Father Brown's latest mystery involves Radio Times: "It's vital"
Mark Williams says the plot detail speaks volumes about the magazine's place in the nation's affections.
The BBC comes to Kembleford in this week’s episode of Father Brown – with none other than Radio Times playing a crucial role in the resolution of the latest murder in the village.
The stars of farm-based radio drama The Muckles (no prizes for guessing the inspiration for that), including Graham Snow (Martin Jarvis) and caddish Charlie Chumley (Nick Helm), are visiting to record a special wedding episode and shoot a Radio Times cover.
Father Brown star Mark Williams, who has twice graced our cover, says the plot detail speaks volumes about its place in the nation’s affections. "I remember my parents sitting down and going through it in close detail, making crosses against the things they wanted to see or hear.
"It isn’t about somebody’s opinion or a press mogul’s power trip – it’s a manual. People have a different attitude towards it than other magazines. It’s vital."
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It’s also a time capsule: in 1954, around the time that the episode is set, Radio Times marked the 1,000th episode of The Archers with a cover shot on a farm – a template of which was shared with the Father Brown production team so they could re-create their fictional version.
"It’s amazing how the Radio Times can date you. It’s like the Blue Peter annual – you recognise exactly the covers from when you were a kid," says the 65-year-old actor, who recalls being a child of the Valerie Singleton and John Noakes era.
This isn’t the only nod to BBC history – later in the series, Angela Rippon cameos in another episode featuring a show called Go Dancing. "She’s a fan," says Williams, adding: "She didn’t read the whole script because she wanted to watch it to find out who did it, which requires enormous self-discipline."
As for Williams, he’s showing no sign of hanging up his vestments, but after 130 episodes claims, "I’m getting quicker at working out who did it!"
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Father Brown continues today (Friday 31st January) at 2pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The latest episodes are all available now on iPlayer.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
