Following the third series of the cosy crime drama which aired on U&Drama in 2024, Sister Boniface Mysteries is back for a one-off seasonal mystery that sees the sleuthing nun on the trail of a serial killer when members of the Great Slaughter Amateur Dramatics Society (GSADS) are murdered while rehearsing for their panto.
Lorna Watson returns as Sister Boniface, alongside series regulars Max Brown as DI Sam Gillespie, Jerry Iwu as DS Felix Livingstone and Ami Metcalf as Constable Peggy Button.
As always with this spin-off from BBC1’s Father Brown, there are some great guest stars, too, including former Corrie star and showbiz legend Les Dennis, The Thin Blue Line’s Mina Anwar and Daniel Laurie, better known as Reggie Jackson in Call the Midwife.
Here's everything we know about the one-off mystery Once Upon A Time…
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas special 2024 release date
The Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas special will air on U&Drama at 8 pm on Friday 20 December. See our Christmas Guide for more shows to enjoy over the festive season. In the US, it will be released on BritBox on Tuesday 17 December.
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas special 2024 plot
Christmas is approaching in the Cotswolds town of Great Slaughter and that means it's panto time for the local amateur dramatics society which includes Tom Thomas (David Sterne), Miss Thimble (Sarah Crowden) and Mrs Clam (Belinda Lang).
The company’s treasurer, Chief Constable Lowsley (Robert Daws), has drafted in his police colleagues to star in a production of Cinderella.
Constable Peggy Button (Ami Metcalf) is keen as mustard, but any hopes of landing the leading role are dashed when she’s given the part of ‘Buxom Wench #3’!
Meanwhile, Sam Gillespie (Max Brown) and DS Felix Livingstone (Jerry Iwu) are less than enthusiastic about having to take part, especially when they learn that they have been given the joint role of pantomime horse Hortensia!
The title role goes to the brash Bunny Frobisher (Katherine Kingsley), recently married to wealthy widower Aubrey (Martyn Ellis) which means she is step-mother to his daughter Miranda (Tiffany Gray), who, it’s safe to say, isn’t Bunny’s biggest fan.
Local boy Wilf Wilson (Daniel Laurie) is given the job as props assistant. At first, Miranda's hatred of Bunny causes her to snap at Wilf but the pair eventually become good pals.
Also cast in the show is busy-body Samira Rowbotham (Mina Anwar) as the Evil Stepmother and her long-suffering husband Robbie (Les Dennis) as Baron Hard-up.
In a bid to make it the best panto that Great Slaughter has ever seen, trendy playwright Jonas Blake (Ed Birch) has been recruited to direct the show but his rather odd artistic vision creates hostility within the company.
But that’s the least of Sam and Felix’s problems when Miss Thimble (Sarah Crowden) and Mrs Clam (Belinda Lang) find Tibbles the cat playing with a human eyeball, and two of the players are murdered during rehearsals for the pantomime.
And when the owner of said eyeball is also found dead, Sister Boniface has a triple murder on her hands which means a serial killer is at large in Great Slaughter. Can she find the killer before they strike again?
Trying to find out who's behind the murders isn't the only mystery that Sister Boniface tries to solve in this special…
Sister Reginald (Virginia Fiol) has become emotionally attached to a turkey called Terry, who's being fattened up for the convent's Christmas dinner, but when he goes missing, Sister Boniface and Sister Peter (Tina Chiang) try to get to the bottom of what's happened to him.
Is there a trailer?
Not yet, but we will update you when it is!
Sister Boniface Mysteries Christmas special 2024 - the cast on the one-off festive mystery
Here, Lorna Watson and her co-stars Max Brown, Ami Metcalf and Jerry Iwu talk about the 2024 Christmas special.
Lorna Watson plays Sister Boniface
"There’s a pantomime on in [the fictional town of] Great Slaughter and, of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas without a couple of murders!" says Lorna. "We had the most wonderful guest cast of super-talented people, including the brilliant Les Dennis.
"I was so happy when I found out we were doing another Christmas special – I love Christmas! My birthday is 22 December, so I often used to get taken to a panto as a present.
"What makes this Christmas special particularly poignant is that it was written by our show’s creator, the amazing Jude Tindall, who unfortunately passed away [in August] and it was the last episode that she wrote, beautifully written as always. So, it’s an extra special episode and we’re really proud of it."
Max Brown plays DI Sam Gillespie
"The pantomime pulls in all the locals into its cast, including Sam and Felix!" smiles Max. "It’s not something Sam wants to do, but he has no choice in the matter and they get what is probably the worst part in the show – the pantomime horse! Luckily, Sam’s not the back end of it! It was a totally new experience for me, and very funny!
"We also did what is probably the most dangerous stunt we’ve done – Jerry took it on with full heart, as he always does."
Jerry Iwu plays DS Felix Livingstone
"Felix has drawn the short straw because he’s the back of the pantomime horse while Sam gets to be the front!" says Jerry. "But when they are doing rehearsals, members of the cast are murdered… I had to do a stunt which was terrifying. I was dangling in mid-air, but it was done extremely safely so I knew I was never going to fall.
"Christmas is generally a time when families get together and look for shows to watch, so it feels super-special to be part of the festivities and to give the fans a little something while waiting for the next series."
Ami Metcalf plays Constable Peggy Button
"Peggy auditions for the part of Cinderella in the pantomime," says Ami. "She’s very fond of Christmas and, as pantomime is synonymous with the festive season, she genuinely wants to be a part of it. When she doesn’t get the role she wants, she’s gutted but still happy to be involved. It’s lovely to do a 1960s Christmas because it was such a different time. Also, the show is usually set in summer, so it’s nice to wear winter gear!"
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