Few British sitcoms have captured hearts quite like The Vicar of Dibley. Praised as a “masterpiece” and the “best series ever” by some viewers, this series has won numerous awards, including British Comedy Awards and International Emmys. In fact, it was voted the UK’s third-best sitcom in a 2004 BBC poll of Britain’s Best Sitcoms. With consistently high ratings, especially for its Christmas and New Year specials often landing in the UK’s top 10 programmes of the year, The Vicar of Dibley remains one of the most successful British comedies in the digital era.
The Vicar of Dibley consists of three series and is currently available to stream on BBC iPlayer. You can also catch episodes on Now TV, Sky, and Apple TV, making it easy to enjoy this classic comedy.
The show centers around the fictional Oxfordshire village of Dibley, where the local vicar suddenly passes away. The congregation is surprised when a woman, Geraldine Granger, played brilliantly by Dawn French, takes over, a woman full of character, warmth, and humour.
The sitcom explores Geraldine’s interactions with the quirky villagers, delivering laugh-out-loud moments wrapped in heartwarming storytelling.
Though set in Oxfordshire, The Vicar of Dibley was filmed in the picturesque village of Turville in Buckinghamshire, just a few miles east of Oxfordshire’s border.
Turville is famous for its 12th-century church, a historic pub, and a windmill perched atop a hill overlooking the village. This windmill was even cosmetically restored for the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
In the series, Turville’s Church of St Mary the Virgin was renamed St Barnabas. The quaint Grade II-listed Church Cottage, featured as the home adjoining Geraldine Granger’s fictional residence, even went on sale in 2022, the first time it had been on the market in 60 years.
The village has also appeared in other popular TV series and films such as Midsomer Murders, Little Britain, Goodnight Mister Tom, and Killing Eve.
One viewer wrote on IMDb that it was the “best series ever.”
They continued: “I would not change anything about this series. From the Anglican Church -themed intro, sound and sight, to the characters and the plot. And the praise here is not given from a religious angle. It simply is about wonderful comedy. The scheme of it is not uncommon: a rather “sophisticated” character (as she entitles herself at one point) is stuck in a village of people that cannot provide equal quality companionship.
“I read somewhere that the village characters were even designed as “idiots” in the preliminary pitch. But, as we watch along, we get to somehow understand that each of them has a personal story, each of them is equally human and important. Comedy stems from the sufferings of the first human vicar in the village of Dibley in relation with its inhabitants.
“She comes as a pioneer, is rejected by the local lord of the manor, but attracts the curiosity and gradually the support of the villagers. Then the rigid friendship of the same lord of the manor. But each episode is a masterpiece in itself.”
Another person wrote: “If you want laugh out loud comedy this is the show for you, totally side splitting funny. Nothing but the best of British comedy.”