Stained glass window-style billboard unveiled to mark sitcom's 30th anniversary

A giant stained-glassed inspired artwork dedicated to The Vicar of Dibley was unveiled yesterday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the much-loved sitcom.

And one Chortle reader – and Dibley superfan – can win the unique giant-sized artwork, courtesy of the U&Gold channel.

The billboard-style installation was unveiled by the Rev Kate Bottley – who was inspired to take the cloth after watching  the Dawn French comedy – in the churchyard of ‘St Barnabas’ – the fictional church from the programme.

The 15ft by 6ft stained-glass effect installation makes reference to some of the most famous moments including Geraldine Granger falling through a puddle – the most memorable moment in the show, according to a poll. The vicar having to eat four Christmas dinners.

Rev Bottley, a regular on TV and radio, 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 the show’s 30th anniversary. Despite not being an actual real vicar, Geraldine was, in a funny way, an inspiration to me all those years ago when I started on my clerical path, with her fearless approach to parish life and tackling prejudice wherever she went with kindness, humour and compassion. 

‘Seeing this incredible artwork today reminds me all the brilliant Dibley moments from the show, there are simply too many to celebrate. I’m still trying to work out some of them– see how many you can spot.'

The artwork contains 20 such ‘Easter eggs’.  You can take a closer look with this high-res image to see how many you can find. All the answers are here. 

The Vicar of Dibley is airing on U&Gold on Sundays throughout November, with all episodes available on demand on the U streaming platform. 

Gerald Casey, director of programming for comedy & entertainment on the channel, said: "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.’

To stand a chance of winning this unique – and large! –  tribute to the Vicar Of Dibley, just answer the following question by 5pm on November 30, when we will select the winners at random from all the correct answers received. Usual terms and conditions apply.

Good luck!

Published: 21 Nov 2024