Then, there’s renowned jewel thief Hercule Flambeau (John Light), initially Father Brown’s nemesis but over the course of the series, they develop an unlikely friendship. McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack) – ask her about her award-winning strawberry scones!, the lovely Lady Felicia Montague (Nancy Carroll), her niece the resourceful Lady Penelope “Bunty” Windermere (Emer Kenny), the artful Sid Carter (Alex Price) and various other recurring characters. He is always willing to give criminals a second chance if they are repentant, something that frustrates the local police force.įather Brown is supported by a wonderful team of memorable characters such as the inimitable Mrs.

What makes Father Brown distinct from most detectives is his compassion for the culprits and his mission to save their souls. The good father often butts heads with the local detective inspector who always arrests the wrong person first, but some of detectives reluctantly come to respect the priest’s investigative skills. The series is loosely based on the short stories by G.K. Set in the 1950s, this series follows the adventures of a Catholic priest who uses both intelligence and empathy to find the culprits of various crimes. There’s always something going on in the small village of Kembleford. Starring Mark Williams as Father Brown 90 episodes Crime-Solving Clergymen Father Brown (BBC 1) The first category is pretty self-explanatory but for the second, I’ve chosen shows featuring female-male partnerships who have great chemistry (mostly platonic) and who solve different kinds of cases. The first part of this series features two groups, crime-solving clergymen and dynamic detective duos. Hopefully, the categories I’ve placed each series in will help you identify which is your cup of tea.

I’ve left out the major series like Poirot, Miss Marple, Sherlock, and Midsomer Murders because I wanted to draw more attention to some of these relatively less well-known gems.

There is a plethora of detective dramas out there but the ones I have listed below are those I have personally watched and enjoyed. If only real life was so straightforward. After all, more often than not, the whole case is resolved within the season or even within the episode. The enjoyment comes not from figuring out who the culprit is before the onscreen detective, though that is one game viewers love to play, but from going on the journey with the investigator, meeting the human characters who are affected by a single, significant act.ĭetective dramas can be as effective escapist entertainment as fantasy or sci-fi shows. Murder mysteries, especially in quaint little villages, have become the staple of British television and countless iterations of the same crime-solving dynamic have emerged in the last decades. Nothing helps me while away the days than a good old whodunnit.

Partners in crime british tv series