Father Brown

I loved the early seasons. The introduction of Inspector Mallory made it less enjoyable, however. It isn't that he's a character we love to hate - that is pretty much a necessity in this type of show. It's that he is painfully overplayed, which is incredibly distracting. But if you can ignore his intrusion, the rest of the characters and the stories are a delightful way to step away from reality for a while. A lighthearted and clever show that I will often put on in the background as I'm working on projects.

I saw Alec Guinness play Father Brown in the film version some years ago and an enjoyable film it was as well. It was a shame he did not make more Father Brown films.

This television adaptation by the BBC, shown in the afternoons might not be for the purists who have read the books and appalled at the changes made.

The TV adaptation because of budgetary reasons require a fixed location (such as the village setting) fixed sets and a small regular cast of characters as the core actors have to be retained for the duration of the shoot.

The period setting has moved forward to the 1950s, a time of post war change and Father Brown might be deemed to be a little too modern with some liberal sensibilities. Then again he is a man who has himself experienced the horrors of war and we believe has travelled widely and open to new experiences even though he is a Catholic priest.

The murder mysteries are enjoyable, easy viewing for the whole family. Some of the stories in the TV series are new and others are based on the books by Chesterton.

In the books, Father Brown might be deemed to a be a peripheral character, somewhat on the edge. In one of the stories I did read and which the series did adapt (The Blue Cross,) it was noticeable how pacey and thrilling the adaptation was in contrast with the book.

It is wonderful to see Father Brown move into its seventh series, the show is quite wonderful, it's such easy viewing, it's funny, of course it's intriguing, it's just a great family show. Of course I love the heavy and complex mystery dramas on virtually every week, but there are times when you just want to sit back and watch a cosy, safe murder mystery. Forty five minutes of engaging, entertaining mystery, a genre which had seemed almost dead. Mark Williams has managed to inject something into the character of Father Brown, his performances are superb, he's a joy to watch, as are all of the cast. There have been a few duff episodes, but for every bad one there's a quality one, the likes of The Owl of Minerva and The Bride of Christ, they are great viewing. It comes as no surprise to me that the show is a big international success, I love it.

I've come to really enjoy this show. The cast has great chemistry and Father Brown couldn't have been casted better.

This is, as another reviewer quite rightly said: "utter tosh". Well of course it is. It is delightful, fluffy, nonsensical utter tosh and I say Thankyou for that. TV is missing more of this sort of silliness. It is so very easy to watch. If you blink you miss nothing but if you watch it without blinking, it is easy on the eyes/heart/soul. Sunday afternoon by the fire with a hot chocolate cupped in hand...THAT is what this programme is and I for one think they should be applauded for providing this 'niche service' for those of us who like a small slice of comfy 'utter tosh' in our otherwise frantic chaotic troublesome lives.