Third series of Sister Boniface Mysteries begins on BBC2

But the popularity of the 1960s-set Sister Boniface series isn’t something to just smile about, it’s to be stared at in wonder and admiration. It’s not just a hit over here either, it’s a huge success around the world.

“Over the last two series Sister Boniface Mysteries has developed an enthusiastic and dedicated following both in the UK and internationally so we’re delighted to be bringing her back for a third series,” said Neil Irvine, BBC Studios’ executive producer, when filming began last summer. “Lorna Watson will return with fan favourites DI Sam Gillespie (Max Brown), DS Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu) and WPC Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) also starring.

“One thing’s for sure, if there’s evidence to be found, Sister Boniface will find it.”

That third run has since aired on the Drama channel, with the BBC preferring to go back to the very beginning – the first-ever episode aired last week, and season one continues this Friday. The great news is that a fourth season is currently being shot in some of the most beautiful spots in the country. “Playing Sister Boniface is a dream, as is filming in the Cotswolds,” says Watson. “I can’t wait to get the team back together, jump on the Vespa and see what crimes there are to solve.”

The actress and comedian has been breathing life into the character since 2013, when the Catholic nun from St Vincent’s Convent in the fictional town of Great Slaughter made what many thought would be a one-off appearance in Father Brown. However, the episode’s writer, Jude Tindall, had other ideas and quickly realised the character was quirky, original and intriguing enough to carry her own show. It perhaps helped that she was based on a real person.

“Sister Boniface is actually inspired by an old teacher of mine,” Tindall told America Magazine in a 2023 interview. “She was a naval surgeon, the first female wing commander in the RAF and a Protestant. Then she became a Catholic nun. She was called Sister Agnes Bartel. She ended up running a department in University College London.”

Tindall herself went to convent school, and her aunt is one of two nuns who serve as consultants on the programme: “If we get something wrong, they’re quick to tell us!”

Although not a comedy, there are light-hearted moments aplenty in each episode, which is perhaps one of the reasons why the show has been such a success – it fits perfectly with the current trend for so-called cosy crime, inspired in part by the popularity of Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club books. There’s another link to Boniface too – Watson was one half of a comedy duo with Osman’s now-wife, Ingrid Oliver, in the early 2010s.

Whether she can persuade her old friend to make a cameo appearance, perhaps riding pillion on the Vespa, remains to be seen, but for now at least, we’re more than happy to see Watson – and her alter ego – going solo.