Father Brown producer confirms returning characters for 100th episode
The special episode has also been compared to murder mystery Knives Out.
Father Brown's special 100th episode will be a lavish affair – with the entire ensemble cast attending an elaborate masked ball, described as "a little bit Knives Out" by the show's producer.
Set in the mid-1950s, the comforting murder mystery based on the short stories by GK Chesterton follows the titular Roman Catholic priest - played by Mark Williams - as he inconspicuously (and without ego) solves crimes in the bucolic countryside of the Cotswolds.
The 100th episode, which airs on BBC One today (Friday 14th January), will feature the welcome return of Emer Kenny as Bunty and Alex Price as Sid, while viewers will finally be introduced to the feted Lord Monty Montague, played by Alexander Hanson.
"The first thing [about the 100th episode] is that we have all our cast, Bunty and Sid are back and Lady Felicia," producer David Lewis Richardson told RadioTimes.com. "That makes it very different because it's unusual to have the whole ensemble cast in one place at one time.
"And the other thing is the scale of elegance – we're doing a grand ball. It's a masked ball, so you're not sure who's who half the time... apart from Father Brown of course. So there's that opportunity for disguise to come into play."
In the episode, titled The Red Death, Lady Felicia and husband Monty are hosting the elegant New Year's Eve event counting down to 1954, only for their plans to be undone when the Minster of Defence is murdered by a masked figure.
"I think the big thing is Lord Montague comes back and we've heard about him for eight series but we've never seen him, which is brilliant, so we have Alexander Hanson to play him, who is excellent," Lewis Richardson continued.
"It's a closed scenario – it's a whodunnit in that sense. It's a little bit Knives Out and everyone seems to have an alibi, but it's a good fun story and a really lovely piece. The key elements are that we finally reveal Lord Monty Montague within all of this. Lady Felicia has had quite an extensive love life. She hasn't been loyal to her dear husband so there's a lot of comeback in this episode and she's torn whether to stay with Monty or not."
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The ensemble cast includes Sorcha Cusack as Mrs McCarthy, Jack Deam as Inspector Mallory, John Burton as Sergeant Goodfellow, Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, and John Light as Hercule Flambeau, with guest appearances from Richard Dillane, Gemma Page, Caleb Frederick, Nicholas Audsley and Cam Spence.
Father Brown has become a global success since making its BBC debut back in 2013, and is now broadcast in more than 232 territories around the world, including on primetime in the US.
Read more: Father Brown stars reflect on show’s endurance ahead of 100th episode
Father Brown’s 100th episode airs on Friday 14th January at 1:45pm on BBC One. Check out the rest of our Drama coverage, or take a look at our TV Guide to find out what else is on.
