CineMata's Movie Madness : The Holy Trinity of Snoops

The Holy Trinity of Snoops:
Father Brown, Grantchester, and Sister Boniface

by Paulette Reynolds
May 31, 2025

It is universally acknowledged that the British are masters at both procedural and cozy mysteries. National treasures Dame Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle continue to take center spot in bookstores, stage productions, film, and television. Yes, the popularity of the cozy detective - and that of the mystery genre in general - boasts an impressive checklist of solid gold sleuths, as well.

Nestled among these classic gems, are what I’d like to call the holy trinity of snoops, lead by Father Brown, Grantchester, and The Sister Boniface Mysteries. This trio of saintly gumshoes follow the cozy subgenre of the Detective trope, where the amateur investigator outwits the professional police inspector - yes - every time! All three are tucked into the peaceful hills and valleys of southwest and eastern England; but cloistered among these serene communities, among the quaint towns and friendly pubs, exists a rather robust body count, taciturn suspects, and exasperated police captains.

The setting where our mysteries play out is another character, with the small village lending a more comfortable, if claustrophobic feeling. Everything seems exaggerated - characters are a little more quirky and off-center - after all, there’s nowhere else to go. Unlike a big bustling urban environment, these little towns act as self-contained hives, buzzing with gossip, wild rumors, and of course - murder.

Central to these small towns are the village church and its clergy, ever ready with a sympathetic ear and a timely parable. But these good people of the cloth find their day jobs simply can’t compete with the excitement of a grisly crime scene. Take Father Brown of Kembleford, a fictional village whose residents brighten at his friendly demeanor - and fondly indulge his addictions to strawberry scones and sleuthing. Our good priest exhibits one universal quality that sets him apart from his uniformed peers, an unshakeable belief that every person is redeemable.

Father Brown, played by Mark Williams, is now logged in at 12 years and counting, almost beating out Kenneth More, (who enjoyed the role for 13 seasons in 1974). His other male counterpart in Grantchester has seen three vicars in the last eight years - Sidney Chambers (James Norton), William Davenport (Tom Brittney), and Alphy Kottaram (Rishi Nair). Both shows are set in the 1950s, which seems to be the emotional sweet spot for many British cozy mystery shows, and I suspect it’s a nod to the huge Baby Boomer audience that can connect to the period. And the post WWII period is also rich in topics that reflect the pressures, issues, and belief systems of such a turbulent time in England.

And while both shows share this era, they feature two decidedly different tones. Father Brown is careful to stay on the middle path, solving crimes with co-stars who serve as his devoted assistants in crime-solving. Upper Crust Lady Felicia, parish secretary and busy-body Mrs. McCarthy, together with slightly shady Sid form the inner conclave, with seasonal guest appearances by cynical art thief Hercule Flambeau to keep poor Inspector Mallory’s blood pressure rising.That leaves long-suffering Sergeant Goodfellow to shield his sleuthing friends from Mallory’s histrionics, which usually fails. The mysteries themselves are more plot-driven, with each episode packed with twists, clues, and colorful suspects.

However, Father Brown surprised me with season ten - and that’s pretty hard to do. Gone is Inspector Mallory, now replaced by scowling Inspector Sullivan, whose threshold for frustration at the good padre needed some serious adjusting, thanks to a bubbly new widow, secretary Mrs. Devine. But the best addition is Ruby-May Martinwood as housekeeper Brenda Palmer, Kembleford’s first woman of color.

While many decried the loss of familiar characters, their backstories and enthusiasm won this reviewer’s heart —that is, until series 12. Each new episode saw Father Brown rattling on about forgiveness, with Brenda acting more like a newly-minted Stepin’ Fetchit (completed with a permanent look of surprise on her lovely face), and Mrs. Devine vacillating between empowered widow or future tradwife material for the hunky inspector. Hopefully, the season 13 writers will put more faith in their new female characters by adding less static scenarios.

And please beware the modern trend of binge-watching, screenwriters! The delicious feeling of deep- diving into a season can also gradually make one feel bored or irritated. It’s easier to spot repetitive tricks, plot holes and tepid tropes. When Father Brown fans were hit with a complete casting change it was jarring, and this was reflected in the harsh responses on the online forums. Grantchester made a wiser move in introducing the newest vicar after season nine had begun, allowing viewers to be let off the hook emotionally. (Of course viewers were treated to advanced buzz, teasers, and trailers beforehand.) A more seamless approach might have seen the new characters added - one at a time - over a season, thereby lessening the shock. As it now stands, the newer characters still feel raw and underbaked - especially Brenda’s - with her tiresome giddy schoolgirl demeanor wasting Ruby May-Martinwood’s talents.

Nestled in between Father Brown and Sister Boniface, Grantchester leans heavily on traumatic social issues of the period, taking on women’s empowerment, homosexuality, alcoholism and homelessness. Grantchester moved into the crime neighborhood in 2014, with fascinating characters and a healthy body count. Two male Anglican vicars - one straight, the other gay - served the spiritual needs of the Cambridgeshire area, while Detective Inspector Geordie Keating felt called upon to ask vicar Sidney Chambers to assist him, all the while engaging in knotty theological discussions. This left Leonard Finch to take up the spiritual slack as a Mrs. Chapman kept the vicarage kitchen well-stocked with her superb home cooking.

As the series progressed, Inspector Keating grew comfortable working with the conflicted American vicar whose main vices included hard liquor, jazz, and pining for his married lady love. Geordie’s life was equally engrossing, with wife Cathy deciding to enter the world of work - and a crew of police rookies refusing to take a back seat to their boss’s amateur gumshoe. By the time we got to season four, Chambers had left town and vicar Will roared in on his motorcycle. Leonard found love but lost his position and suffered a crisis of faith, Mrs. Chapman woke up enough to accept Leonard’s sexual orientation (and a new husband), and by season nine vicar Alphy Kotteram momentarily shocked the town by being their first vicar of color, replete with a snappy red convertible. Whew!

While Grantchester offers a more character-driven series, sometimes the detective+vicar team wears a bit thin. There’s less coziness than the Father Brown - Sister Boniface duo, and often times it feels as though the Vicar trope is just a convenient cliché. Apart from Leonard, the Sydney-Will-Alfie conflicted trio are rarely at the vicarage, either emotionally or physically - they’re just too busy playing Geordie’s spiritual sidekick. This fails to satisfy me, as each incarnation becomes more unconvincing and one-dimensional in scope.

Leonard’s emotional journey is perhaps the high point of Grantchester, as his efforts to help heal the community’s troubled souls with tea and sympathy makes him the show’s most fascinating character. As the true spiritual leader, he’s the beating heart of the series, because he refuses to stop ministering to Grantchester’s most vulnerable residents, despite the sea changes in his own private life - unlike Sydney, Will, and Alfie - whose collective self-absorption makes one wonder how these narcissistic men became vicars at all!

The Sister Boniface Mysteries round out our third circle of devout detectives, as she gets ready to drive her Vespa into season four. A spiritual second cousin to Father Brown, Sister Boniface brings a healthy dose of hope, happiness, and chuckles to this Catholic nunnery from the eastern countryside. Set in the 1960s, Rev. Mother Adrian vainly attempts to keep her flock at arm’s length from Sister Boniface’s infectious curiosity, but rest assured it always ends with a thrilling adventure for everyone involved. Her forensic science skills get called into service - often reluctantly - for Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie and Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone. Constable Peggy Button usually defers to her saintly hero, much to the chagrin of Detective Inspector.

I find myself longing for a reboot of Dawn French’s The Vicar of Dilbey, complete with a healthy dose of murder and mystery, to counter-balance the saccharine aftertaste of the sweet novice. Sister Boniface’s exaggerated persona undercuts her skills and talents, because after all - what better way to trivialize a woman doing a “man’s job” than to make fun of her? Did the show’s creator simply created her to check off a diversity box?

Granted, it’s a slippery slope for British writers when it comes to developing the clerical detective, as our current favorites demonstrate. Father Brown and Sister Boniface are stuck in their one-dimensional robes while the Grantchester vicars are more multi-faceted. Like stepping on egg shells, creating a religious detective is a delicate balancing act that still challenges this subgenre.

COPYRIGHT 2012/2025. Paulette Reynolds. All CineMata Movie Madness blog articles, reviews, faux interviews, commentary, and the Cine Mata character are under the sole ownership of Paulette Reynolds. All intellectual and creative rights reserved.