UKTV’s Drama channel has acquired the UK rights to Father Brown spin-off The Sister Boniface Mysteries, TVWise has learned. BBC Studios handles international sales for the series. The show’s ten episode first season is expected to premiere on Drama in 2022.
The Sister Boniface Mysteries is set in 1960s rural England and dives into the endearing world of Great Slaughter and its secret weapon in its fight against crime, Sister Boniface. At a time when police forensics is rudimentary, Boniface’s I.Q. of 156, her PHD in forensic science, plus an addiction to popular detective fiction and a fully equipped crime laboratory make her an invaluable aid to Police investigations.
Mud, blood, stains, hairs and fibres. If there is evidence to be found Boniface will find it. Poisons, trace evidence, blood stains, etymology. She’s more up to speed on the latest forensic techniques than the Police. In her role as official Police Scientific Advisor, Boniface works alongside the dashing maverick Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie, and Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone. Felix was supposed to be on secondment to the Metropolitan Police but an administrative error lands him in Great Slaughter.
A cast of eccentric local characters combined with his boss’s reliance on a nun leave him reeling. Although as Sam points out, that “Nun” ensures they have the highest clean-up rate in the county. The drama series, which was created by Jude Tindall, is produced by BBC Studios and stars Lorna Watson, Max Brown, Jerry Iwu, Miranda Raison, Ami Metcalf, Belinda Lang, Sarah Crowden, David Sterne, Virginia Fiol and Ivan Kaye. Mark Williams is also set to guest star as Father Brown. Peter Bullock is the series producer, while Neil Irvine is the script producer. Will Trotter is the executive producer.
This deal for The Sister Boniface Mysteries comes after BBC One had previously taken a look at acquiring the series for their daytime schedule, where parent series Father Brown airs. UKTV’s Global Acquisitions Manager Charlie Charalambous brokered the deal with BBC Studios. “Sister Boniface Mysteries is a hugely exciting new series and it’s a real privilege to bring it to the UK as one of our key acquisitions for next year”, Charlie Charalambous said in a statement.
