The popular BBC drama , currently in its 12th series, continues to captivate its loyal audience. Birmingham-born actor Mark Williams returns as the titular Catholic priest, whose sharp instincts help him crack murder mysteries.
The entire season has been released at once for fans who prefer to binge-watch their favourite shows, while it also airs weekly on the , with season 12 due to conclude next week. The long-running series, which debuted in 2013, is based on a collection of short stories written by G.K. Chesterton between 1910 and 1936, which also inspired an ITV series in 1974 starring Kenneth More.
Over the years, there’s been much speculation about the real-life inspirations behind various fictional detectives, including Sherlock Holmes. But who was the real-life inspiration for Chesterton’s Father Brown?
It’s believed that the character of Father Brown was based on John O’Connor, an Irish Catholic priest who served in Bradford and other parts of Yorkshire, according to .
Chesterton met O’Connor in 1904, and their friendship lasted over three decades, leading to Chesterton converting to Catholicism under O’Connor’s guidance in 1922. O’Connor’s life is detailed in a biography titled The Elusive Father Brown: The Life of Monsignor John Joseph O’Connor.
Father Brown is actually set in a fictitious village in the Cotswolds (Image: BBC)
[EXPLAINER]
Author Julia Smith suggests that O’Connor’s encounters with poverty in Victorian Bradford had a profound impact on Chesterton’s Father Brown novels, as reported by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus. John O’Connor, originally from Clonmel, County Tipperary, was deeply embedded in his local community in Bradford.
He was reportedly horrified by the poverty and vice he saw in the city’s slums. His experiences also shocked his friend Chesterton, who used them as inspiration for his writing.
O’Connor was renowned for his literary connections, counting novelists Hilaire Belloc and Maurice Baring among his friends. It appears that O’Connor was not hesitant to acknowledge his role in inspiring the Father Brown stories.
Father Brown takes inspiration from a real-life priest (Image: BBC)
His 1937 memoir about his friendship with Chesterton and his family is aptly titled Father Brown on Chesterton. O’Connor passed away in 1952.
While the real Father Brown served in Bradford, Yorkshire, the series is set in Kembleford, a delightful and fictitious Cotswold village. A significant part of the filming takes place in the actual village of Blockley, previously recognised as one of the most desirable locations to visit.
Located between Moreton-in-Marsh and Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, it’s approximately an hour’s drive from Birmingham.
Father Brown is into its 12th series (Image: BBC)
Lead actor Williams opened up about filming in the quaint village, expressing his fondness for the location: “The parish church of Blockley has played Saint Mary’s since 2012, so we’ve got to know it very well and the village has always made us feel very welcome.”
He shared his attachment to the church used on set, saying: “I’ve spent so much time in that beautiful church I can’t help feeling slightly proprietorial. With apologies to Canon Dana Delap (the real vicar) I feel like it’s mine – ecclesiastically inappropriate I know.”
Williams also teased potential future storylines, revealing his aspirations: “There are stories we haven’t done yet that I hope for. Horse racing, the life of Cotswold shepherds, and I’d love to do an English Civil War story as the Cotswolds was the centre of the action.”
Father Brown airs on One on Fridays at 2pm