Father Brown The Daughters of Jerusalem (2013– ) Online

This is the first episode I have seen of the BBC's new version of the Chesterton classic. Having seen the Kenneth More version while a child, and being conversant with the Alec Guinness film of 1954 (where the actor turns the character into an apparently distrait, yet intellectually penetrating person), I was interested to see how Mark Williams (late of THE FAST SHOW) essayed the role.

In this episode he was laid up with a leg injury, and could only observe the proceedings in his chocolate-box English village with the aid of the telescope. He appeared rather helpless - almost entirely reliant on the help of Mrs. McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack) for his material needs. Yet beneath that surface there lurked a clever, calculating mind: no one could underestimate his powers of deduction. This Father Brown was obviously a pillar of the community, yet someone who could solve a crime through sheer mental effort. Violence was not part of his armory; he relied purely on intellectual prowess.

Within a 45-minute episode director Matt Carter manages to cram two murders, a debate about love versus the Catholic church, and a tea- party as well. Sometimes the action seems a little contrived, especially at the end, when Father Brown almost accidentally solves the crime, yet manages to escape unscathed from a particularly ticklish situation. Yet some of the supporting performances are well drawn: Father Roland Eager (James Rastall) came across as an intense person, whose behavioral motives were quite different from what we might first have assumed.

The setting - a village in the mid-Fifties - is perhaps a little too twee, with its half-timbered houses, endless sunshine, and colorful occasions (in this case a fête) with dainty food. It smacks too much of other detective thrillers of the past, such as the St. Mary Mead of the Joan Hickson Miss Marples of the 1980s. On the other hand, there is a fine sense of comic repartee between Mrs. McCarthy and the upper class country Lady Felicia (Nancy Carroll), whose accent you could cut with a knife.

Undemanding entertainment, perhaps, but the production still commands our attention.

A touch of Rear Window in this episode. Father Brown is laid up in his room with a broken leg. Nothing much to do but look out of the bedroom window with his telescope.

An intense Father Eager is filling in for him at the church, things did not pan out well when he put up a film of his missionary work to an audience and it turns out to be a rather racy piece.

However while Father Brown is out of action two murders occur in rapid succession. Village gossip Mrs Bunyon is killed after a row at a cake baking contest, later her rival at the baking contest Mrs Thimble is found dead.

Some years earlier, three women gave evidence that led to a man accused of murdering a young child being hanged. As the remaining witness is under suspicion Father Brown believes the third witness could be the next victim as he tries to unmask the culprit.

The episode suffers from a policeman having undue prominence when the character has never appeared in the series before. It rather gives the game away.

Father Brown is incapacitated, with a broken leg. Members of the Women's institute start getting bumped off, a new with the Father out of action it falls on Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy to do the leg work for him.

Lots of humour throughout, the film at the WI meeting was hilarious, especially Lady Felicia's reaction. Fine performances all round, Clare Higgins, Annette Badland and Janet Henfrey, but it's the sparkling combination of Cusack and Carroll that shines through, the semi compliments and back stabbing are a joy.

A cracking story, as has been said they managed to pack a lot into 45 minutes. A very strong, different episode. 8/10

The episode is completely divorced from the mind of Chesterton and his purpose in writing these stories. The modern writer has Fr. Brown looking more like a modern liberal Anglican curate than Chesterton's completely orthodox Catholic priest. I could hardly believe my ears when Fr. Brown tells the young priest that God has chosen this woman for him and really encourages him to leave the priesthood. So God has no respect for vows or celibacy, or is it much more likely that writer has no respect for these Catholic institutions. The character is completely of character is the long and short of it. It's alright to update some things, but not the main character by transforming him into the opposite of what he is in the original stories. That shows no respect for Chesterton or his Catholic faith.