SISTER BONIFACE MYSTERIES, SEASON 4

Sister Boniface, the crime-solving nun series, Season 4, will premiere on Britbox on August 19. 

The series is set in the 1960s. Sister Boniface is a Vespa-riding Catholic nun with a crime lab and love of detective fiction, quite comparable to and competent as a forensic scientist, who works with the local constabulary. 

Season 4 will have 8 episodes. 

Lorna Watson stars as Sister Boniface. Returning also are cast members Max Brown as DI Sam Gillespie, Jerry Iwu as DS Felix Livingstone, Ami Metcalf as WPC Peggy Button, and Carolyn Pickles as Rev Mother Adrian. 

Season 4 guest cast includes Les Dennis, Katherine Kingsley, Martyn Ellis Mina Anwar, Ed Birch, and Daniel Laurie.

SISTER BONIFACE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL 2024

The Sister Boniface 2024 Christmas Special: "Once Upon a Time" premieres on Britbox on December 17. I love all these Christmas specials. They're usually the first episode of the next season. So look for Season 4 of the Sister Boniface Mysteries in early 2025.

Don't have Britbox? The Sister Boniface Mysteries, Seasons 1-3, will be available on PBS, on December 16, but not this Christmas special. 

Pantomime season in Great Slaughter takes a deadly turn when a cast member of the Great Slaughter Amateur Dramatics Society is mysteriously killed during rehearsals. Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) steps in to solve the case as the local constabulary join the production of Cinderella. The drama begins when Tibbles the cat delivers a grisly surprise—a human eyeball—and escalates when an actor is found stabbed in the back. As another cast member meets a grim fate, Sister Boniface must race to catch the murderer before they strike again. But can she unravel the mystery in time to save both lives and the town’s much-anticipated Christmas pantomime?

SISTER BONIFACE, SEASON 3

Sister Boniface, Season 3 will premiere on BritBox on April 24 with two episodes. Then one episode a week for 8 episodes total. Be sure and watch the Christmas Special that dropped in December.  It's considered part of Season 3, so 9 episodes (but 8 regular ones). Sister Boniface is a spin-off of the Father Brown series. Check out the first two seasons of this British cozy featuring a crime-solving, Vespa-driving nun who solves crimes in this cozy British mystery series.  

FATHER BROWN, SEASON 11, NOW ON BRITBOX

Just a heads up in case you missed it:

Father Brown, Season 11, is now on Britbox (U.S.) with 2 episodes. There will be one episode a week until the end of March. 10 episodes total. As a bonus, Sister Boniface will appear in one of Father Brown's adventures. And, watch out for Flambeau. He's back! Of course, I miss Mrs McCarthy. I feel she made the show, not to mention Lady Felicia and Bunty. Oh well, I'm still very much looking forward to the season. 

Here's the Season 11 synopsis from Tellyvisions:

The new season picks up in 1955 where Chief Inspector Sullivan and Mrs Devine have grown closer since we saw them last. Something which hasn't escaped the notice of Father Brown and Brenda.

With a food fayre to die for, a real life crime at a crime writing festival and a village rivalry that turns deadly at the local Olimpicks, there's plenty for the gang to be busy with. Father Brown and Sister Boniface become embroiled in a murder at an arts and crafts fair, while Brenda takes a trip in time to face ghosts from her past when an old friend, Dr McClurgy, reaches out. Meanwhile Father Brown's frenemy Flambeau returns with his estranged father, Gabriel, in tow and a dangerous mission in mind...

 

FATHER BROWN, Season 11 Premiere

Father Brown, Season 11, starts on Britbox (U.S.) on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 with 2 episodes. Then there will be one episode a week until the end of March. 10 episodes total. As a bonus, Sister Boniface will appear in one of Father Brown's adventures. And, watch out for Flambeau. He's back! Of course, I miss Mrs McCarthy. I feel she made the show, not to mention Lady Felicia and Bunty. Oh well, I'm still very much looking forward to the season. 

Here's the Season 11 synopsis from Tellyvisions:

The new season picks up in 1955 where Chief Inspector Sullivan and Mrs Devine have grown closer since we saw them last. Something which hasn't escaped the notice of Father Brown and Brenda.

With a food fayre to die for, a real life crime at a crime writing festival and a village rivalry that turns deadly at the local Olimpicks, there's plenty for the gang to be busy with. Father Brown and Sister Boniface become embroiled in a murder at an arts and crafts fair, while Brenda takes a trip in time to face ghosts from her past when an old friend, Dr McClurgy, reaches out. Meanwhile Father Brown's frenemy Flambeau returns with his estranged father, Gabriel, in tow and a dangerous mission in mind...

 

SISTER BONIFACE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

I always enjoy the Christmas detective specials, and I was happy to see that Sister Boniface has one. Sister Boniface, about an investigating nun, is a Father Brown spin-off. It has had two successful seasons. It's light detective entertainment and fun for a palette-cleanser amongst the gritty British detective shows I watch.  I found this Sister Boniface Christmas Special especially delightful with its references to Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, and others. 

The Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas special 2023 plot has Sister Boniface, played by Lorna Watson, stranded on a snowbound train investigating the theft of a precious gemstone and a murder! It's Christmastime and Great Britain is in the grips of the worst storm on record. The crime-solving nun on a snow-bound train uncovers murder, ancient curses, and dark family secrets. 

 Read an interview with Lorna Watson about the Christmas special plot here. 

Available on BritBox in the U.S.

SISTER BONIFACE, Season 2

Sister Boniface, a spin-off of the Father Brown series, is set for Season 2 to premiere on April 4th on Britbox in the U.S. There will be 10 episodes in Season 2.

Sister Boniface is played by Lorna Watson. This light-hearted series is set in the 1960s and stars Sister Boniface, a genius with a PhD in forensic science. She is an official Police Scientific Advisor working with DI Sam Gillespie and DS Felix Livingstone, advising them on all things forensic. Sister Boniface rides a moped, makes wine, and is a part time forensic scientist with the police. All this while living the 'contemplative' life, sort of. She does, though, really champion the victims and wants to see justice served. 

The official synopsis for Season 2: 

Sister Boniface is back in the habit, returning as the Great Slaughter Constabulary’s crime-solving secret weapon. Countryside criminals should start saying their Hail Marys, as Boniface’s faith in forensics is only rivaled by her passion for investigation.

“This series, the sister will force a murderer into checkmate at a chess tournament, take a spin through a pirate radio station, and defend her reputation as the conviction of her greatest adversary, The Pear Tree Poisoner, comes into question.”

FYI: Still no news on Season 11 of Father Brown. It does not look like we'll see any new episodes in 2023. I'll keep you posted.

SISTER BONIFACE debuts on BritBox

At last. The Sister Boniface Mysteries will debut on BritBox February 8 with 10 episodes. The series follows the adventures of Sister Boniface, Bride of Christ, vintner, and part-time Crime Scene Investigator. The character appeared in the very first season of Father Brown, and original actress Lorna Watson will reprise her role as the sleuthing nun. 

Set in rural Warwickshire during the 1960s, this is a time period in which the entire concept of police forensics is...rudimentary at best. DNA testing doesn't exist yet. Blood testing can take days. Trace evidence is in its infancy and the chain of custody - even the simple preservation - of crime scene evidence is hit or miss (as you probably recognize from the Father Brown episodes). But, the Great Slaughter Constabulary has a secret weapon in its fight against crime. 

Hidden deep in the countryside is St Vincent’s Convent, a small community of wine-making nuns is Sister Boniface. An IQ of 156 and a Ph.D. in forensic science, plus an addiction to popular detective fiction and a fully equipped crime laboratory make Boniface an invaluable aid to any police investigation. Poisons, trace evidence, bloodstains, and etymology. She’s often more up to speed on the latest forensic techniques than the Police. 

If there’s evidence to be found, Boniface will find it, with a little help from dashing maverick DI Sam Gillespie (Downton Abbey's Max Brown) and buttoned-up Bermudan DS Felix Livingstone (Sex Education's Jerry Iwu), who’s horrified to be stuck working in this eccentric town. Felix was supposed to be on secondment to the Metropolitan Police but an administrative error lands him in Great Slaughter. 

A cast of eccentric local characters combined with his boss’s reliance on a nun leaves him reeling. Although as Sam points out, that nun ensures they have the highest clean-up rate in the county. The character of Ruth Penny, a hard-nosed investigative journalist and the editor of the Albion Bugle, is played by Miranda Raison (Warrior), and Ami Metcalf (Allied) plays the role of Peggy Button, the young, unshakeable police constable. 

Additional cast members include Belinda Lang (Inspector Alleyn Mysteries), Sarah Crowden (Grantchester), David Sterne (Detectorists), Virginia Fiol (EastEnders), and Ivan Kaye (The Coroner). And, though it is obviously not confirmed in any way, it seems highly likely that Father Brown himself, Mark Walliams, will at least make some sort of cameo appearance in Sister Boniface's first season. The ten-part series will arrive on Britbox beginning Tuesday, February 8.