Sister Boniface Mysteries, the spin-off to the long-running BBC drama Father Brown, is returning for a Christmas special in December 2024 – and now we know exactly when the episode is set to land.

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The feature-length Christmas special, which will see Lorna Watson back in the habit as the crime-solving nun, will air on UKTV’s U&Drama on Friday 20th December at 8pm.

The episode will revolve around the Great Slaughter Amateur Dramatics Society (GSADS) as they rehearse a production of Cinderella.

However, rehearsals are soon plunged into chaos when a cast member dies mysteriously.

"Can Sister Boniface catch the killer before they strike again? Will GSADS give the public the festive theatrical treat they deserve? And, most importantly, can Sam and Felix pull off a polka in a pantomime horse?" the official synopsis reads.

Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu), Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson), Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) and Sam Gillespie (Max Brown) in The Sister Boniface Mysteries. They are standing behind a table with various bottles, test tubes and containers holding liquids on them.
Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu), Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson), Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) and Sam Gillespie (Max Brown) in The Sister Boniface Mysteries. BBC Studios 2023 / Gary Moyes

The fourth season, filming on which kicked off back in July, is expected to land in 2025, but a release date is yet to be announced.

The synopsis for season 4 continues: "Elsewhere in the series a bucking bronco goes haywire on the set of a game show, a killer scarecrow stalks the streets of Great Slaughter, the Scottish invade, a femme fatale drops to her death in a stunt gone wrong and to top it all CC Lowsley (Robert Daws) has arranged something called 'team building'.

"Meanwhile, Reverend Mother Adrian (Carolyn Pickles) is keeping a secret, one that could tear the sisters' lives apart as they know it."

Watson will be joined by returning cast members Max Brown, Jerry Iwu and Ami Metcalf, who play DI Sam Gillespie, DS Felix Livingstone and WPC Peggy Button, respectively, in season 4.

Meanwhile, season 4 guest stars will include Les Dennis (Coronation Street), Katherine Kingsley (The Larkins), Martyn Ellis (Renegade Nell), Mina Anwar (The Sarah Jane Adventures), Ed Birch (The Witcher) and Daniel Laurie (Call the Midwife).

Sister Boniface Mysteries will return for a Christmas special on Friday 20th December at 8pm and a fourth season in 2025, which will air on UKTV's U&Drama and on BritBox International.

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Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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