Father Brown's Mark Williams details on-set accident after falling over
Father Brown star Mark Williams suffered a bike crash while filming the murder mystery drama.
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Father Brown star Mark Williams fell over while riding a bicycle for the latest series of the BBC murder mystery drama. The lead actor in the series suffered the misfortune in front of an amused member of staff in an onlooking hotel. Naturally, the comedy star saw the funny side of the accident, as he spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk.
Mark has starred as the murder solving priest since 2013 and described how filming for his latest scenes took a hilarious yet potentially dangerous turn.
He said: "The car chases were very good. But I get car envy because I only have a bike.
"With riding a bike, gravel is your enemy. I went to cycle in gravel and it got deeper at one point.
"We were using this hotel as part of the scene and I thought I would cycle out of shot.
"But, I ploughed into nine inches of gravel and just came to a stop and toppled sideways and fell over in the grass on the gravel!"
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He continued: "There was a young guy who was working as a kitchen porter who could just see out of his sort of prison window.
"He absolutely killed himself laughing at me falling over."
Despite his fall, he remarked: "I felt quite pleased because I definitely made his day and cheered him up.
"Ideally when you're working you want to see someone outside fall over in mud in a top hat and tails."
Mark did not suffer any lasting injuries from the fall and was looking forward to the latest batch of murders to solve in Kembleford.
As well as bike chases, he also welcomed the new para secretary Mrs Devine (played by Claudie Blakley) and Brenda Palmer (Ruby-May Martinwood) to the fold.
Tom Chambers also makes a long awaited return in the role of Inspector Sullivan, meaning the long-running hit has seen some upheaval since its last outing.
When the show was announced to return to BBC screens, fans voiced their concern at the batch of beloved characters missing.
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However, Sergeant Goodfellow star John Burton sought to allay any fears for fans of the adored period drama, based on the G. K. Chesterton novels.
He tweeted: "I wanted to drop you all a quick message about the fabulous series that is - Father Brown.
"I've had lots (and I mean lots) of messages about the new publicity shot which shows certain characters from it, and I thought I'd explain in a bit more detail.
"The show has been tremendously successful for many years and is loved by millions of people from all over the world."
John continued: "Occasionally long running shows need to be refreshed due to the artists availability, so it means we do have some absentees this year, with a few long-term artists moving onto other projects for their own career progression.
"This is part of an actor's life and we must go where the work takes us.
"Yes, there are some changes - but they are brilliant changes, and I truly believe you will absolutely LOVE the new/returning characters.
"They will grow on you and they have truly breathed new life into the show."
Father Brown will return to BBC One on January 6