‘Father Brown’ return date confirmed: When does Season 7 start?

The BBC has announced when the seventh season of Father Brown will begin in the UK.

Set in the Cotswolds in the early 1950s and based on the stories by GK Chesterton, the period drama series launched in 2013.

Harry Potter actor Mark Williams is back as the titular crime-busting Roman Catholic priest next month with 10 brand new mysteries to solve.

The new season will also feature the return of Mrs McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack), Inspector Mallory (Jack Deam) and Bunty Windermere (Emer Kenny).

Season 7 begins at 2.15pm on Monday 7th January on BBC One, with episodes airing daily on weekdays for a fortnight.

The official synopsis for the first episode, ‘The Great Train Robbery’, reads: “Faced with the prospect of travelling in second class Lady Felicia (Nancy Carroll) is delighted to run into opera legend Dame Bianca Norman (Cecilia Noble) who invites her and Mrs McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack) away from the riff-raff into her private pullman carriage.

“Also on board is Bianca’s fifth husband Piers Huntington (Matt Rawle) and adopted children Barbara (Olivia Hallinan) and Tony (Chris Lew Kum Hoi) who do not seem entirely happy with their life of luxury.

“After midnight the train stops and the carriage is plunged into darkness, allowing local farmers Lenny (Darryl Clark) and Daryl Cudlip (Andrew Turner) to seize Bianca’s jewels. In the scuffle Bianca is killed and the panicking brothers take Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy hostage.

“Roused from their beds Father Brown (Mark Williams) and Bunty (Emer Kenny) visit the scene where Inspector Mallory (Jack Deam) promises to do all he can to find Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy. Meanwhile the ladies manage to break free at the farm, encountering younger brother Tim Cudlip (Jack Carroll) before an angry Lenny and Daryl return.

“With no clues as to where his friends are and killers on the loose, can Father Brown find them before it’s too late?”

Will Trotter, Head of Daytime Drama, BBC Studios previously revealed that the new season “is set to be the best one yet.”

He hinted: “In [Season 7] we see anarchists, ramblers and Morris Dancers all throwing up new adventures for Father Brown but as ever, he’s more concerned with saving souls than in just bringing the guilty to justice.”

Season 7 will be shown in the USA later this year.

Father Brown is available on DVD on Amazon.