Mark Williams Discusses “Father Brown” Series

by · May 12, 2020

Mark Williams, known to most Harry Potter fans as Arthur Weasley, has another iconic role as Father Brown in the hit BBC TV series Father Brown, in which he portrays a priest who happens to be an excellent crime solver. Like many other TV shows and movies right now, Father Brown had to postpone its filming due to COVID-19. Williams discussed his role with Stuff and let the New Zealand news media website know what the fans have had to say about the series.

First, Williams explained that he is hopeful they will continue to film during the summer.

We were about to start filming the ninth [season], which would include the 100th episode, so it was quite a landmark for us.

Father Brown is a British drama series that’s set in the 1950s and has been on air since 2013. Williams has been playing the crime-solving priest since the show’s debut, and the series is loosely based on short stories by G.K. Chesterton. Williams believes the “storytelling” done by the show is what makes it so popular. Fans have described the series as gentle, which makes Williams laugh because characters get murdered.

What’s gentle is the way that the story is told. It’s not an aggressive way of telling a television story by using lots of different effects and explosions and camera techniques and aggressive acting. It’s much more storytelling. And there’[re] no zombies, no dragons.

Williams has said that staying faithful to the character and time period is crucial. He takes those sorts of things very seriously because he understands it can be the reason someone likes or dislikes the entire series. From the extensive costumes to the vehicles and Father Brown’s wardrobing protocol, everything is done with authenticity.

Williams has yet to hear if any priests around the world have been inspired to follow in Father Brown’s footsteps, but you never know.

For those of you who are fans of the series, test your knowledge of who said what, Arthur Weasley or Father Brown.

How did you do on the quiz? Let us know in the comments below!