Rishi Nair on Grantchester’s racism storyline: Interview
The nineth series of Grantchester starts tonight at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX and sees Rishi Nair join the show to replace Tom Brittney. The new series includes a storyline in which Rishi’s character Alphy encounters racism, and Rishi has been discussing it in a new interview (below).
Grantchester’s ninth series picks things up in 1961 and life is good for Will and Geordie. The families are always together, from Sunday lunches to planning summer holidays and with honorary Grandparents Mrs C and Jack, and adopted uncles Daniel and Leonard, it’s one big happy family! But when Will is approached with a life changing offer, can he leave Grantchester, and Geordie behind?
As Geordie struggles with personal loss and ever-growing family conflict between Cathy and teenage daughter, Esme he has no one to turn to. But when he arrests an intruder breaking into the Vicarage, he may find his days of working with a Vicar are not over. Reverend Alphy Kottaram has an instinctive distrust for authority and absolutely no desire to get involved in murder investigations. But Alphy and Geordie will discover they have a lot more in common than they first think, and Alphy will find that in Grantchester, murder is never far away.
From deadly circuses, abandoned babies, and hostile historians to vanishing valets and murderous satirists. Together, Geordie and Alphy witness first-hand how religion can be corrupted, but also how faith, love and friendship can offer hope – and renewal. Robson Green returns alongside Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie, Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs C, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe, Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman, Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters and Melissa Johns as Miss Scott.
Rishi Nair plays Alphy Kottaram
How was your audition to play Grantchester’s new vicar?
When it got to the final stages and I went in for a chemistry read with Robson, I felt a mix of real excitement but also nerves. When I first arrived, Robson came up to me straight away and said, ‘Rishi!’ and gave me a really big hug. And we sat and spoke about football for about ten minutes, which was really lovely because it just calmed me down. I felt comfortable and I was able to go in and just perform.
What research did you do for your role?
I went to different Church of England churches in London and in Liverpool, where I live, and sat at the back and watched the vicars do their sermons to get some inspiration. It was really interesting – some vicars are quite performative; some are quite conversational. And to spend time in those stunning churches was so nice. And then to tap into the early 1960s when Grantchester is set, I listened to music from that era on Spotify to get in that mindset. I really liked Dusty Springfield and I listened to lot of Elvis and Etta James. I found myself really falling in love with ‘60s soul music. It’s become a really big part of my music library now.
How was your first day on set?
I felt like the new kid at school, especially since I didn’t join until episode three. When I first saw the vicarage set, I felt like I'd been transported back in time. On my first day I was only in one scene and that’s the one when Alphy punches Geordie. I was thinking, ‘Oh, brilliant. For my first scene, I have to punch Robson Green in the face.’ But it was really fun and just so exciting. I remember going home after that day absolutely shattered. I’d been running on adrenaline.
How would you describe Alphy?
He’s a glass-half-full kind of guy, happy-go-lucky, very positive, a bit suave. He wants to help people but there’s also this stern side to him that Daisy describes beautifully as ‘an iron fist in a velvet glove.’ If he sees something he doesn't agree with morally, he will always stand up to it. He can’t let it pass. There’s a lot there to play with. Alphy is happy being single and he's not looking for anyone. Geordie and Mrs C [Tessa Peake-Jones] keep saying, ‘Maybe you need to find someone,’ but he meets women and has fun with them and doesn’t take anything too seriously.
Alphy is confronted with racism in Grantchester from people who call him ‘a swarthy gentleman’ and ask where he comes from. How did you feel about that?
It was really important for me that we portrayed that storyline, of Alphy clearly looking very different to the other two vicars. Grantchester is still very white today, so you can imagine that back in the 1960s it would not have been smooth sailing for him there. There’s a scene where he walks into the pub and everyone turns and looks at him, and that’s what would have happened. But I didn't want his colour to become the overriding theme of the season – Daisy and Emma did a balancing act of addressing it but not making it the whole thing. It’s great for the audience to see Alphy tackle racism head-on – it's something he's experienced his whole life and he’s gone to Grantchester to try to change people's minds. He loves that challenge of, ‘Don’t judge me by the way I look. Judge me by my actions.’
