Blonde, loveable and worryingly entranced by the Teletubbies, Alice Tinker is the verger at Dibley's church. She manages the rare feat of being both clueless and deeply analytical, seeing puzzles and enigmas in everything, particularly the concept of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter...

"You know that stuff they're selling at the local shop? I Can't Believe It's Not Butter? Well I can't believe it's not butter. Then yesterday I went to Crookenden and I bought this other stuff, like a sort of home-brand, and I can't believe it's not I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. I can't believe that both I Can't Believe It's Not Butter and the stuff that I can't believe is not I Can't Believe It's Not Butter are both, in fact, not butter."

Played by Emma Chambers

While she's mainly known for her comic roles ? having starred in Notting Hill as well as The Vicar of Dibley ? Emma Chambers has "serious drama" credentials as well. She made her telly debut in a 1988 adaptation of DH Lawrence's The Rainbow, and went onto appear in another period drama (Charles Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit) as well as The Bill. She certainly takes her craft seriously ? rehearsing the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" monologue over 150 times before stepping in front of the camera.