Father Brown (TV Series) The Man in the Shadows (2015) User Reviews

Far fetched but eminently watchable.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 15 June 2017]

Sid witnesses a masked man dumping a body into the local river, the masked figure pursues Sid who just about escapes, the body is identified as Archie, who'd been working on restoration of Lord Masters collection.

A totally watchable episode, which is interesting, albeit wonderfully far fetched and over the top, but very well acted and humorous. It's incredible how much content is put into this episode.

One war has ended, and the threat of another with the Soviets seemed imminent to many. This manages to capture the feeling of paranoia that was felt by many.

The acting is first rate as always, I particularly liked the scenes between Father Brown and Mrs McCarthy. It's a shame to see Inspector Sullivan hidden away from the main action.

A little over the top, but hugely watchable. 7/10.

Cold War

[safenoe · 7/10 · 11 August 2023]

Here the Cold War comes to Kembleford and it's spies and mysteries and all, and it's Father Brown to the rescue to rescue Sid who has been taken in custody by the MI-5 folk who aren't at all happy that Sid stumbled upon them.

I like Father Brown, but I think it's a shame the Polish housekeeper was dumped after season one. Really, that was kind of uncalled for but I guess there were reasons which aren't entirely clear and is more open to conjecture.

There's a comfort to Father Brown and whilst it's not for everyone, the themes of spirituality and forgiveness run through the episodes and thoughtfully.

The Man in the Shadows

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 8/10 · 28 August 2021]

A very interesting episode indeed, bold choice to start the third season. I think it was a very funny episode indeed. Will continue to watch with anticipation the other hijinks Father Brown will no doubt be getting upto next.

Preposterous Tale Competently Performed

[l_rawjalaurence · 6/10 · 21 January 2015]

To be honest, "The Man in the Shadows" is a preposterous tale of spying, espionage and mysterious doings on. A body is found dead in the local river; the local police inspector keeps his distance, but Lady Felicia's chauffeur Sid (Alex Price) discovers some uncomfortable truths about the case and is imprisoned for his pains. Father Brown (Mark Williams) investigates, and comes into conflict with shady spymaster Daniel Whittaker (Daniel Flynn) who seems to have a mysterious hold over Lady Felicia.

That such goings-on should happen in a sleepy English village seems rather hard to believe. Director Paul Gibson manages to recapture the atmosphere of paranoia existing during the Cold War when people's obsession with truth and loyalty led them to suspect anyone, even the most innocuous-looking of people. Nonetheless, the story, and particularly its denouement, seems somewhat far-fetched.

The Man in the Shadows

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 20 April 2017]

In the opener for series 3, Inspector Sullivan is kept in the background. Sid sees a dead body being disposed off, the police tell Sid that the deceased Archie Waterson drowned himself and warned him to back off.

Archie was working as part of a team as an art restorer for randy and eccentric Lord Masters, in fact they occupied a whole section of the building for months. Father Brown and Lady Felicia realise immediately that they are the security services. The spies arrest Sid for snooping around as he catches them in their operation room.

The head of the operation for MI5 is Daniel Whittaker whom Lady Felicia knew in the war. Father Brown investigates the murky goings on with the spies and gathers that these people are experts at lying. It makes the truth even more difficult to be unearthed.

The story delves into cold war paranoia but also has a message for today's war on terror. It all seems rather far fetched but the story is given intrigue with cagey spies and betrayal in the Kembleford countryside.