The Vicar Of Dibley
- TV sitcom
- BBC One
- 1994 - 2020
- 20 episodes (3 series)
Comedy about a small, backward rural village and its female vicar, Geraldine Grainger. Stars Dawn French, Emma Chambers, Gary Waldhorn, James Fleet, John Bluthal and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 2 - Songs Of Praise
Further details
The BBC writes to Geraldine to ask permission to film Songs Of Praise in Dibley. She and the other villagers, apart from David, are delighted, especially as their reason for filming is because of the new female vicar!
As well as complaining about the BBC's motivation for filming in Dibley church, David mentions that he's bought a new Bible for the church with traditional script. A choir is recruited, the process of which involves listening to lots of talentless auditionees. And elsewhere Alice only just manages to rehearse her reading.
When Geraldine meets the Songs Of Praise producer Tristan Campbell, she finds him very attractive and flirts badly with him; similarly, David fancies the camera(wo)man, who he discovers checking the church's lighting.
During the filming, the villagers have problems with remembering when to laugh, causing several labourious takes. Once the BBC crew have left Dibley both Geraldine and David follow up the phone numbers they've managed to gain from Tristan and the camera lady, but find that they share the same number and must therefore be dating.
Finally, all gather to watch the TV programme, which is greatly embarrassing for Geraldine who can't sing and is shown with a double-chin; and equally for Alice who can't understand old script and misreads Fs and Ss!
Broadcast details
- Date
- Thursday 17th November 1994
- Time
- 8:30pm
- Channel
- BBC One
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
Dawn French | Geraldine Grainger |
Emma Chambers | Alice Tinker |
Gary Waldhorn | David Horton |
James Fleet | Hugo Horton |
John Bluthal | Frank Pickle |
Trevor Peacock | Jim Trott |
Roger Lloyd Pack | Owen Newitt |
Liz Smith | Letitia Cropley |
Simon McBurney | Cecil (Choir Master) |
Peter Capaldi | Tristan Campbell |
Connie Hyde | Ruth |
Patricia Kane | Doris Trott |
Gareth Vaughan | Gonads |
Richard Curtis | Writer |
Emma Freud | Script Editor |
Kit Hesketh-Harvey | Writer |
Dewi Humphreys | Director |
Jon Plowman | Producer |
Richard Curtis | Executive Producer |
Peter Bennett-Jones | Executive Producer |
Sue Vertue | Associate Producer |
Mark Sangster | Editor |
Andrew Howe-Davies | Production Designer |
Howard Goodall | Composer |