Crime & Safety
Father Brown renewed for two series as Cotswolds filming begins
Comedian Bill Bailey and actor Clive Mantle are set to guest-appear in the next series of the hit BBC show, which follows a Roman Catholic priest played by Harry Potter star Mark Williams.
Season 14 of the series will see Father Brown and the team back in the fictional village of Kembleford, solving cases involving magicians and meals on wheels, avant-garde artists and deadly spiders on the loose.
Popular cast members Tom Chambers, Claudie Blakley and John Burton will return to screens as their characters Inspector Sullivan, Isabel Sullivan, and Sergeant Goodfellow, respectively.
READ MORE: Father Brown star gives update on future of popular BBC show
Actress Hannah Bristow is set to join the cast as Rita Flint, Father Brown’s new housekeeper, and other semi-regular cast members are set to return, including Nancy Carroll as Lady Felicia, Roger May as Bishop Fox and Kieran Hodgson as Father Lindsey.
Father Brown’s most dangerous enemy, Father Lazarus – played by Lex Shrapnel, is also due to reappear in the show.
Williams said: “We started filming series 14 of Father Brown in the first week of April, and while it’s always a wrench to leave my garden at home when it’s just burgeoning, the Cotswold countryside makes up for it.
“The trees are wearing their swank coats of blossom: hawthorn, apple, pear and blackthorn – and the splendid white and pink cherries.
READ MORE: Michelin-star chef lands TV role after leaving pub in Cotswolds
“There are lots of magnolias too, looking like enormous wedding bouquets, and all the trees are coming into leaf. I love the horse chestnut leaves still drooping, not yet plumped up.
“The grass looks worthy of the salad bowl, and the arable fields are greening. If you are not careful, you could come over all poetic, but we’ve got 10 shows to make – no time for versifying. Cassock on, let the sleuthing begin.”
Helen Munson, commissioning editor at the BBC, said: “He’s back. We are delighted to be working with BBC Studios again to give the devoted fans two more series of our crime-fighting cleric.
“With top-notch writing, fabulous cast and the beautiful Cotswolds as the backdrop, it’s no wonder that Father Brown continues to be a firm favourite with audiences all over the world.”
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Neil Irvine, executive producer for BBC Studios Drama Productions, said: “I’m delighted that Mark Williams is returning as Father Brown for a further two series and that his creative contribution has been recognised with an EP (executive producer) credit.
“With Hannah joining us to play the intriguing new housekeeper Rita, and Father Lazarus returning for a thrilling endgame, this series promises to be the most exciting yet.”
Father Brown is the UK’s number one daytime drama of the last 10 years, and is viewed by audiences in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Italy, Denmark, Finland and Belgium, among others.
Season 13 of the show recently concluded on screens, and season 14 will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer early next year.
Father Brown star Tom Chambers was recently in Oxford playing Inspector Morse in the House of Ghosts play at the New Theatre.
Crime & Safety
Illegal Citreon Picasso seized on A41 by Oxfordshire town
Thames Valley Police said they confiscated the vehicle today (Friday, April 17) as it was on the roads uninsured.
In addition to the vehicle seizure, the driver has been reported.
A spokesperson for the Roads Policing team said: “First vehicle seizure of the late shift today by XRC01 on the A41 near Bicester.
READ MORE: Vauxhall seized as motorist drives from Oxfordshire police
“Driver was going to get around to insuring it at the weekend. Vehicle seized. Driver reported.”
This follows an incident on Wednesday, April 15 when a Vauxhall car was confiscated by Thames Valley Police.
The police attempted to talk to the driver of the car who then “made off” after which the car was located and recovered from its registered address.
Crime & Safety
Oxford expert’s sunscreen warning as heatwave predicted
Dr Tina Tian, a consultant dermatologist at Stratum Dermatology Clinic Oxford, has provided advice on how to encourage children to wear sunscreen amid a warning about leaving kid’s skin unprotected.
This not only comes ahead of Melanoma Awareness Month (May) but also with a heatwave predicted for much of the south of England.
READ MORE: Named ‘delivery rider’ pleads guilty after cocaine arrest in Oxfordshire town
The Daily Express has said that temperatures in counties, including Oxfordshire, could soon soar to up to 23°C, citing the latest ECMWF weather model.
Its data reveals temperatures are likely to peak on April 29.
Considering this Dr Tian and Dr Ross Perry, GP and medical director of Cosmedics, have highlighted the importance of encouraging children to wear sunscreen.
Dr Perry said: “Children’s skin is significantly more delicate and vulnerable than adult skin.
“The outer barrier isn’t fully developed, which means ultraviolet (UV) radiation penetrates more easily and can cause damage at a deeper cellular level.
Photo of a past heatwave in Oxford (Image: Ed Nix)
“What many people don’t realise is that a proportion of lifetime sun damage actually occurs before the age of 18.
“Even a handful of serious sunburns in childhood can increase the risk of skin cancers, including melanoma, later in life.”
Dr Tian agrees with Dr Perry and has provided some advice on how to encourage children to wear sunscreen.
This includes making it part of their routine, involving them in the process and turning it into a game.
Dr Tian said: “I often ask my daughter what kind of face she wants me to paint with the sunscreen to try to make it more fun.”
She also suggested non-stinging sunscreen.
“When sunscreen gets into children’s eyes, it can really sting so look out for sunscreen that is labelled as non-stinging,” she advised.
“The P20 one is really good due to the fact that it’s so water-resistant, so it doesn’t really move and won’t migrate into the eyes and make them sting.”
The experts also advised explaining why it’s important, using age-appropriate language, and to make it a reciprocal process.
READ MORE: UK pothole campaigner speaks out after Transport Minister’s Oxfordshire crash
Dr Tian said: “With my son I find it really helpful to get him to put some sunscreen on me first to make it a bit of a reciprocal thing.”
Finally, she suggested letting children play with the lids and to warm up the cream beforehand.
She said: “A lot of sun creams have lids and you can draw funny faces on the lid and let your kids play with it while you’re doing the cream.”
She added: “Sun cream often feels very cold, so it can help to warm it up in your hands a bit before you start putting it on your child so it’s not too much of a shock for them.”
Crime & Safety
Oxford bridges in need of repair as calls made for funding
The government has opened a new fund for councils to fix neglected infrastructure around the UK.
Donnington Bridge is in need of around £4m worth of repair work having been closed to buses in 2024.
And a major project to replace the ageing Kennington rail bridge is being delayed due to a massive £71m funding shortfall.
Oxford Labour said some of the city’s bridges “are not in good shape” and welcomed the funding opportunity.
Kennington rail bridge’s north elevation (Image: Oxfordshire County Council)
“We trust the county council will be applying to this fund and stepping up their surveying and repair work,” a party spokeswoman said.
Isis county councillor Brad Baines said: “We remain extremely concerned about the ongoing uncertainty over the future of Donnington Bridge.
“The county council has refused to commit to funding the reinforcement or replacement of the bridge or restoration of bus connections across it.”
READ MORE: Liquidators confused over missing £100k from bust Oxford restaurant’s accounts
An inspection confirmed the bridge must be repaired or replaced before full‑sized buses can return.
Repairs could cost £4 million and take two years, while replacement might cost up to £30 million and take much longer.
The council said feasibility work on options is due by summer but expanding the service “would, unfortunately, be prohibitive.”
Siobhan Lancaster (Image: Esme Kenney)
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander (Image: Yui Mok/PA)
Oxford resident and campaigner Siobhan Lancaster added: “Residents in south and east Oxford need certainty about the future of this vital infrastructure and this new fund could provide that.
“We continue to call on the county council to provide this, apply to this fund and get the job done.”
Oxfordshire County Council’s spokesman said: “We welcome any extra money being made available for repairing structures such as this fund.
“Oxfordshire has many historic bridges and other infrastructure that is in need of attention and we will look into the criteria to make sure the county gets its fair share of this money.”
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander, who was a recent victim to one of Oxfordshire’s potholes, said: “Crumbling bridges and worn-out flyovers have been patched up rather than properly fixed for far too long, leading to frustrating weight limits and lengthy diversions.
“Every closed bridge is a barrier to growth; a blocked route to work, a delayed delivery, a family unable to reach the services they depend on.
“Councils have known what needs fixing for years but simply haven’t had the resources to act.
“We’re changing that, making sure structures are repaired properly, so people can live in properly connected communities.”
Funding decisions will be announced in autumn 2026, with all successful schemes required to complete works by March 2030.
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