaotic West Midlands job centre in the fictional town of Brownall.
The Dublin Murders - Killian Scott (Damnation) and Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful) star as detectives Rob Reilly and Cassie Maddox, whose investigation into a murdered girl outside Dublin exposes buried secrets and links to an unsolved childhood disappearance, in a crime drama drawn from Tana French’s In the Woods and The Likeness.
Let's move on to the gala. Any progress there, or is the climax of our show still "Owen and his Amazing Farting Duck"?
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