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The crime mystery series Grantchester by MASTERPIECE aired its tenth and latest season on June 15, 2025, on PBS in the United States. The series was developed by Daisy Coulam and is based on the collection of short stories, titled Grantchester Mysteries, written by James Runcie.
The series, set mostly in the 1950s, follows police detective Geordie Keating and the resident vicar as they solve mysterious crimes in the Cambridgeshire village, Grantchester. In the latest season, the resident vicar is Alphy Kottaram, portrayed by Rishi Nair, who replaces the likes of James Norton and Tom Brittney.
In the series, Al Weaver plays the role of Leonard Finch, a closeted homos*xual curate. His character's arc explores the subject of homos*xuality at the time in England, as it was deemed illegal by law. In the later seasons, his license was also revoked after it was discovered that he is gay.
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According to IMDb, the crime mystery series Grantchester has received a positive rating of 7.9/10 based on over 19,000 user reviews so far.
Who is Leonard Finch? A glance at the character's arc
As mentioned above, the character of Leonard Finch in the crime mystery series Grantchester is portrayed by the British actor Al Weaver. Leonard works as a curate for the church, a person responsible for curing the souls of the priests. He is always well-groomed and tries to mix philosophy and theology. For a long time, he kept his s*xuality hidden from the church, as it was illegal at the time to be a homos*xual.
However, in the later seasons, his license as a curate was revoked after his s*xuality came to light. He felt like an outsider in his world due to this very reason, and often resorted to books to escape the tough times.
In an exclusive interview with MASTERPIECE in June 2020, the actor Al Weaver spoke further about his role in the series. He also explained his view as to why he felt like the character was a fan favourite among the viewers of the show.
"He’s always in turmoil, which always gets the viewers feeling sorry for him. He always seems to struggle, whether it’s God or his s*xuality or his love life or his relationship with Mrs. C. The writers are really good—we always try and take him on to another level, try to make him grow," said Al Weaver.
He continued:
"And I think by doing that, that gives him more problems, and in doing that, it lets the viewers into his life. Also, I think [viewers may like him] because he’s quite silly, as well. He’ll walk around the house in some marigold gloves, doing whatever, so he’s got a good broad range, which is nice."
Al Weaver's career before Grantchester explored
The British actor Al Weaver has worked on several projects as an actor, writer, and director. He made his theater debut with the title role in a production of Hamlet. His first appearance on the big screen was with an uncredited role in Colour Me Kubrick: A True... ish Story, and he later featured alongside Al Pacino in the film The Merchant of Venice.
Apart from portraying Leonard in Grantchester, he has also directed multiple episodes of the series and appeared in other projects such as Torch Song, Daddy Issues, Press, and We Are Tourists.
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