Grantchester fans 'can't deal' with show after Will Davenport shocker

Grantchester season 8 is almost at its end and that means fans are preparing to bid farewell to Tom Brittney, who is soon departing the role of Will Davenport.

The ITV show's latest episode, which premiered on Thursday 8 February, saw Will's behaviour become increasingly erratic since accidentally killing a man, which led to Geordie Keating (Robson Green) confronting him over his recent substance abuse. Will later goes missing and leaves a note where he tells his friend he feels he's "let you all down" and admitting that the "guilt I carry won't go away".

Viewers were then shocked by the end of the episode as Will's note says "everything will be better now I'm gone". This led to fans of the show sharing their thoughts of how the character's storyline might develop in the finale.

One person feared the worst, writing: "Oh goodness Will, what have you done?!!?", while another had similarly bleak thoughts on the character's story arc as they said: "No no no. Oh #WillDavenport that #S8Ep5 can’t end like that [crying emoji] All the feels but especially the ending. Please it can’t be what I [think] has happened to him Have to wait until next week"

Read more: Grantchester viewers left reeling after Will Davenport bike accident

Some viewers admitted they were finding Will's storyline in season 8 difficult to deal with, with one fan writing: "I don’t like any of this; Geordie resigning, Leonard and Daniel apart, Will in a downward spiral and missing", while another said in defiance: "Well I hope next week Will finds God again, Geordie gets promoted & Eilliot leaves & Leonard & Daniel get back together."

Another viewer said that they felt Will's storyline would end on a dark note, particularly after the events of the most recent episode. They wrote: "I don't actually think I can deal with next week. I'd like to think it's just a misdirection but I worry that because Sidney got his happy ending and Will is already in a spiral, it won't be a happy one for him".

Similarly, one fan said: "Poor Will. Poor Leonard. I hope there's a more cheerful ending next week! We can't have Will leaving the series in such a sad way. One thing I do like about this series is that the wonderful Miss Scott has had more to do. She'd make a better detective than Larry."

While they were upset with the character's season 8 storyline, one person said: "I don't like the route Will is taking. But @tombrittney is frequently making me feel a bit like..."

After he leaves the show, Brittney will be replaced by Rishi Nair who is taking on the role of vicar Alphy Kotteram from season nine. The actor will pass the torch to Nair in season nine, and said in a statement: "I’ll miss it more than anything. But it’s time for the baton to be passed, as it once was to me, and I’m so excited for Rishi to join the Grantchester family."

Grantchester season eight concludes on Thursday, 15 February.