Sister Boniface Mysteries

British detective TV series

Sister Boniface Mysteries is a British cosy mystery detective period comedy drama television series, created by Jude Tindall, which is produced by BBC Studios and BritBox. It is a spin-off of Father Brown, as the Sister Boniface character was introduced in "The Bride of Christ" – a 2013 episode of Father Brown. A 10-episode first series premiered on 8 February 2022, on the BritBox streaming service,^[1] and released in the UK on the UKTV Drama channel later in 2022.^[2] Sister Boniface Mysteries was commissioned for a second series,^[3] which began streaming in the US on Britbox on 3 April 2023. Series 3 began streaming on Britbox in the US on 24 April 2024.^[4] Filming on Series 4 began in July 2024.^[5]

Premise

The series is set in England during the early 1960s. Sister Boniface is a Catholic nun at St. Vincent's Convent in the fictional town of Great Slaughter in the Cotswolds. In addition to her religious duties at the convent, she makes wine and has a PhD in forensic science, allowing her to serve as a scientific adviser to the local police on investigations.^[6]

The three regularly featured police officers are Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie (revealed in episode 9 to be a former army officer), Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone (on secondment from the police force of Bermuda) and Constable (WPC) Peggy Button.

Cast

• Lorna Watson as Sister Boniface, (birth last name Bonham-Crane), a Catholic nun
• Max Brown as Sam Gillespie, a Detective Inspector
• Jerry Iwu as Felix Livingstone, a Detective Sergeant on secondment from Bermuda
• Miranda Raison as Ruth Penny, a newspaper reporter (Series 1, guest series 2 and 3)
• Ami Metcalf as Peggy Button, a Constable (WPC)

Supporting cast

• Belinda Lang as Mrs. Clam
• Carolyn Pickles as Reverend Mother Adrian
• Virginia Fiol as Sister Reginald
• Tina Chiang as Sister Peter
• David Sterne as Tom Thomas
• Ivan Kaye as Ted Button
• Sarah Crowden as Miss Thimble
• Robert Daws as Chief Constable Hector Lowsley
• Mat Fraser as Clement Rugg, reporter
• Jack Gouldbourne as Norman Walley, junior reporter, classmate of Peggy Button
• Ayesha Griffiths as Victoria Braithwaite, fiancée of Felix

Guest cast

• Mark Williams as Father Brown
• Sylvestra Le Touzel as Prunella Gladwell
• John Thomson as Leonard Monk
• Maggie Steed as Vivienne Bonham-Crane (Sister Boniface's mother)
• Geoff McGivern as Malise Bonham-Crane (Sister Boniface's father)

Production

Princethorpe College in June 2013

Development

Father Brown executive producer Will Trotter anticipated developing a Sister Boniface spin-off as soon as Father Brown had ended. He eventually pitched the concept to Britbox.^[6] The series share several writers and directors, such as John Maidens, Paul Gibson, Kit Lambert, Tahsin Guner and Ian Barber.

Locations

The location for St Vincent's Convent is Princethorpe College, a Catholic independent day school in Princethorpe, near Rugby, Warwickshire, England.^[7]

The location for the town's village hall is in Great Barrington, Gloucestershire. This hall is used multiple times during Series 2.

The location of the hidden radio station in Series 2 Episode 8 "Dead Air" was at Donnington Brewery, which is also home to Mrs Devine's house in Father Brown.

The location of the Spitfire pub is the Bakers Arms in Broad Campden.

Episodes

Series 1 (2022)

Series 2 (2023)

Series 2 began streaming in the US on 3 April 2023.

Christmas special (2023)

Series 3 (2024)

All episodes are available from streaming services.

Home media

References

1. "Sister Boniface Mysteries". Britbox.
2. Mumm, Patrick (9 September 2021). "UKTV's Drama Channel Acquires UK Rights To 'Father Brown' Spin-Off 'The Sister Boniface Mysteries'". TV Wise.
3. "BritBox North America recommission BBC Studios Drama Productions' Sister Boniface Mysteries". BritBox North America. 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
4. "Sister Boniface Mysteries Season 3 How to Watch & Stream in the US | Telly Visions". tellyvisions.org. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
5. "Father Brown spin-off Sister Boniface Mysteries begins filming season 4". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
6. Snyder, Diane (2 February 2022). "'Sister Boniface': Crime-Solving Nun Gets the Spotlight in 'Father Brown' Spinoff". TV Insider.
7. "Princethorpe Connect". September 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
8. "Sister Boniface Mysteries: Season 1 (DVD)(2022)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
9. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series One (DVD)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
10. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series One (Blu-ray)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
11. "Sister Boniface Mysteries - Die komplette erste Staffel. - Von den Machern von "Father Brown" [3 DVDs]". amazon.de. 26 January 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
12. "Sister Boniface Mysteries: Season 2 (DVD)(2023)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
13. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series Two (DVD)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
14. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series Two (Blu-ray)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
15. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series Three (DVD)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
16. "The Sister Boniface Mysteries: Series Three (Blu-ray)". hmv.com. Retrieved 8 April 2024.

External links

• Sister Boniface Mysteries at BritBox
• Sister Boniface Mysteries at IMDb
• Sister Boniface Mysteries at epguides.com