BBC detective drama Father Brown is entering its 12th season and, as you'd expect, during that time the show has seen a number of cast members come and go.
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This was most stark in season 10, when Sorcha Cusack, Alex Price and Jack Deam all left the show as Mrs McCarthy, Sid and Gerry, while Ruby-May Martinwood and Claudie Blakley both joined the cast as Brenda and Mrs Devine, and Tom Chambers returned as Inspector Sullivan after a long absence.
Along with Mark Williams, one of the stars who has been a regular fixture on the show the longest is John Burton, who plays Sergeant Daniel Goodfellow, and he has now admitted that he was "really worried" about the extent of the cast changes that year.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com and other press while on set for season 12, Burton revealed that he went out for lunch with Williams when the changes were revealed, and the Father Brown star reassured him.
John Burton as Sgt Goodfellow, Tom Chambers as Chief Inspector Sullivan and Claudie Blakley as Mrs Devine in Father Brown. BBC Studios/Gary Moyes
Burton said: "I was a bit concerned, I was really worried. And he said, 'No, the show needs a new breath of fresh air, and it will breathe new life into the show.' And he was absolutely right, because they are fabulous.
"We miss the old cast, obviously, but the new cast came in, they hit the ground running, and they're a joy, an absolute joy.
"And it has made it a different feel, a different vibe, and it probably needed that."
This 12th season of the cosy crime drama will see Kembleford abuzz with the news of Mrs Devine and Chief Inspector Sullivan's upcoming wedding, while cases will include a death at a Tudor battle reenactment and Mrs Devine finding herself accused of murder.
Elsewhere, Sergeant Goodfellow’s professional future will be thrown into question, Brenda will be seen ballroom dancing on national television, and Father Brown must request the help of his old adversary Flambeau.
Father Brown returns on Friday 10th January at 2pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
