The hills are alive with the sound of mopeds as Vespa-riding, crime-solving nun Sister Boniface scoots back onto our screens for the light-hearted murder mystery series Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2.
A spinoff from the popular period crime drama Father Brown, Sister Boniface Mysteries season 1 followed the sleuthing exploits of the titular nun, played by Lorna Watson, whose expertise in forensics has become a valuable asset for the Great Slaughter Police Department in tackling the village’s surprisingly high crime rate.
The new run of whimsical whodunits finds the versatile, bespectacled sister getting involved in investigations linked to everything from a chess tournament, a supermodel, a pirate radio station, and an amateur dramatics group to a couples retreat, a Carry On-style movie shoot and, in episode one, foul play on the set of visiting children’s TV show Jolly Roger.
To set the crime scene, here's everything we know about Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2...
Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2 release date
Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2 airs on UKTV’s Drama channel from Friday, May 26, 2023. It will also be available as a box set on UKTV Play from the same date.
The second season is also available on Britbox for US viewers, where you can also still watch the first season if you need to catch up.
Is there a trailer for Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2?
Yes, in the new trailer you can see Sister Boniface using her skill and wit to crack more gruesome cases... and she's also back on her now-iconic moped!
Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2 cast
Lorna Watson plays sleuthing nun Sister Boniface who first showed up in season 1 of Father Brown on BBC One in an episode called Bride of Christ. Lorna has also starred in Watson and Oliver and Shakespeare and Hathaway.
Max Brown plays Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie. Max previously played Richard Ellis in the 2019 Downton Abbey movie and starred as King Robert in The Royals (2015-2018) and Dr Evan Marks in the TV series Beauty and the Beast (2012-2016).
Jerry Iwu, who played Oba in Netflix comedy Sex Education, is Detective Sergeant Felix Livingstone.
Miranda Raison (MI-5) plays Ruth Penny, a hard-nosed investigative journalist and editor of the Albion Bugle and Ami Metcalf (Upstairs Downstairs) will play the role of Peggy Button, the young, unshakeable police constable.
Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2 episode guide
EPISODE 1 – DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME
Great Slaughter plays host to the summer roadshow of kids’ TV show ‘Jolly Roger’, much to the annoyance of editor Dinah Morgan (Abigail Thaw). Taking her frustrations out on the cast and crew, Dinah insists on a newer, thrill-seeking version of Jolly Roger to spice things up in sleepy Great Slaughter. Timbers are soon shivered however when Dinah is discovered smothered onset during a live show. Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) is called in to investigate who could have committed the deed - action man Jono Hardy (Alan Emrys), cheeky chappie Danny Lemon (Mikey Collins), acrobatic Sandy Shanks (Alice Marshall) or ousted producer Fliss Forsyth (Rhiannon Clements). Sister Boniface must parley with a parrot and probe a puppet to get to the bottom of the mystery before sabotage derails Jolly Roger’s most ambitious stunt yet.
EPISODE 2 – THE SHADOW OF BARON BATTENBERG
A sighting of the mysteriously missing Baron Battenberg sends the press and police into a frenzy. Determined to uncover the facts, Ruth (Miranda Raison) and Sam (Max Brown) go undercover at the Pranayama retreat, run by the Baron’s widow Marion Grey (Emily Bruni) and brother Edwin Battenberg (Jason Thorpe). The only problem - besides the questionable abilities of cook Connie Dumas (Sarah Moyle) – Pranayama is a ‘couples only’ retreat, forcing Ruth and Sam to pose as husband and wife, a prospect they seemingly resent. Ruth and Sam befriend tempestuous couple Ben (George Sargeant) and Leigh Matthews (Jahannah James), but any meditative moments are swiftly shattered when they discover the body of journalist Victor Goodbody (Tim Frances) in the woods. With Sister Boniface’s (Lorna Watson) mind altered by a psychedelic substance, can Ruth and Sam keep their act together long enough to discover the murderer of Goodbody and finally solve the mystery of Baron Battenberg?
EPISODE 3 – THE IT GIRL
Peggy (Ami Metcalf) is delighted when old school friend and supermodel Robin Carter (Maddy Ambus), now known as ‘Birdie’, returns home to Great Slaughter to film a documentary chronicling her meteoric rise. All isn’t so glamorous in Birdie’s world however - she rebuffs her estranged mother Shirley’s (Caroline O’Neill) desperate advances while tension escalates with her money-obsessed manager Max Savage (Steve Meo). When Max is found dead in his locked bedroom, Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) and the gang are called in to investigate. Everyone is under suspicion as Birdie’s fractious relationship with Max is revealed and her team’s tense atmosphere comes to light. Shrewd designer Moses Valentino (Brendan Howley) wants to take over Birdie’s management but does he have her best interests at heart? The gang investigates him alongside deceptive documentary maker Verity Martin (Jemima Rooper). With Birdie on the verge of signing a new contract, can Peggy help Sister Boniface untangle this web of deceit and save her friend before it’s too late?
EPISODE 4 – THE BOOK OF SHADOWS
Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) and the gang are horrified to discover all the hallmarks of a ritualistic human sacrifice in the woods, supposedly acted out by a coven of witches! The corpse is identified as local woman Jackie Rice (Louise Marwood), leading the team to discover timid dinner lady Heather Hartwood (Elizabeth Rider) attempting to burn witchcraft paraphernalia at Jackie’s house. Heather admits to being a witch, in the very same coven as Jackie, but insists their intentions are only to heal and help others; they are white witches. This revelation has little impact on Reverend Mother Adrian (Carolyn Pickles) who whips the town into a placard-waving, torch-carrying witch-hunt! Sister Boniface and the gang must discover the whereabouts of Betty Jessop (Caroline Sheen) and her daughter Lucy (Hannah Hutch) before ‘dark magic’ and the mysterious Book of Shadows can cause any more mayhem... or murder.
EPISODE 5 – ST GEORGE’S DEFENCE
Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) is shocked by a visit from Vivienne (Maggie Steed) and Malise Bonham-Crane (Geoff McGivern), her own mother and father! Convinced that events catastrophic to the Cold War are being planned at the British Open Chess Championships, Malise persuades Sister Boniface to brush off her chess skills and join the tournament. She faces stiff competition, up against inscrutable Anthony Whitlock (Daniel Cerqueira), his wife Nadiya (Andreea Paduraru), the superbly smart Oliver Canning (Ben Mansfield) and the wonderful team of Evelyn Thurleigh (Jonny Khan) and trainer Jack Denbury (Tom Glenister). But when Anthony is found dead, injected with a deadly and unknown substance, the tournament takes a back seat. Sister Boniface and her father race against time to crack the codes before more lives, or indeed the safety of the nation, are put at risk.
EPISODE 6 – A TIGHT SQUEEZE
Felix (Jerry Iwu) finds himself in a decidedly uncomfortable position as the Police Advisor on set of the latest ‘Oh! Do Behave!’ picture. Abrasive director Sexton St Juste (Stephen Matthews) rubs everyone up the wrong way with his venomous attitude and acerbic wit, more concerned with slapstick and strapless ensembles than police procedure. Before long, Felix discovers Sexton strangled with a curious weapon, and suddenly all of the team are called to the studio. However, with Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) off-road in the Convent infirmary, Sam (Max Brown) and Felix receive some unexpected ‘assistance’ from Sister Reginald (Virginia Fiol) and Sister Peter (Tina Chiang). Felix and Sam delve into the dirty laundry of the tired cast of crude actors: wife to the director Genevieve Loveday (Lisa Ellis), professionally frustrated Sally Chagford (Chelsea Fitzgerald), fall-guy Roy Perk (Jamie McKenna) and washed-up alcoholic Eric Cockburn (James Hurn). Meanwhile, Sister Boniface attempts to solve the mystery from her sick bed, without Reverend Mother Adrian (Carolyn Pickles) noticing!
EPISODE 7 – STIFF COMPETITION
Great Slaughter is buzzing with excitement for this year’s talent show, which features a large cash prize and celebrity judge, actress Jane Beaufort (Antonia Kinlay). However, when egotistical magician Terry Smith (Nigel Boyle) – ‘The Great Faldini’, rehearses his breath-taking trick, the other competitors soon lose hope. However during the heats Terry ends up magically murdered, and Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) deduces trick tampering as the cause of death. Felix (Jerry Iwu) interviews suspects Sylvie Simmons (Amy Forrest) the ruthless stage mother of Tina Tiny (Georgia Conlan) and Terry’s old stage partner Curly Cuddles the clown (John Thomson). With a threatening note left for Terry by the mysterious ‘Debra Cadabra’ and a suspicious can of hairspray on the loose, Sister Boniface and Felix must consider if the murderer’s motive is to eliminate the competition, or if it is something far more troubling. Meanwhile, Sam (Max Brown) is conspicuous only by his absence: instead of investigating, he is quite happy doing the annual audit. What is he hiding?
EPISODE 8 – DEAD AIR
Peggy (Ami Metcalf) is delighted when her favorite pirate radio station ‘Radio Catherine’ bring their trendy transmissions to Great Slaughter. Helmed by the groovy Billy King (Thomas Flynn), the pirate gang has to stay one step ahead of the GPO engineer determined to bring them to justice, Nigel Greybone (Sean McKenzie), with a disgruntled Sam (Max Brown) in tow. Trying to tune in to the latest show, Peggy finds only static - in a shocking turn of events, Billy King has been murdered on the air. Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) deduces that Billy was electrocuted, putting veteran radio personality Patt Garrett (Karl Theobald), expert engineer Arnie Cuningham (Josh Bolt), brains behind the outfit Cathy Bright (Ellen Francis) and enigmatic businessman Gabriel Viegas (Tibu Fortes) all under suspicion. Sister Boniface desperately attempts to identify a mysterious sound in order to uncover the murderer, but can she do so without jeopardizing the future of Peggy’s beloved ‘Radio Catherine’?
EPISODE 9 – STAGE FRIGHT
CC Lowsley (Robert Daws) is in a frenzy with preparations for Great Slaughter Amateur Dramatic Society’s (G-SADS) upcoming production. With a funding bid on the line, and a rival company up against them, nothing will stop Lowsley from realizing his vision. Drama and reality soon blur however when leading man Lewis Gardner (Jack Ashton) is killed by leading lady Myrna Potts (Laurel Waghorn) whilst in rehearsals, with a doctored stage knife. But with other cast members Captain Pargiter (Owen Brenman), Derek Dobson (Tony Marshall) and spurned costume designer Hildy Prentice (Carli Norris) in the picture, was Myrna really the one responsible? Delving into the pasts of the players and the play itself, Sister Boniface and the gang uncover a cold case that seems inextricably linked to Lewis’ murder. Can they solve both cases before the curtain goes down and the murderer makes their escape?
EPISODE 10 – THE GOOD SAMARITAN
When local resident Irene Symonds (Lisa Allen) is found murdered in a method matching that of the ‘The Good Samaritan’ killer, Sam (Max Brown) and Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson) fear the worst – the killer is back. But locked away in a high-security psychiatric institution and watched over by nurse Brenda Bristow (Juliet Oldfield), how is Myrtle Hunnisweet (Penny Ryder), the convicted ‘Good Samaritan’, capable of such organized mayhem? The deceased’s cuckolded husband Trevor Simmonds (John Hollingworth) is prime suspect but soon proves to be an investigative dead end... Sam’s frustration builds when The Bugle Editor Clem (Mat Fraser) and author Harald Steele (Gareth Snook) accuse him of wrongful arrest. As poisonings continue in Great Slaughter, Sam’s reputation and career are at stake. Sister Boniface must decipher cryptic codes before ‘The Good Samaritan’ claims their next victim.
Sister Boniface Mysteries season 2 interview with Lorna Watson
Lorna, what’s it been like being back in the habit?
"I'm a big fan of the habit, although it is very hot! It's a very transformative costume, as it affects everything right down to the way you turn your head! It really helps in terms of getting into character, just because it is so very different from what you'd normally be wearing."
Does it feel different playing a role that is the title character in a series?
"It’s a real team effort on Sister Boniface, as it’s an ensemble cast, so I just feel like part of the gang. But maybe there is that slight pressure that you want to be on top of everything, and for things to run smoothly and for everyone to be happy."
Your character’s name, Boniface, is an unusual one that’s usually given to boys! Were you happy growing up as a Lorna, or did you wish you had a more exotic name?
"I was named after Lorna Bernstein, who was the daughter of a Polish Jewish artist who survived Auschwitz and was close to our family, so the name has a special place in my heart. In any case, with my Scottish heritage, pasty skin and freckles, I don’t look very exotic, so a name like ‘Conchita’ wouldn’t really have suited me!"
The TV series in episode one is clearly based on Blue Peter! What presenters of that iconic series did you grow up watching?
"I remember getting an autograph from Mark Curry when I entered a competition and seeing Peter Duncan doing his daredevil stunts. I never got a Blue Peter badge though! Also, years later, when Ingrid [Oliver, Laura’s comedy partner] and I were doing our sketch show, our office at the BBC overlooked the Blue Peter garden!"
You’ve appeared in the brilliant Horrible Histories as Queen Boudica. Have you done much other children’s TV?
"I’ve done a couple of other things, and I’ve written for kids’ TV. My other half Marcus [Garvey, brother of Elbow lead singer Guy Garvey] played an ugly yeti on The Basil Brush Show!"
You attract great guest stars for this series. Who should we look out for this time around?
"I was so excited to meet [Cold Feet star] John Thomson, who plays a clown in one episode. On a rainy day, we sat in a car together, and I forced him to do his Jazz Club character from The Fast Show. That was a special moment, sitting in a car, with John Thomson going: ‘Nice!’"
We hear Sister Boniface takes some psychedelic drugs in this series!
"She does! It was bizarre filming that scene. The episode is set in a wellness retreat, and her eggs are spiked with LSD. When she starts hallucinating, DI Gillespie [Max Brown] and WPC Peggy Button [Ami Metcalf] have to look after her!"
And we meet Sister Boniface’s parents too, don’t we?
"Yes, in an episode about a chess tournament, and it was perfect casting having Maggie Steed and Geoff McGivern playing them! They are both academics and atheists and can’t really understand why their daughter became a nun! It helps to explain how she became who she is, and where her thirst for knowledge comes from. It’s a slightly strange family dynamic, but there’s a lot of love and respect there."
What did your parents think when you decided to be an actor?
"They’ve always been hugely supportive, but it’s hard for them to see you when you are struggling — for instance when I was dressed up as a pint of Guinness for a job at Twickenham Rugby Stadium!"
You were at an all-girls school with your future comedy partner Ingrid. Were there any similarities to life in a convent?
"We were very close, and a sense of humor was really important — maybe because the opposite sex weren’t there to make us feel self-conscious. Katharine Parkinson [Doc Martin] was in our class too!"
Sister Boniface rides a Vespa scooter. Have you had any holiday moped mishaps?
"I absolutely have! I was riding a moped in Cyprus with my friend Rachel on the back. The bike went over sideways, and Rachel had the good sense to jump off, but I just carried on riding the bike down the road on my side, while wearing flip-flops! I had gammy legs for the rest of the holiday, and every time I went in the sea I was convinced I would get eaten by sharks. It was absolutely horrendous!"
And finally, who’s your favourite nun, and who’s your favourite detective?
"Ooh, that’s a difficult one! I’ve always had a soft spot for Columbo, as my dad used to watch it when I was little. My favourite nun would have to be the one Sister Boniface is based on. Her name is Sister Agnes Bartel, and she was a naval surgeon and the first female wing commander in the RAF!"
