Father Brown stars tease 'gorgeous, emotional' wedding

Mrs Devine (Claudie Blakley) and Chief Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) stand at the altar in their wedding outfits, facing the camera. She is in an ivory dress with a bolero-style jacket oer the top. He is wearing a grey morning suit with a white flower in his lapel. The altar behind them has a beautiful display of mostly white flowers with some red, orange and blue as well.

(Image credit: BBC)

As Father Brown season 12 comes to an end, all of Kembleford is excited about the wedding of the year between Chief Inspector Edgar Sullivan (Tom Chambers), and parish secretary Mrs Isabel Devine (Claudie Blakley) — but the couple's road to the altar is set to be a bumpy one.

Sullivan's father Walter (guest star Denis Lawson) has made it clear that he will only give his blessing to the marriage if the couple move to London after the wedding — and has lined his son up with a plum job in the Met Police. Walter continues to make his presence felt throughout the run-up to the big day, until someone reaches their breaking point and tries to kill him! It begins to look doubtful whether the wedding will go ahead at all — but will love triumph over all in Kembleford? And can Father Brown (Mark Williams) help Sullivan to discover who wanted to silence his dad permanently?

We caught up with Tom and Claudie to find out all about their on-screen nuptials...

Interview with Father Brown stars Tom Chambers and Claudie Blakley

Have you enjoyed playing out Sullivan and Mrs Devine's love story?

Claudie: "Oh, it's been lovely. It's been brewing for three series, so it's been a bit of a slow-burn in real life but in show-time, it's been quite quick! I think she never expected to have romance in her life again after losing her husband, and it's quite sweet that it's happened slightly later on in life. I think they're absolutely thrilled, and they can't wait to get married."

Tom: "He's always held a candle for her, but it took him a whole year to do anything about it! I didn't know how they were going to do the build-up to the wedding, but there were so many complex stories of betrayal, and her going behind his back. Obviously Mrs Devine is torn between her loyalty to her fiancé, and also working for Father Brown — and Walter says he won't bless the wedding unless Edgar gets Mrs Devine to stop working for Father Brown on the sly."

Walter Sullivan (Denis Lawson), wearing a black pinstripe double-breasted suit, stands outside a pub raising a glass of clear liquid in a toast. His wife Grace (Cherie Lunghi) stands next to him, holding a glass of wine, wearing a black and orange patterned two-piece outfit. She is looking at him and smiling. — Sullivan's parents, Walter (Denis Lawson) and Grace (Cherie Lunghi) (Image credit: BBC)

What is Sullivan's relationship with his father like?

Tom: "His father was high up in the Met, and always wanted his son to be back in London. But then Edgar fell in love with the Cotswolds, and Mrs Devine in particular. We've got this story of Edgar getting promoted to Detective Superintendent in London, and Mrs Devine agrees to go with him. I can't say if we stay or if we go, but you'll find out in the episode. Maybe Father Brown gets relocated to the centre of London in the 1950s!"

Is Mrs Devine nervous in the days leading up to the wedding?

Claudie: "She's worried because she wants everyone to have a good time and for it to go perfectly. Getting married again is a really big deal for her, which is why she allows Lady Felicia [played by Nancy Carroll] to take the reins, which doesn't turn out too well. So she's very, very tense throughout all the preparations, and she's got the added stress of her father-in-law being slightly unapproving of what she does, so it's all quite fraught and tense — like any wedding!"

What did you think when you saw her dress for the first time?

Claudie: "It's so beautiful, I was really pleased with it. I only had one fitting, and they're so used to dressing me that it's like 'oh yeah, that's brilliant, I love it!' It's a very 50s dress, simple and a little bit lacy, and just cute. It doesn't look so much on the hanger, but it's very elegant when you get it on with the skirts underneath and it all puffs out."

Eddie Devine (Barney Wilkinson), wearing a navy blue suit, walks his mother Mrs Devine (Claudie Blakley) up the aisle on her wedding day. The seats are full of guests smiling at them, and there is a floral arch behind them. Mrs Devine is in an ivory wedding dress and holding a bouquet of white flowers with dashes of red and blue. — Eddie Devine (Barney Wilkinson) walks his mother Isabel (Claudie Blakley) down the aisle (Image credit: BBC)

What was it like to film the wedding scenes?

Claudie: "I genuinely felt like I was getting married! Everyone was all giddy on the day, and all the girls on the make-up truck had hats — I didn't get my glass of champagne, which is a shame, but apart from that! The wedding scenes were so moving — all the feelings were right there, it didn't have to be acted. We're very lucky."

Tom: "It's an absolutely gorgeous wedding. I've never got married before on TV or in theatre, and it's really special and unique, the lengths that all the cast and everyone have gone to with the church and the ceremony. Yeah, it was emotional!"

Father Brown has already been commissioned for a 13th season. What might the future hold for Mr and Mrs Devine?

Claudie: "We've got no idea! Maybe I'll continue to sleuth behind his back, crawling out of windows late at night — that would be good fun."

Tom: "That's what the audience would want."

Claudie: "I hope I don't have to give that up. I feel a bit weird about giving up the name 'Mrs Devine' — that's my whole character! 'Sullivan' is nice, but it's not 'Devine'!"