''Sister Boniface Mysteries'' is a British

cosy mystery Cozy mysteries (also referred to as cozies) are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small socially-intimate community. Cozies thus s ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Period (punctuation) * Era, a length or span of time *Menstruation, commonly referred to as a "period" Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (o ...

comedy drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

television series, created by Jude Tindall, which is produced by

BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...

and

BritBox BritBox is a British Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Video on demand#Subscription models, video on demand Streaming television, streaming service founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, ITV which operates in eight countries across Australi ...

. It is a

spin-off Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media *Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work *''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine * ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...

of ''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective. He is featured in 53 short stories by English author G. K. Chesterton, published between 1910 and 1936. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intuition and ...

'', 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, and released in the UK on the

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, trading as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through a join ...

Drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

channel later in 2022. ''Sister Boniface Mysteries'' was commissioned for a second series, 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. Filming on series 4 began in July 2024.

Premise

The series is set in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the early 1960s. Sister Boniface is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

at St. Vincent's Convent set in the fictional town of Great Slaughter in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

(which were used as locations in ''Father Brown''). In addition to her religious duties at the convent, she makes wine and has a PhD in

forensic science Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

(although this is referred to as a MA (Cantab), in "The Forensic Nun" episode of ''Father Brown'') allowing her to serve as a scientific adviser to the local police on investigations. The three regularly featured police officers are Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie (revealed in Series 1 episode 9 to be a former army officer), Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone (on

secondment Secondment is the temporary assignment of a member of one organization to another organization. In some jurisdictions, .g., Indiasuch temporary transfer of employees is called "on deputation". Job rotation The employee typically retains their s ...

from the

police force The police are a constituted body of people empowered by a state with the aim of enforcing the law and protecting the public order as well as the public itself. This commonly includes ensuring the safety, health, and possessions of citizen ...

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

) and Constable (WPC) Peggy Button.

Cast

Lorna Watson Lorna Watson (born 1977) is a British comedian, actress and television presenter. She was one of the presenters of ''Spy School''. Her acting roles include various characters in television sketch shows ''Rush Hour'', '' The Wrong Door'' and '' ...

as Sister Boniface, (née Bonham-Crane), a Catholic nun * Max Brown as Sam Gillespie, a

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

* Jerry Iwu as Felix Livingstone, a

Detective Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage from the Brit ...

on secondment from Bermuda *

Miranda Raison Miranda Caroline Raison is a British actress who is best known for playing Jo Portman in five seasons of '' Spooks'' (MI5) and Nellie Davenport in HBO's ''Warrior''. She originated the title role in Howard Brenton's ''Anne Boleyn'' at Shakespe ...

as Ruth Penny, a newspaper reporter (Series 1, guest series 2 and 3) *

Ami Metcalf Ami Louise Metcalf (born June 1994) is an English actress. She rose to prominence in 2010 after portraying Sapphire Cox in the BBC soap opera ''Doctors'', for which she won the Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress. Followin ...

as Peggy Button, a

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...

(WPC)

Supporting cast

Belinda Lang Belinda Lucy Lange Fraser (born 23 December 1953), known professionally as Belinda Lang, is an English actress. She starred as Kate in the BBC sitcom '' Dear John'', Liza in the ITV sitcom '' Second Thoughts'' (1991–94), and Bill Porter in t ...

as Mrs. Clam *

Carolyn Pickles Carolyn Pickles (born 8 February 1952) is a British actress from Halifax, England, who has appeared in West End theatre and on British television. She is known for playing DCI Kim Reid in ''The Bill'' and Shelley Williams in ''Emmerdale''. ...

as Reverend Mother Adrian * Virginia Fiol as Sister Reginald * Tina Chiang as Sister Peter *

David Sterne David Sterne (born 1946) is an English actor. He has appeared in more than 90 films since 1973. Career After leaving the British Army, Sterne trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Compa ...

as Tom Thomas *

Ivan Kaye Ivan Blakeley Kaye (born 1 July 1961) is an English actor and producer. His international fame came with roles in historical drama shows like the Duke of Milan in all three seasons of '' The Borgias'', and King Aelle in the first four Seasons o ...

as Ted Button * Sarah Crowden as Miss Thimble *

Robert Daws Robert Daws (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor, and crime fiction author. He is best known for his television roles, including Tuppy Glossop in ''Jeeves and Wooster'' (1990–1993), gruff cricketer Roger Dervish in the comedy '' Outside Ed ...

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

Sylvestra Le Touzel Sylvestra Le Touzel (born 20 October 1958) is an English actress. Known for her character work in television, radio, film and theatre, she began her career as a child actor before moving into adult roles. She is married to actor Owen Teale, wit ...

as Prunella Gladwell * John Thomson as Leonard Monk *

Maggie Steed Maggie Steed (born Margaret Baker; 1 December 1946) is an English actress and comedian. Career After studying drama at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol in the late 1960s, Steed left the theatre for several years, until she was about ...

as Vivienne Bonham-Crane, Sister Boniface's mother * Geoff McGivern as Malise Bonham-Crane, Sister Boniface's father * Patrick Robinson as Jacob Livingstone, Felix's father

Production

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. The series share several writers and directors, such as John Maidens, Paul Gibson, Kit Lambert, Tahsin Güner and Ian Barber.

Locations

The location for St Vincent's Convent is

Princethorpe College Princethorpe College is a Catholic private day school located in Princethorpe, near Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Princethorpe College opened in September 1966 after the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSCs), purchased the site to use as th ...

, a Catholic independent day school in Princethorpe, near Rugby, Warwickshire, England. 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 ''

''. 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.

Christmas special (2024)

Home media

References

External links

Sister Boniface Mysteries
at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

* {{G. K. Chesterton 2022 British television series debuts 2020s British mystery television series 2020s British comedy-drama television series Adaptations of works by G. K. Chesterton BBC high definition shows BBC television dramas Clerical mysteries Cozy mystery television series Television series about Christian religious leaders British English-language television shows Religious drama television series Television series set in the 1960s British detective television series Television series by BBC Studios BritBox original programming British television spinoffs Television series about nuns Television series set in convents