BBC has finally confirmed if there’ll be more ‘Father Brown’

After an agonising wait for news, Father Brown fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Set in the Cotswolds in the early 1950s and based on the stories by GK Chesterton, the period drama series launched in 2013 and a seventh run of mysteries aired in January on BBC One in the UK.

However, there had surprisingly been no confirmation about the possibility of another season, despite its reliably strong ratings around the world – until now…

The BBC has officially announced that Father Brown will indeed be back for an eighth season.

What’s more, they’ve also revealed that the series has been renewed for a ninth season as well!

Harry Potter actor Mark Williams will reprise his role as the crime-busting Roman Catholic priest, with Sorcha Cusack, Emer Kenny, Jack Deam and John Burton all also expected to return.

Season 8 and Season 9 of Father Brown will each consist of ten brand new episodes.

The commission was announced at the same time as the renewal of the BBC’s Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators for a third and fourth season.

Dan McGolpin, Controller BBC Programming and iPlayer, commented: “Fans can now look forward to another 20 episodes of Father Brown over the next two years and the same again for Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators.”

He added: “These comic crime series are much loved by viewers in the daytime on BBC One and by others at any time on BBC iPlayer. They are masterfully produced by the team at BBC Studios, with a hugely talented cast on each series.”

The most recent season of Father Brown averaged an impressive 1.8 million viewers and a 26% audience share in its early afternoon slot on BBC One.

Season 8 will air in 2020, followed by Season 9 in 2021.

Father Brown is available on DVD on Amazon.