PERFECT partnership

Grantchester fave KACEY AINSWORTH on the joys of working with screen husband Robson Green

- VICTORIA WILSON

GRANTCHESTER NEW WED & THU, 9PM, ITV1 DRAMA (BOX SET, ITVX)

It's a time of mixed emotions for Kacey Ainsworth. When the actor joins TV Times for an exclusive chat, she's excited about the return of period whodunnit Grantchester for a 10th outing, especially as the eight-episode run will see her character, spirited Cathy Keating, at the heart of more thought-provoking storylines.

However, the cast - including Robson Green as Cathy's pragmatic spouse DI Geordie Keating and Rishi Nair as crime-fighting clergyman Alphy Kottaram - have also recently finished filming the next series, which ITV has announced will be its last.

Here, Kacey, 57, tells us about the challenges ahead for Cathy, preparing to say farewell to the show, and finding the perfect TV husband in Robson...

You've been in Grantchester since the first episode in 2014. What has made it such a special project to work on?

Grantchester is seen as this cosy crime drama, but it is not just about murder. What started off as a show about a vicar and a detective has grown to be about the wider 'family'. People now want to know what's happening with housekeeper Mrs Sylvia Chapman [played by Tessa Peake-Jones] and ex-curate Leonard Finch [Al Weaver], too, and that's what hooks viewers in.

Series 10 sees the action move to 1962. How does this time of social change affect department-store saleswoman Cathy?