A Vicar's Life Episode Rating Graph

The church may be struggling, but there are signs of hope. New life, new ideas and new vicars will help it to survive and prosper in future. We meet Matthew Cashmore, a trainee. He has turned his back on a successful executive lifestyle and is moving with his family to Hereford to start a new life in the clergy. But first, he has to be ordained, at a grand ceremony in Hereford Cathedral. In the Black Mountains, Revd Nicholas Lowton believes his churches will have to adapt or die, so he has come up with a plan of action that will bring in radical change. In one tiny remote church, he has seen an opportunity to offer champing, or 'camping at church'. Now he needs to test it out. In the idyllic surroundings of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, Matthew Stafford is welcoming new life into the church by baptising twins, Ollie and Charlie. He needs to speak up - they are in excellent voice.

Filled with fire in his belly after his ordination, new curate Father Matthew is determined to make an impression in his new parish. Dressed in his new cassock - which he plans to wear at all times - he hits the streets, introducing himself to the people of All Saints. In the Black Mountains, Nicholas is there to support others who are struggling in these tough times, as farmer Steve and his wife Joyce have no choice but to sell their cattle and vacate their farm. Rev Matthew Stafford recalls helping a troubled young man who once slept in his shed, which remains in his garden as a tribute to him after he sadly died. But his most pressing issue right now is a visit from the Bishop to bless his new church roof. How will Bishop Richard feel about Matthew's plan to send him up in a cherry picker?