Calling all murder mystery fans! The BBC has unveiled more first-look pictures of Father Brown, the ten-part returning series featuring the cosy crime-busting priest played by Mark Williams.
Based on the short stories by GK Chesterton, Father Brown follows an English Catholic priest who solves crimes in the fictional village of Kembleford in the Cotswolds.
First airing in 2013, the new series marks the show's 13th run, and sees Mr and Mrs Sullivan enjoy marital bliss, Father Brown engage in a deadly game of cat and mouse and the cast head to the seaside in a series first.
Speaking of the series, HELLO!'s Acting TV editor Nicky Morris said: "This comforting drama is the ultimate cosy crime show. Set in the idyllic fictional village of Kembleford in the 1950s, where it's always summer time, the show offers a blend of cosy mystery and gentle humour with a charismatic lead and quirky cast of characters. No violence, no gore, just sheer nostalgic escapism.
"If you're a fan of Midsomer Murders or Rosemary & Thyme, which also offer gentle crime-solving with strong character focus, then you'll love Father Brown." Read on for more details, including a peek at those new photos…
Returning to the picturesque Kembleford, the series picks up after the happy ending of season 12, which saw the marriage of the new Mr and Mrs Sullivan. As the newlyweds settle into married life, Isabel is thrilled to be welcomed into the Policeman’s Wives Society.
The synopsis continues: "Meanwhile, Brenda goes on a journey of self-empowerment as she covers the role of Parish Secretary and learns to drive with the help of Sergeant Goodfellow.
"Father Brown is tasked by Flambeau to visit Father Lazarus in prison, resulting in a deadly game of cat and mouse which ruffles the feathers of Canon Fox.
"With his consecration now looming, Bishop-Elect Fox plans to enact his revenge upon Father Brown, leaving Kembleford changed forever. And in a Father Brown first – the group take a trip to the seaside!"
Mark Williams returns once again as Father Brown, while Tom Chambers is Inspector Sullivan, Claudie Blakley plays the new Mrs Isabel Sullivan and Ruby-May Martinwood is Brenda.
Other names include John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow, Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, John Light as Hercule Flambeau, Lex Shrapnel as Father Lazarus, Roger May as Canon Fox and Kieran Hodgson as Father Lindsey.
Rounding out the cast are guest stars Dame Maureen Lipman, Julia Sawalha, Phil Daniels, Debra Stephenson, Davood Ghadami, Kevin Harvey, George Rainsford and Timothy Watson.
Meanwhile, Sorcha Cusack, who played Mrs McCarthy for the first nine series, makes a special appearance in the first episode.
What has the cast said about Father Brown season 13?
Teasing the new series, Mark Williams told viewers to expect "kidnappings, murder, madness and mirth".
Speaking about Father Brown’s job being in jeopardy this season, Mark said: "Father Brown has a real crisis, and it looks like it's unsolvable…until fate intervenes. We had a lot of fun filming that episode. There's some great (and I use the word advisedly) some great bicycle work."
The seaside scenes were filmed at Weston-super-Mare
And what about that series-first trip to the seaside? "I have been angling for years for us to go to the seaside, because a trip on the charabanc is so 1950s," he said. "We finally worked it out and we went, of course, to Weston-super-Mare, which was the first port of call for anybody in the Midlands because it is the closest seaside.
"We had a great time there and, of course, we ate the regulatory fish and chips. We also had the wonderful company of Maureen Lipman, Alex Macqueen and Julia Sawalha as our guest stars in that episode."
Father Brown returns to BBC One and iPlayer on Friday 9 January at 2pm.
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Lucy Punch has starred in TV shows like Let Them Eat Cake, Midsomer Murders and Doc Martin, as well as films like Hot Fuzz, St Trinian's and Bad Teacher
