Mark Williams returns as Father Brown for series 11. Photo: BBC

After a year’s hiatus, filming for series 11 of Father Brown has begun on location in the Cotswolds with former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy (Doctor #7) set to join the cast in a guest role. Mark Williams will reprise his role as the crime solving cleric and Lorna Watson returning as Sister Boniface after starring in her own spin-off series last year, Sister Boniface Mysteries.

In addition to McCoy, Ingrid Oliver (Watson and Oliver, Doctor Who), Ian Gelder (Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials) and John Light (Around the World in 80 Days, Murder in Provence) will join the cast for series 11 either as victims or suspects.

With 10 series and 100 episodes under his belt, Williams described it as “…an honor to be returning to Father Brown for an 11th series of warmth, drama and humour, as well as sleuthing with my partners in crime solving“.

Father Brown’s bike in storage. Photo: Bill Young

Falling victim to the production shutdown driven by a global pandemic back in 2020, series producers opted to delay production of the series for a year as opposed to a short delay in production. Thankfully, Father Brown’s bike is out of storage and ready to make the streets of Kembleford safe once again. The picture above was taken during a 2015 stay in the Cotswolds during our production of Father Brown: Saving Souls, Solving Crimes for PBS.

According to the BBC, series 11 will begin in 1955 with Father Brown (Williams) and Brenda (Ruby-May Martinwood) noting that chief inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) and Mrs Devine (Claudie Blakley) have grown closer since we saw them last.

Throughout the season, as what now seems to be standard operating procedure in small English villages, Brown and his colleagues will be kept busy by an array of cases including “a food fayre to die for, a real life crime at a crime writing festival and a village rivalry that turns deadly at the local Olimpicks”.

One episode will see Father Brown and Sister Boniface become embroiled in a murder at an arts and crafts fair, while another will follow Brenda as she takes a trip in time to face ghosts from her past after her old friend Dr McClurgy (McCoy) gets in touch.

Father Brown S11 will return to BBC One in early 2024 with a U.S. broadcast on public television stations not long after.