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The Vicar Of Dibley. Geraldine Grainger (Dawn French). Copyright: Tiger Aspect Productions.

The Vicar Of Dibley

BBC One sitcom set around a local church. 20 episodes (3 series), 1994 - 2020. Stars Dawn French, Emma Chambers, Gary Waldhorn, James Fleet and others.

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Series 1, Episode 4 - The Window & The Weather

In the fiercest storm to hit Dibley since... well, let's not go there; a tree falls through the church's great stained-glass window. After struggling to even recall what the original image depicted, the vicar's shocked by the costs of stained glass and begins a fund-raising exercise.

Further details

There's a storm in the village, and the Parish Council are all dithering around arguing about what to call it. Is the storm as great a storm as The Great Storm - whenever that might have been? Alice is petrified by the thunder and lightning and so drops by to Geraldine's for comfort, as does Hugo.

The next day, Geraldine investigates the damage caused by the storm and discovers that the church's magnificent stained-glass window has been destroyed. Another meeting of the Parish Council is called to begin addressing the dire situation. However, it seems that no one actually knows what the window depicted! Who was in it? Maybe Jesus; maybe Moses; maybe St. Barnabus? Maybe a llama! Where is it set? It could've been a library; or maybe a hill; or possibly maybe a mountain... It takes Frank's tedious attention to detail and the parish papers to dig up the original commission: it was Noah's Ark! Now they just need to find funding - Geraldine is astonished at the thousands of pounds she's been quoted to replace the piece of art.

Owen kicks off fundraising with a dubious lottery, and Letitia begins to write a book called "100 Exciting Things to do with Root Vegetables". Geraldine asks David for names of his rich friends; she hopes one or two will donate funds towards the mammoth cost of replacement. Outraged at the suggestion he refuses, but she manages to get the information from the well-meaning Hugo.

After heading into the City to meet one of David's old school chums, the vicar is relieved to have finally secured the necessary finances. However, an emotional news report about the consequences of an earthquake in Colombia tug strongly at her heart strings, and she has soon donated most of the money to a humanitarian charity.

The villagers are surprised, but pleased, to see the stained glass replaced with plain, giving sight to the true beauty and artistry that surrounds them: the English countryside.

Broadcast details

Date
Thursday 1st December 1994
Time
8:30pm
Channel
BBC One
Length
30 minutes

Cast & crew

Regular cast
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
Guest cast
Nicholas Le Prevost Daniel Frobisher
Jamie Lucraft Colin
Max Brazier George
Luke Strain Colin's Friend
Leigh Jasper Sue
Kristy Bruce Jane
Julia Prague Martha
Jessica Sears Amanda
Edward Kelsey Mr Harris
Writing team
Richard Curtis Writer
Emma Freud Script Editor
Production team
Dewi Humphreys Director
Jon Plowman Producer
Richard Curtis Executive Producer
Peter Bennett-Jones Executive Producer
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