A giant stained-glassed inspired artwork dedicated to The Vicar of Dibley has been unveiled at the site where the much-loved sitcom was originally filmed, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the much-loved sitcom.
Featuring dedications to the most iconic moments and best jokes, the billboard-style installation was unveiled by the Rev. Kate Bottley, in the churchyard of ‘St Barnabas’ – the fictional church from the programme as part of U&GOLD’s 30th celebrations for The Vicar of Dibley. The installation will temporarily be in place before it is gifted to a superfan of the popular series.
The 15ft by 6ft stained-glass effect installation mimics the effect of sunlight coming through a church window and includes a series of famous moments from the show, as voted for by the British public. Over 20 ‘Easter Eggs’ from Dibley’s 30-year history feature within the artwork, which will test the knowledge of even the keenest Dibley fans.
The favourite ever moment from The Vicar of Dibley according to Brits, and as portrayed in the artwork– is Geraldine Granger memorably falling through a puddle. The Christmas Lunch incident, where Geraldine attends four Xmas dinners, in second place and Alice not being able to ‘believe it’s not butter’ rounding off the top three.
All of these, and many more memorable moments cryptically feature in the stained-glass inspired installation, and were commissioned to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Vicar of Dibley, which airs on U&GOLD on Sundays throughout November, with all episodes available on demand.
The show is still much loved, by Brits, with the humour (62%), characters (59%) and heart-warming feel of the show (38%) making it so particularly memorable for Brits.
Geraldine Granger is the nation’s favourite character, followed by Alice Tinker and Jim Trott. Geraldine’s humour and wit, her breaking down of stereotypes as well as her comedic timing were voted as the top reasons for why Brits see her as a ‘comedy icon’.
The broadcaster Reverend Kate Bottley, who unveiled the special billboard outside the church of St Barnabas from the show, said: “I cannot believe The Vicar of Dibley is celebrating 30 years of fun, wisdom and most of all laughs! It’s an absolute honour to unveil this stained-glass window for show’s 30th anniversary.”
U&GOLD’s Gerald Casey added: “We’re so excited to be able to celebrate 30 years of The Vicar of Dibley with our special stained-glass window. It feels like yesterday when Geraldine turned up in the village to much furore. However, as we all know, she won over not just the hearts of Dibley but the nation too.”
The Vicar of Dibley airs on U&GOLD on Sundays throughout November, with Christmas specials continuing the 30th celebrations into December.