Brittney will replace crime-fighting clergyman Sidney Chambers, played by James Norton who will take on the role for the final time in the fourth series.

He will star as caring and self-assured Reverend Will Davenport alongside Detective Inspector Geordie Keating, played by Robson Green.

It follows Norton’s departure at the end of this series from the detective series based on the novels by James Runcie.

Brittney said of his new role: “I am beyond excited. From the moment I heard about the role of Will Davenport, it was something I wanted more than anything.

“It’s a real honour to be joining such a wonderful series, with such a loyal fan base.”

Norton, who has been tipped as a contender to play James Bond, has starred in the show from the beginning.

Norton said: “As excited as I am to be filming a new series of Grantchester, it’s also heartbreaking to be saying goodbye to Sidney Chambers.

“I’ve loved this experience, and particularly working with such an extraordinary cast and crew.

“All the best to the fantastic Tom Brittney in his role as the new vicar. He is a wonderful addition to the Grantchester family.”

The show is a co-production from Kudos and Masterpiece on PBS in the US.

Kudos executive producer Diederick Santer promised that the show’s fans will love Brittney.

He said: “I’m delighted that Tom is joining the cast. He’s a hugely likeable and talented actor,…

Pema Khandu – a Buddhist who heads the nationalist BJP-led state government in Arunachal Pradesh, made the surprising promise at an event marking ten years since a lay Benedictine missionary died in the country.

Speaking to a Catholic audience – which included nine bishops, he said: “Though I have been told that the law has been never implemented … in future, it could be misused by a chief minister, chief secretary or DGP [director general of police].

“Any misuse of the law leading to the torture of people could trigger large-scale violence in the state and could break Arunachal into pieces.”

The current 1978 act prohibits “conversion from one religious faith to any other … by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means and for matters connected therewith”.

Violators can be imprisoned for up to two years and given a fine of up to $150.

Taw Tebin, the president of Arunchal Pradesh Catholic Association, told World Watch Monitor: “This law has always remained a threat to the Christians. The declaration by the chief minister is a big relief for the Christian community.”

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Rev Christopher Brown told the BBC that complaints centred on the 8am peals at St Mary’s Church.

He said: “We had a couple of grumbles about the 8am bells. People who live close to Fishguard Square endure a bit of noise on Saturday nights.”

However, the bells haven’t been completely silenced.

Residents will have to make do with hearing the bells at 10am for the later service.

Explaining why the church decided to compromise, Brown said: “We decided to go along with their requests as an act of good neighbourliness.”

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Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Garcia was chased by people believed to be members of the drugs trade and shot at least six times as he attempted to flee in his car.

In an interview with the World Watch Monitor, the pastor shared details about his 24-year-old son Abraham’s murder in 2009.

“The telephone rang and I heard my wife yell. I was on the second floor, but I heard her cry ‘No!’ very loudly.

“So I went downstairs quickly and asked, ‘What happened?’ And she just said, ‘They killed Abraham’. The pain we feel is really strong. We wouldn’t wish it on anyone… We had decided to try to rescue the city, but I never imagined we would become a part of the statistics.”

Garcia and his wife faced a double tragedy when their daughter Griselda was kidnapped eighteen months after their son was killed.

The pastor was forced to pay a ransom to free his child.

Reflecting on the level of crime in the city of Juarez, Jorge Rodriguez, the director of religious affairs for the city government, told World Watch Monitor last year: “These [criminal] groups are affecting the whole city and especially the Christian community because we are a people of peace.

“In many cases, the abuses are not even reported, but we have specific cases of pastors being kidnapped and children of pastors being kidnapped, such as in the case of Pastor Eduardo Garcia and his family.”

Drug cartels have reportedly targeted…

Rev Philip Clements responded to claims he had been taken advantage of by Florin Marin after being left homeless when the pair split five months after tying the knot.

The 79-year-old former rector and boarding school chaplain had sold his home in Sandwich to buy a flat for the couple in the Romanian capital Bucharest – where 25-year-old Mr Marin is from.

After revealing he had moved back to England with nothing, Rev Clements was asked by ITV’s Jeremy Kyle whether he had been made a “fool” of.

Rev Clements said the couple – though still separated – were still trying to make things work, adding “Our relationship has been tested when I haven’t had money”.

Mr Marin, who met the elderly clergyman on a gay dating website three years ago, denied the idea he was a “gold-digger” who sought to take advantage of him.

Responding to anyone who criticised their relationship, Mr Marin said people should “mind their own business”.

He added: “They don’t know me, they don’t know us.”

Asked by Kyle, “why did you marry him?,” Mr Marin replied, “Because I love him.”

Rev Clements said major cracks began to surface during their married life when Mr Marin chose to stay out late at nightclubs.

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More than 230 people contributed to the gift so that 65-year-old Herman Gordon and his spouse Denise, 56, could travel to Herman’s home country, Jamaica.

In a note addressed to him, they said: “Dear Herman, on behalf of the students at Bristol, we would like to thank you for all the positive energy you have given to us throughout the years.

“You have brightened many of our days and we want you to know that we love and appreciate you.

“We have come together to give you a special gift as our way of saying thank you. Have a lovely summer.”

A crowdfunding page – describing Herman as “the epitome of happiness” – set up for him on JustGiving. It reached its target of £1,500 in five days.

Thanks Herman and all our staff who help create our wonderful community. Here’s Herman with a message for all our students…

☀️ pic.twitter.com/16E90BJXUa

— Bristol University (@BristolUni) June 28, 2018

Twenty-year-old medicine student at Bristol, Hadi Al-Zubaidi, who started the fundraising drive, told the BBC’s Newsbeat: “It just went crazy. I myself was shocked that he was this famous!”

“He spends the whole time being nice to everybody, it’s about time we were nice to him.”

In a video watched 35,000 times on Facebook, Herman, who has worked at the university for twelve years, was presented with a white envelope stuffed with money.

The footage showed him wiping his eyes and…