The cosy-crime series sees the return of popular cast members Mark Williams, Tom Chambers, Claudie Blakley, Ruby-May Martinwood and John Burton
Mark Williams is back as Father Brown, the charismatic clergyman sleuth based on the classic character created by GK Chesterton. The cosy-crime series also sees the return of popular cast members Tom Chambers as Chief Inspector Sullivan, Claudie Blakley as Mrs Devine, Ruby-May Martinwood as Brenda and John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow.
Following the exciting proposal at the end of series 11, the sleepy village of Kembleford is abuzz with good news as Mrs Devine (Claudie Blakley) and Chief Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) look forward to their upcoming wedding. But when a surprise visit from the father of the groom quickly throws preparations into turmoil, will they even make it to the church?
With a medieval death at a Tudor battle re-enactment, Mrs Devine finding herself accused of murder, Sergeant Goodfellow’s professional future thrown into question and Brenda ballroom dancing on national television, Father Brown and the gang are busier than ever. And when a Cardinal from the Vatican arrives with a top-secret mission for Father Brown, the priest must request the help of his old adversary Flambeau, while a new nemesis lurks in the shadows…
Father Brown, which first aired on BBC Daytime in 2013, is now a global success with 130 episodes made. Father Brown’s 11th series recently concluded on screen and averaged 2.5 million viewers. The series continues to be a hit internationally and is viewed by audiences in US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, India, Italy, France, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland, Turkey, South Korea and Japan. The series has also been recommissioned for 13th series on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Father Brown is a BBC Studios Drama Production for BBC One and BBC iPlayer, commissioned by Rob Unsworth, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak commissioning. The Executive Producer for BBC Studios Drama Productions is Neil Irvine and the Series Producer is David Innes Edwards. Helen Munson is the Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime. BBC Studios distributes Father Brown internationally.
Meet the Cast
Mark Williams (Father Brown)
What do Father Brown and the gang get up to in this series?
In this series, we have another Flambeau episode, and this time we are on a secret mission from the Vatican. I love the Flambeau episodes, it feels like we are in a 1950s thriller and John Light plays him to the hilt. We also have a battle re-enactment in which I got to fight a duel with an expert swordsman, although Father Brown was somewhat handicapped by only having an umbrella. We also have a long awaited wedding, although it isn’t easy getting the happy couple to the altar!
There are yet more fantastic guest stars in this series. Is this part of the appeal to working on Father Brown?
As well as my friends the regular cast, we are blessed with a wonderful set of guest stars every week! I love having new actors that bring such skill and energy to the characters our writers create. It’s one of my chief pleasures watching them work. It makes my job very joyful having such talent to play against.
How do you feel about Father Brown being in its 12th series?
We broadcast the 12th series of Father Brown this January, which means we have made 130 episodes. I was feeling quite impressed by this, I thought there can’t have been many people who’ve played the eponymous character in a series for 130 shows. Then I read about Jack Warner who played Dixon of Dock Green 432 times, so that took the wind out of my sails a bit.
Making 12 series of Father Brown has enriched my life immeasurably. There have been many friendships made and we have quite a few children born during our time filming to cast and crew which makes us a real tribe. And I give thanks to G K Chesterton’s creation because Father Brown has kept me fascinated.
What do you enjoy about filming Father Brown? Can you tell us any funny stories from over the years?
One of the pleasures of shooting Father Brown and one that I can’t really properly appreciate is the cars that we get on the shoot. In the Cotswolds we are quite close to Birmingham and Coventry which were of course the centre of British car production, so we have this amazing resource of period motors. There’s a lot of ‘ooohing’ and ‘aaahing’ over the amazing pieces of machinery we get. Long forgotten names like Armstrong Siddeley, Alvis and Sunbeam. One of the chief joys is that they’re also different, and nothing creates a feel of the period better than an old car.
My problem is Father Brown can’t drive, so I have to make do with a bike. Not that I don’t love my bike. It’s a Pashley, made in Stratford with old-fashioned drum gears it’s actually very good uphill which is a blessing. Driving on gravel is my main problem, and a lot of the big houses we film at have gravel drives. I once had to cycle in pursuit of a baddie and hit some deep gravel. We shot the scene in front of a hotel and I ended up coming to an ungraceful stop. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get off in time so I fell off sideways. A young lad in the hotel kitchen saw me keel over and collapsed in laughter. I was very happy to give that lad the best laugh of his week.
Can you tell us about some of your favourite or most memorable storylines?
Some of my favourite episodes have been the most eccentric. We had an episode about a secret society of clowns who were a kind of vigilante revenge organisation, and I enjoyed the madness of that. An episode called ‘The Smallest of Things’ featured a series of crime dioramas based on the nutshell studies of unexplained death (a tool invented in the USA to train detectives) and the ingenuity of that appealed to me. I also love the eccentric characters we get in the series; I remember Ace Bhatti as a particular favourite, who’s character strolled about the lanes wearing only a fez.
Are there any storylines which you would like to see Father Brown do?
There are stories we haven’t done yet that I hope for. Horse racing, the life of Cotswold shepherds, and I’d love to do an English Civil War story as the Cotswolds was the centre of the action.
What can you tell us about filming in the Cotswolds?
The parish church of Blockley has played Saint Mary’s since 2012, so we’ve got to know it very well and the village has always made us feel very welcome. I’ve spent so much time in that beautiful church I can’t help feeling slightly proprietorial. With apologies to Canon Dana Delap (the real vicar) I feel like it’s mine – ecclesiastically inappropriate I know.
Claudie Blakley (Mrs Devine)
A congratulations are in order for the recently engaged Mrs Devine and Sullivan! What can you tell us about the upcoming nuptials?
We’ve taken three series to get here, but here we are finally! Lady Felicia is helping out with the wedding planning but she gets carried away with the flowers and hair and Mrs Devine lets her take over a bit, so the day is at risk of not turning out how Mrs Devine wanted her day to be. Sullivan’s father also says that he won’t give the wedding his blessing unless they both move to London, which shocks Mrs Devine. She’s scared at the prospect of having to leave Kembleford and her friends, but she considers it for Edgar and for his career; she loves him.
On the day of filming it felt like an actual wedding; all the behind the scenes team were wearing hats! I also got married 18 months before we filmed it, so it was quite close to that too.
How does Mrs Devine get on with her prospective in-laws?
Mrs Devine first meets her future father in law in the Tudor episode where she is dressed up as pregnant Lady Catherine with a cushion under her dress; so when he first sets eyes on her he initially thinks that Mrs Devine is pregnant! It slowly dawns on Mrs Devine that Walter is quite a tricky character and things get steadily worse and it becomes uncomfortable for Mrs Devine.
Walter keeps a close eye on things and it slowly dawns on him that Mrs Devine is more involved with Father Brown than she initially let on. He doesn’t like it so he warns his son that he won’t give the wedding his blessing if Mrs Devine doesn’t cut her ties with Father Brown. I’ve been warned, let’s just put it like that! That doesn’t sit very well with Mrs Divine, who is incredibly independent and modern but at the same time wants to please her fiancé, so she is a bit stuck in the middle.
What else do the gang get up to this series?
I get accused of murdering somebody in one episode, which was brilliant to film, even though I spent a lot of the episode crying! It was pretty frightening because in those days that would be it for Mrs Devine, she could be hanged if found guilty. So the stakes are high for Sullivan in that episode and it was really emotional.
How would you describe Mrs Devine and Sullivan’s relationship?
It’s just really pure and really simple. They’re just so happy they found each other a little bit later on in life. They know what they want and it’s just easy, even though their lives are polar opposites in certain respects. They allow each other to flourish and it’s a very sweet, romantic love.
Mrs Devine is really bringing out sides to Edgar that we haven’t seen before, which I love about their relationship. He’s just there for her, even when he’s completely out of his comfort zone. In one episode this series he takes part in a theatre performance because he knows how important it is to her. Their relationship is really simple like that; she’ll do anything for him, he’ll do anything for her, it’s really lovely.
What do you enjoy most about playing Mrs Devine?
I enjoy her fun nature, wit and energetic enthusiasm for solving the crime. She will do whatever it takes, including going undercover, chasing culprits in her trusty Hercules, whatever is required she throws herself in wholeheartedly. I love playing the slightly more romantic storylines with Inspector Sullivan as it’s rewarding as an actor to play the more emotional domestic scenes as well as the sleuthing. She’s a joy to play as she’s funny, quirky and sunny but has also had to overcome huge loss. There is a real of depth of character which she conceals with a carefree smile and skip in her step.
Have there been any funny or favourite moments from filming on set this year?
The first week of filming I found myself in bed with a dead body and had no idea how he got there! That was pretty funny. I also had to do a couple of fun little stunts.
Do you enjoy filming in the Cotswolds? What was your favourite location from this series?
I love the Cotswolds. We’ve now explored quite a big chunk of it and it’s starting to feel like a second home. Being based at Worcester racecourse was fun…watching the races at lunchtime!
Father Brown is at its 12th series, which is quite something! What do you think it is about the show which makes it so successful?
Wonderful stories, this series is even better than the last, the era and of course the beautiful backdrop of the Cotswolds.
Tom Chambers (Chief Inspector Sullivan)
Sullivan and Mrs Devine are planning a wedding! How is Sullivan feeling about the upcoming nuptials?
Sullivan is obviously aware that Mrs Devine is working for Father Brown and he knows it’s a conflict of interests, but Sullivan’s adoration for Mrs Devine is unbreakable and he thinks she is the perfect soulmate for him. Mrs Devine is a breath of fresh air for Sullivan as he’s had quite a stifled life with his parents, particularly his father.
I think that he is slightly nervous about the wedding, hoping that it’s all going to go well because of his father and the way he has control over Sullivan. Sullivan walks very carefully with trepidation, hoping that it’s going to be ok but he’s not quite sure whether it will be. There’s a degree of him being cautious and slightly anxious about it all.
Sullivan’s parents make a visit this series. What can you tell us about his relationship with them? And what was it like working with Denis Lawson and Cherie Lunghi?
Sullivan’s father has always been an overriding presence, he’s always made him feel inferior and felt overshadowed by him. In real life, Denis Lawson is absolutely hilarious, he’s a man of many tales, he’s always got a story to tell. He’s also extremely fun and is joyful company to be with. I worked with Cherie Lunghi in 2008 in Strictly and she is just so lovely. She’s perfect for playing Sullivan’s mother; she’s soft, gentle, kind, lovely, funny and very generous!
What else can viewers look forward to this series?
More of the wonderful delights of the Father Brown experience; seeing what the characters are getting up to, who’s bending the rules a bit and who is being cheeky. All of the characters have great heart and great spirit, and everyone has got an angle as to why they are doing wat they are doing. More of the excellent wonderful fun of murder mystery and all of the mischievous fun between all of the characters!
Have there been any funny moments from filming on set this year?
One of my funniest moments was whilst we were filming the battle re-enactment scene. It was Denis Lawson’s (who plays my father) first day on set and he was kitted up with all the battle gear; he looked like a statue of a knight you see in a castle. His first scene involved walking into a very dark room with me, and because he had the face gear and full body armour on (shoulders, the legs, everything) when they called ‘action’ he just walked straight into the wall!
We didn’t call cut and he just tried to carry on, it was just absolutely hysterical in the moment. It was his first day at work, first day on set, and he walks straight into a wall because he couldn’t see where he was going. It was very funny!
Father Brown is at its 12th series, which is quite something! What do you think it is about the show which makes it so successful?
Father Brown is a magical concoction, it has a recipe that is so loving, caring, considerate. It’s a very warm and gentle murder mystery with stunning locations and it has something about it that really connects with an audience. It’s so delightful to watch, it has good intentions and it’s supported by a lovely cast, crew, sound and writing team. Mark Williams brings so many layers of humanity to the role. He comes from a background of comedy but he does everything – comedy, drama and sincerity. Claudie is just incredible and a wonderful energy. And there’s Ruby-May who is young and vibrant, and good old John Burton, steadfast and reliable; he’s like a ray of sunshine.
Do you enjoy filming in the Cotswolds? What was your favourite location from this series?
The Cotswolds are exceptional. Filming there is incredibly special because you know it’s going to look amazing on camera and the audience are going to relish the beautiful locations. We film in these incredible architecturally stunning buildings that are vast and huge, but then also in lovely little cottages and beautiful little Cotswolds backstreets surrounded by the English countryside; just beautiful.
We filmed The Battle of Kembleford in a location that had teered gardens and one of the highest natural gravity fed fountains in Europe. We would sometimes have to stop filming because they would let the fountain go for tourists who were coming to see it especially. Other times they would turn it on so it could be in the background of the action. This fountain was huge, it was really stunning.
How has Sullivan and Father Brown’s relationship developed over the years?
Sullivan has had to accept that father Brown is a very clever and observant man. He’s developed a sense of respect for the fact that Father Brown has been very helpful at times when Sullivan has been backed into a corner. Sullivan respects Father Brown’s integrity and generosity but at the same time he rolls his eyes when Father Brown is always at Sullivan’s work and there’s a tongue-in-cheek sarcasm of “oh look who’s turned up!”. I wouldn’t call it a love-hate relationship, but I would call it a love-judge relationship, where Father Brown is always able to get one up on Sullivan and that grates on him, but he also respects him.
John Burton (Sergeant Goodfellow)
Where do we find Goodfellow at the start of the series?
I think he’s in a good place. He’s had a taste of being an inspector and is now starting to realise what that entails and the responsibilities that come with it. Although he’s passed his inspector’s exam, he can’t become an inspector until a position becomes vacant, but I think he’s more than happy to stay where he is as the Sergeant.
We hear Goodfellow’s professional future is thrown into turmoil this series! What can you tell us about that?
Goodfellow goes on a bit of a journey this series. We meet Goodfellow’s wife (Violet) for the first time and we find out a little bit more about his home life which I’m delighted about. We also find out something about Goodfellow – which plays out in the final episode. There has been a running joke over the years where Goodfellow says to Father Brown “I could lose my job over this”, and this series he may well do! We see him really get into trouble and MI5 come down to investigate, so we’ll have to see how he gets on and how he copes with all the fallout from it.
Tell us about what else Goodfellow and the gang get up to this series
One of the episodes this series features a play, which was great fun. I think all of us really enjoyed it, because it was a chance for us to play a character playing a character – so in my case it was John playing Goodfellow, playing Inspector Crabtree. I got to do a different accent and we all had a real hoot working on it.
Have there been any other favourite moments from filming on set this year?
The Tudor episode was one of my favourites this year. We got to do some sword fighting and put on a disguise, complete with beard and period costume. The backstory to the episode is that Goodfellow finds out he’s related to Lord Godfellow from hundreds of years ago. Lord Godfellow had a huge estate that potentially could have been Goodfellow’s, but unfortunately for him Lord Godfellow gambled it all away. The village decides to re-enact a battle that took place between Lord Godfellow and Lord Feathergill, (played by Inspector Sullivan). It was just huge fun to do and be part of, and is definitely up there as one of my all-time favourite episodes.
What was it like working with the wider ensemble of guest actors in this series?
The casting team have pulled it out of the bag again this year. I say it every year, but they really have! We’ve had some absolutely incredible household names join us, as well as actors that are just starting out in the business and all of them were an absolute joy to work with and all of them brought so much to their roles.
What else can viewers look forward to this series?
The production values have gone up another notch again. The script writing has been phenomenal, the casting has been sensational, and you could feel that when we were there working on it throughout the summer. Lots of stunt work, lots of amazing costumes, incredible make up and of course all the fabulous locations in the Cotswolds – the viewers are in for a real treat.
What is it like working with your fellow cast mates?
We’re all very close because we spend 17 weeks of the year together filming Father Brown. It’s something we love doing and it’s great to be part of. We don’t get to do lots of scenes where we’re all together, but when we do, you can just see how we all click and spark off each other, and it’s really good. We all bring something to the party and that’s what makes it such a good series to be part of.
We also try to socialise out of work as much as possible, because we’re working away from home for 4 months, so there are plenty of meals out (especially curries) together, and we always try to invite the guest cast as well, so they really feel like part of the team – it’s great fun!
Ruby-May Martinwood (Brenda)
What can you tell us about what Brenda gets up to with the gang this series?
Brenda is more involved in the investigations as ever this series. She also puts her dancing shoes back on!
What do you enjoy most about playing Brenda?
What I love most about playing Brenda is she is super down-to-earth, feisty, smarter than she knows, and so incredibly innocent yet always right on the money when it comes to investigating murders. Also it’s always fun to play character that’s a little bit naughty and a little bit of a terror. Brenda been through a lot and has quite a lot on her shoulders for how young she is, so it’s always nice to show that side of her as well
We hear Kembleford is buzzing with the news or Mrs Devine and Sullivan’s upcoming wedding. Is Brenda excited about it?
Brenda is beside herself happy for Mrs Devine, although she’s not Inspector Sullivan’s biggest fan she does know deep down that he can make her happy. She also pretends she doesn’t like dresses but I think she’s growing into herself now and probably quite likes to wear a dress. Brenda is one of these people who always surprises herself with her talents and abilities. She loves dancing and loves music it’s always her way to express herself and let go and have fun! She finds herself entering a big ballroom dance competition.
Have there been any funny or favourite moments from filming on set this year?
I nearly wet myself laughing when Brenda had to sit on the back of a horse and cart. I’ve never been on a horse before which is amazing but also a little bit scary so we did have a good giggle during that scene.
Do you enjoy filming in the Cotswolds? What was your favourite location from this series?
I love filming in the Cotswolds we are so lucky to be working in such a beautiful place. My favourite location is always Blockley when we are at the church.
Have you ever come up with plot ideas for the series? Or what would be your dream plot for Brenda?
I have always said Brenda goes on a driving lesson would be so funny! Or Father Brown by the sea, where we all take a trip to the beach. Father Brown goes missing would be quite fun, or Brenda going back to the borstal. Brenda gets arrested and it’s not her fault which puts tension between Inspector Sullivan and Mrs Devine. The gang go camping and we wake up and Sergeant Goodfellow has gone missing!
(Source: BBC Studios)
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