S5 E1
The Star of Jacob
The feature-length Christmas case balances the Montague Hall festivities with a story about unmarried mothers and Mrs McCarthy's unexpected helper.
Bunty and Mallory years · 2016–17
Father Brown Series 5
Also known as Season 5 · first shown 2016–17. 15 episodes · 23 December 2016–19 January 2017.
Series overview
What changes in Series 5?
Bunty joins the investigation, Mallory settles in and the middle ensemble takes shape.
Season 5 sits within the programme’s wider chronology. This page gives the broadcast order and makes the cases easy to follow without relying on plot outcomes.
- Opening case
- The Star of Jacob
- Closing case
- The Penitent Man
- Parish era
- Bunty and Mallory years
- First shown
- 2016–17
Father Brown season 5 cast
Bunty joins the investigation, Mallory settles in and the middle ensemble takes shape. Regular and recurring characters can be followed through the Father Brown character guide and the full cast overview.
Season 5 episodes
S5 E2
The Labyrinth of the Minotaur
Bunty's arrival reshapes the parish team, while an underground maze and a hidden family history drive the mystery.
S5 E3
The Eve of St John
Wartime grief, village intolerance and an ill-fated mushroom soup give this woodland case its distinctive tone.
S5 E4
The Chedworth Cyclone
Illegal betting, fixed fights and blackmail take the series into a seedier sporting world.
S5 E5
The Hand of Lucia
The suspects converge at a home for former prisoners, where the victim's own book becomes the essential evidence.
S5 E6
The Eagle and the Daw
Bunty, Mrs McCarthy and Goodfellow must become the rescuers in the first half of the Katherine Corven double bill.
S5 E7
The Smallest of Things
The meticulously constructed dioramas make this one of the programme's strongest mysteries about observation and scale.
S5 E8
The Crimson Feather
Bunty and Mrs McCarthy go undercover in a case involving performance, pregnancy, jealousy and blackmail.
S5 E9
The Lepidopterist's Companion
A frequently borrowed natural-history book provides the clue in a mystery built around privacy and abuse of trust.
S5 E10
The Alchemist's Secret
The search for an alchemical formula uncovers the reason an entire village vanished from the map.
S5 E11
The Sins of Others
Sid's anger and Father Brown's loyalty turn a revenge story into a test of whether freedom can really mean a fresh start.
S5 E12
The Theatre of the Invisible
Broadcast performance, concealed private lives and Bunty's attraction to the producer all feed the case.
S5 E13
The Tanganyika Green
Colonial postal history, expert engraving and the difference between value and authenticity matter more than the fairground bustle.
S5 E14
The Fire in the Sky
A science-fiction comic gives Father Brown a practical route through Kembleford's flying-saucer panic.
S5 E15
The Penitent Man
The prison, a hidden medallion and an audacious escape make this a particularly elaborate Flambeau contest.
Where was Season 5 filmed?
- Upton House and Gardens — linked episode details are listed on the location guide.
Season 5 release date
The catalogue records this series as 23 December 2016–19 January 2017. See the episode list above for the individual first-broadcast dates.
Best episodes in this series
For hand-picked routes across the complete run, see 15 essential Father Brown episodes, or use the mood picker to find a case by theme.