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Father Brown BBC1 weekdays 2.10pm


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Old 04-01-2016, 07:06
EVIL-MONKEY
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Yay! I love Father Brown I got into it during one of my sick periods I binge watched the other eps.

I don't care if people don't like the adaptation. It should be repeated on sundays.

Spoiler
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Old 04-01-2016, 07:47
David Waine
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I bought a volume of Chesterton's Father Brown stories and read them. I won't be in a hurry to buy another one. A previous poster mentioned that they are deadly dull, and I agree. They were written in a bygone age, when everything operated at a more leisurely pace, and, unlike truly great works of Literature, have not withstood the test of time at all well.

Which left the Beeb with a problem when turning them into a TV series. What to discard? The answer is almost everything. They kept the title, the hero and a few of the plot lines to sprinkle vaguely among some of the episodes. What we have instead is a combination of Midsomer Murders and Miss Marple, set in a 1950s rural idyll, which would see a murder once every couple of centuries in reality, but seems to get them every week nonetheless.

In my opinion, it is all the better for it. Its tongue is lodged firmly in its cheek and Mark Williams delivers an altogether more charismatic and rounded character than Chesterton ever did. It looks lovely - belying what must be a very limited budget. Oh, and Hugo Spear has played Inspector Valentine from the outset.
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Old 04-01-2016, 13:24
RoseAnne
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Shameless bump for 1:45pm.
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Old 04-01-2016, 14:31
tgabber
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That was great fun. Surprised this hasn't got a primetime slot. A gem at this time of day!
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Old 04-01-2016, 14:51
Agent Krycek
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That was great fun. Surprised this hasn't got a primetime slot. A gem at this time of day!
Good to hear, had a sudden panic before leaving the house this morning realising I hadn't set a series link for it - all sorted and looking forward to it when we get home this evening
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Old 04-01-2016, 15:44
seejay63
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I really enjoyed that. It was funny when Lady F was just about to scream and the young actress pushed in front of her and screamed - Lady F's face was a picture

I loved the check coat she had on. Unfortunately it wouldn't suit my rounder shape
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Old 04-01-2016, 17:02
MrRayDO
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found it a bit dull and not a patch on how it was last year
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Old 05-01-2016, 18:16
NMdum1
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Just saw yesterday’s episode – nonsense of course but terrific fun, especially if you know all the horror tropes….

Favourite bit – Paulette Swain screaming right in-front of Lady Felicia. It’s Nancy Carroll’s ironic expression behind her, a bit of “that’s my job” and that the writer was having a bit of fun with this show’s tropes. Second favourite bit – the end of the film, the woman rescuing herself with help is a bit of genre subversion anyway, but the little joke about re-enforcements with the shot of the Father. I also found the ironic tone which was helped no idea by the deliberate corniness of the film, the use of black and white and Mrs M’s fan-girlishness really sweet.

There are two problems here – one is that it’s not a who-done-it but is instead about half set-up and a why-done-it, which is a bit weird for a supposed mystery, I was less interested in the who really because it was impossible to feel sympathy for the victim. The second problem is the cast Policeman. Seems like a really rubbish gig that – Hugo Speer did a reasonable job of walking the line between being the useless Policeman and knowing when to trust Brown. Sullivan was a non-character despite Tom Chambers trying desperately hard to find anything at all to hang-on to and only actually got interesting in what now turns out to be his last episode upon being falsely accused. It’s clear the Inspector role is only just there to get in the way and that is a bit weird in a show about murder. I take it they are not even going to address the fact that it’s a different person now? Weird….

Nevertheless, flawed but great fun….
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Old 05-01-2016, 18:47
seejay63
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They only ever seem to have Police Inspectors who are completely useless. How on earth did they manage to become detectives?
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Old 05-01-2016, 19:13
J.R
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I bought a volume of Chesterton's Father Brown stories and read them. I won't be in a hurry to buy another one. A previous poster mentioned that they are deadly dull, and I agree. They were written in a bygone age, when everything operated at a more leisurely pace, and, unlike truly great works of Literature, have not withstood the test of time at all well.

Which left the Beeb with a problem when turning them into a TV series. What to discard? The answer is almost everything. They kept the title, the hero and a few of the plot lines to sprinkle vaguely among some of the episodes. What we have instead is a combination of Midsomer Murders and Miss Marple, set in a 1950s rural idyll, which would see a murder once every couple of centuries in reality, but seems to get them every week nonetheless.

In my opinion, it is all the better for it. Its tongue is lodged firmly in its cheek and Mark Williams delivers an altogether more charismatic and rounded character than Chesterton ever did. It looks lovely - belying what must be a very limited budget. Oh, and Hugo Spear has played Inspector Valentine from the outset.
I was going to hunt down the books but think I'll give them a miss, thanks.

I had missed this little gem, because of the time slot it just passed me by. I saw some of the first series being repeated earlier this year - on Alibi I think (?) so looked it up on here, which is how I discovered there was going to be a new series.
The stories are fanciful of course but I love it anyway. All the characters just 'fit' their roles perfectly. I see the Polish girl has gone now though. I shall just have to hope that Alibi show series 2 and 3 now that it's back on.

It's a shame about the books but shows what a good job all involved with the series have done.
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Old 05-01-2016, 21:35
seejay63
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I was going to hunt down the books but think I'll give them a miss, thanks.
Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull. I really admire the writers for managing to extract some really good tv out of them.
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Old 05-01-2016, 21:42
gomezz
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Today the viewer was murdered by the writer in the living room with a huge signpost.
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Old 05-01-2016, 22:26
Jim_Ula
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The casting for this inspector is woefully wrong, this actor portrays the required air of incompetence needed, but lacks any shred of credulity that he has the right to be in his position of authority.

Hugo Speer, as mentioned above, was easily the best fit for this role in earlier series.
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Old 06-01-2016, 14:37
seejay63
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I used to really fancy John Duttine years ago
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Old 06-01-2016, 16:32
thomscn
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Just saw yesterday’s episode – nonsense of course but terrific fun, especially if you know all the horror tropes….

Favourite bit – Paulette Swain screaming right in-front of Lady Felicia. It’s Nancy Carroll’s ironic expression behind her, a bit of “that’s my job” and that the writer was having a bit of fun with this show’s tropes. Second favourite bit – the end of the film, the woman rescuing herself with help is a bit of genre subversion anyway, but the little joke about re-enforcements with the shot of the Father. I also found the ironic tone which was helped no idea by the deliberate corniness of the film, the use of black and white and Mrs M’s fan-girlishness really sweet.

There are two problems here – one is that it’s not a who-done-it but is instead about half set-up and a why-done-it, which is a bit weird for a supposed mystery, I was less interested in the who really because it was impossible to feel sympathy for the victim. The second problem is the cast Policeman. Seems like a really rubbish gig that – Hugo Speer did a reasonable job of walking the line between being the useless Policeman and knowing when to trust Brown. Sullivan was a non-character despite Tom Chambers trying desperately hard to find anything at all to hang-on to and only actually got interesting in what now turns out to be his last episode upon being falsely accused. It’s clear the Inspector role is only just there to get in the way and that is a bit weird in a show about murder. I take it they are not even going to address the fact that it’s a different person now? Weird….

Nevertheless, flawed but great fun….
Perhaps you are thinking things through far too seriously.
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Old 06-01-2016, 17:25
tgabber
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Today the viewer was murdered by the writer in the living room with a huge signpost.
Haha, yes... not exactly difficult to work out the whodunnit for any of the episodes so far!

But it all takes place in picturebook settings and the characters are entertaining.
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Old 06-01-2016, 17:33
tallulahula
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Love it - such a gentle series with a fair bit of clothes porn from Lady Fellatio thrown in
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Old 06-01-2016, 20:52
harrypalmer
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Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull. I really admire the writers for managing to extract some really good tv out of them.
Depends. I've read a few of the books (I have some original green Penguin versions) and I found them good. The modern reader is impatient and also has too little acquaintance with books older than the 1960s (1990s for some of the younger generation).

The TV series is nice to watch, but it's just the character placed into a cookie-cutter scenario of 20th century costume drama where the people dress the part, but behave (act and speak) more or less like 21st century people.

It's a formula repeated: WPC 54, The Indian Doctor, Dr Blake Mysteries... and on.
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Old 06-01-2016, 21:02
Liza with a Zee
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Love this show don't understand why it is in at this time. I record it and watch it ar night.
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Old 06-01-2016, 22:16
seejay63
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Depends. I've read a few of the books (I have some original green Penguin versions) and I found them good. The modern reader is impatient and also has too little acquaintance with books older than the 1960s (1990s for some of the younger generation).
I've read books far older than the Father Brown ones and enjoyed them far more - is 1719 old enough? I don't read modern novels. I didn't find the Father Brown books particularly well written or enjoyable.
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Old 06-01-2016, 22:42
NMdum1
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Perhaps you are thinking things through far too seriously.
Sadly, it's a compulsion, I can't seem to turn my brain off at all, even during total fluff....

Mallory's going to be even more irritating than Sullivan isn't he? A shame! On the up-hand, its always something pleasant to watch of an evening, best thing on TV before dinner-time I would say. Seems mad its not on Sunday evening, but hey, I suppose, they might not want to put it in the old Last of the Summer Wine slot and invite complaints in the "why did you cancel it?" brigade. Its a waste to strip it out during the weekdays though....
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Old 06-01-2016, 22:45
harrypalmer
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I've read books far older than the Father Brown ones and enjoyed them far more - is 1719 old enough? I don't read modern novels. I didn't find the Father Brown books particularly well written or enjoyable.
It's merely a matter of taste then.
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Old 07-01-2016, 06:05
David Waine
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Depends. I've read a few of the books (I have some original green Penguin versions) and I found them good. The modern reader is impatient and also has too little acquaintance with books older than the 1960s (1990s for some of the younger generation).

The TV series is nice to watch, but it's just the character placed into a cookie-cutter scenario of 20th century costume drama where the people dress the part, but behave (act and speak) more or less like 21st century people.

It's a formula repeated: WPC 54, The Indian Doctor, Dr Blake Mysteries... and on.
I am in my sixties and my reading tastes range from something published last year ('The Road to Little Dribbling' by Bill Bryson - just finished it) to Beowulf (the original, that is, not the TV series), and take in Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Dickens, Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy and Tolkien on the way. I don't think I fit into your demographic of a modern reader who has little acquaintance with anything older than the 1960s. I found the Father Brown stories that I read to be profoundly dull. They were well received in their day, but they have dated badly in a way that the likes of Dickens and Austen have not. They read more as an intellectual exercise as the priest uses his ability to analyse character to identify the culprit, or prevent his intent. It is all very clever, but also pedestrian. I can't see any way of televising the original stories as they were written successfully. The BBC's largely made-up pastiche, therefore, works well enough at its (admittedly fairly low) level.
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Old 07-01-2016, 07:34
mossy2103
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Love this show don't understand why it is in at this time. I record it and watch it ar night.
It's commissioned by BBC Daytime, in order to improve the daytime output.
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Old 07-01-2016, 08:08
Fayecorgasm
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It's merely a matter of taste then.
isnt all TV? That's not to criticise you I just sit in amazement some days when people get so het up about people liking stuff they hate and vice versa
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