Just when the Church of England needs some excellent news … the Royal Mail has issued a set of special stamps celebrating the UK’s hottest cleric.
Yes, the much-loved Vicar of Dibley is making a comeback to letterboxes across the country with eight recent designs featuring episodes from the classic comedy series, shown by TV stations within the UK, US and internationally.
And I’d say this is superb news for any vicars or church ministers working on the grassroots in communities served by the CofE.
The stamps – issued the identical week that Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby laid down his crozier following his resignation – exhibit the enduring popularity of the fictional country vicar played brilliantly by Dawn French.
The TV series gave hundreds of thousands of individuals – who might never visit a church or meet a vicar – a probability to get to know a form, approachable person wearing a clerical collar. Few clergy are as hysterically funny as Geraldine Granger, but hopefully most of us are warm, friendly and welcoming.
The Vicar of Dibley sitcom ran for 3 series on the BBC from November 1994 to January 2007 and won quite a few awards. Episodes can still be found on digital channels around the globe, with extracts widely available online.
David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “The superb writing and the heat and idiosyncrasies of its characters made The Vicar of Dibley some of the loved TV comedies of all time.”
The sitcom launched just eight months after the primary British women were ordained as Church of England priests. Some say the series’ success helped their introduction into the lifetime of the church. Many of the primary female vicars spoke of being likened to Geraldine Granger of their early days.
Other people have criticised the series for inaccurately depicting rural life and confusing the church’s role in country communities. Personally, I wasn’t too concerned about that.
At a time when trust within the Church hierarchy is low, I’ll grasp at the excellent news of the stamps’ release.
The CofE is facing major challenges due to its failure to reply adequately to safeguarding scandals and its lack of concern for survivors of abuse. A recent Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as being a part of the answer – though finding the precise person might be a large challenge.
In my very own a part of the CofE, a successor will soon be needed to Dr Alan Smith, who has announced his retirement after 16 years as Bishop of St Albans, overseeing a diocese that features Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and parts of north London.
It is probably not easy to seek out Bishop Alan’s substitute – it’s becoming increasingly hard to pick people for the Church’s most senior roles. Such are the challenges, and the divisions inside the Church, that few individuals are acceptable to everyone.
Meanwhile, on the grassroots, the real-life Vicars of Dibley, in towns, suburbs and villages, are in search of to serve their local communities, and to bring the love of Christ to our broken world. Hard-pressed clergy proceed faithfully to serve their congregations and communities, while scandals circle the hierarchy.
I can not help wondering whether the creators of Geraldine Granger might desire a recent challenge: to see what would occur if she was appointed as the brand new Archbishop …
Rev Peter Crumpler is a Church of England minister in St Albans, Herts, UK, and a former communications director with the CofE.
