Series 7 of Grantchester welcomes Charlotte Richie as new character Bonnie Evans.
Call the Midwife fans will recognise the actress as Nurse Barbara Gilbert/Hereward from the popular drama.
But is the character going to stick around?
And who else guest stars in the cast of Grantchester season 7 episode 2 alongside Charlotte Richie?
Read more: Grantchester series 7: How many episodes is it, when is it set and who guest stars?
Grantchester season 7 episode 1 cast – Charlotte Richie plays Bonnie Evans
London-born Charlotte Richie, 32, joins the cast of Grantchester season 7 as Bonnie Evans.
The young widow, who has a little boy, appears in episode 2 onwards (Friday March 18 2022).
Bonnie is Cathy’s niece, and set to be a permanent addition to the cast – and also a possible love interest for Tom Brittney.
Robson Green says of her joining the cast: “We continue to get great guests on Grantchester and that’s testament to the writing on the show.
“To have actors of the calibre of Charlotte Richie in the show is a real acknowledgement of the quality of Grantchester.
“Charlotte is a big hitter, she’s A-list and she’s a triple threat because she has that lovely ability not only to play serious issues, but she can bring levity to them as well.
“No matter how serious a situation Charlotte can bring humour where, on paper, there is none.
“She brings a really likeable aspect to the arc that Tom is pursuing in terms of true love.”
Meanwhile, Kacey Ainsworth – who plays Bonnie’s aunt Cathy – says: “It’s great to extend your family!
“For Cathy, it’s lovely to have her niece helping out and having someone else to bat things around with.”
Who did Grantchester star Charlotte Richie play in Call the Midwife?
Call the Midwife fans will know Charlotte Richie from her role as Nurse Barbara Gilbert/Hereward in the BBC period drama.
Nurse Barbara Hereward (née Gilbert) replaced Cynthia Miller, who had gone to the Mother House as a postulant.
She joined the cast during season 4 in 2015.
A vicar’s daughter, Barbara Gilbert was hard-working, diligent, caring – and very popular with Call the Midwife fans.
In season 5, she began dating curate Tom Hereward, ex-fiancé of her colleague Trixie.
This caused a fair amount of friction, but the friends were eventually able to move past it.
In the 2016 Christmas special, Barbara accompanied her colleagues on a mission to South Africa.
At the end of the episode, Tom proposed to Barbara and she accepted.
Read more: Grantchester star Robson Green on ‘real problems’ with drink and drugs as a young actor
Why did Grantchester star Charlotte Richie leave Call the Midwife?
Tragically, Nurse Barbara left in season 7 in 2018.
Her character was diagnosed with septicaemia (blood poisoning) caused by meningitis.
She started showing signs of a cold, which she put down to stress due to delivering twins, as well as the fire which almost killed her close friend Nurse Crane.
However, Dr Turner found she had blood poisoning from meningitis, and rushed her to hospital.
The septicaemia was found to have caused irreparable damage, with three of her fingers having tissue damage – thus ending her career as a midwife.
She finally passed away with Tom and Phyllis by her side.
Barbara was laid to rest in the last episode of season 7, leaving fans devastated.
In real life, actress Charlotte Richie decided to leave the show to pursue other projects.
She appeared on the Lorraine show around that time, and told the host it was a very hard decision as she loved the show.
Admitting she’d cried at her final scene, she said: “It was just the sort of time to go, I think.
“My character Barbara had had such a gorgeous arc.”
What else has Grantchester’s Charlotte Richie been in?
Before joining the cast of period drama Call the Midwife, Charlotte had appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a student, and Emmerdale as a singer.
She went on to star in Life of Riley and Doctors, before playing the lead role of Jolene in the film Benny & Jolene.
Charlotte also played Hannah in the series Siblings from 2014 to 2016, Melissa ‘Oregon’ Shawcross in Fresh Meat from 2011 to 2016, and Ruby in 2016’s Raised by Wolves.
After leaving Call the Midwife, Charlotte bagged a role as Lin in the Doctor Who episode Resolution, and Iris Shepherd in Death in Paradise.
She’s also popped up in Channel 4’s Taskmaster, Drifters, Stath Lets Flats, Cake, and McDonald & Dodds.
Charlotte is probably best known for her more recent comedy roles, including Alison in Dead Pixels, and George in Feel Good.
Ghosts fans will know her as Alison Cooper in Ghosts, a role she’s played since 2019.
Elloria Torchia plays Maya in the cast of Grantchester episode two
The cast of Grantchester season 7 also includes Elloria Torchia as Maya.
Episode 1 kicked off with Will dancing intimately with Maya in a jazz club.
And the character is still very much the object of Will’s desires in episode 2.
Press information from ITV tells us that Will falls for the pretty newcomer.
However, Maya proves to be a “problematic” love interest for Will – probably because she’s engaged to be married to Geordie’s new boss DCI Wallace!
Talking about his character in series 7, actor Tom Brittney said: “This series really tests Will’s romantic life and relationships.
“A person comes into his life and causes a lot of problems because when Will falls in love, he falls hard.
“Then someone else comes along, who Will wasn’t expecting and they throw a spanner into the works.
“He has a real dilemma on his hands of what to do.
“He needs to choose between following his head or his heart.”
Actress Elloria, 25, is perhaps best known for playing Maggie in The Split.
The actress has also starred in DCI Banks, Indian Summers, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, and Broadchurch.
David Boyle plays Douglas Rickman in the cast of Grantchester episode 2
David Boyle plays Douglas Rickman in the cast of Grantchester episode 2.
Film fans might know the actor from his role as a Hostel Manager in Aidan Turner film The Suspect.
The jobbing actor also played Gene Wilder in the TV documentary series Autopsy: The Last Hours of.
Before that, he played a journalist in Urban Myths, a TV Repair Man in Call the Midwife, a Radio Rentals man in Cradle to Grace, and Justin Shawcross in Holby City.
Kirsty Besterman stars as Melanie Carmichael in the cast of Grantchester episode 2
Lester Carmichael, part of the husband-and-wife team who own the Carmichael’s cleaning goods brand, is found dead with a rather unusual neck wound.
Will and Geordie’s investigation leads them to look into Lester’s private life, which, they discover is much less spotless than the carefully curated image he and his wife Melanie like to present to the public.
Kirsty Besterman plays Melanie Carmichael.
Film fans might know the actress as Ruby in the recent movie Rupture.
On TV, she’s played Emily’s doctor in War of the Worlds, Sam Cansino in His Dark Materials, Solpado in Doctor Who, and Claire Hatbridge in Holby City.
The actress has also popped up in Foyle’s War, Doctors, Silent Witness, and Father Brown.
Boadicea Ricketts as Velma Sawyer
Boadicea Ricketts stars as Velma Sawyer in Grantchester season 7 episode 2.
The actress has only been appearing on our TV screens for two years!
She’s starred as Mandy in the 2020 TV series Unprecedented, a shop assistant in the film Rose, and Kat Taylor in Call the Midwife.
Who else guest stars in Grantchester series 7 alongside Charlotte Richie?
ITV has confirmed a number of guest stars during series 7.
Viewers have already been introduced to Michael D. Xavier who has joined the cast of Grantchester series 7 as Geordie’s new boss DCI Elliot Wallace.
Michael is known for playing Dr Steph Belcombe in Gentleman Jack, Patrick Thompson in The Chelsea Detective, and Lieutenant Hamilton Knox in Outlander.
Other upcoming guest stars include Janie Dee of Official Secrets fame, The English Patient’s Philip Whitchurch, and Nip/Tuck’s Rowena King.
Episode three stars Steven Blake as Danny Smart, Isaac Highams as Ernie Evans, and Tom Glenister (yes, son of Robert!) as Jim.
ITV has yet to reveal the guest stars in the later episodes…
Grantchester season 7 continues on Friday March 18 2022 at 9pm on ITV1 and the ITV Hub.
Are you happy to see Robson Green and Tom Brittney back as Geordie Keating and Will Davenport? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.