The MAX factor!

Sister Boniface Mysteries favourite MAX BROWN on his journey from Grange Hill to Great Slaughter

- IAN MACEWAN 

Since getting his screen break in Grange Hill over 23 years ago, the versatile Max Brown has appeared in everything from soap opera Crossroads to period romp The Tudors, spy drama Spooks and the first Downton Abbey film.

Now married with three children, the 43-year-old actor is currently enjoying a relatively relaxing TV existence – bar the odd dead body – as country copper DI Sam Gillespie in 1960s-set whodunnit Sister Boniface Mysteries, alongside Lorna Watson as the sleuthing nun.

As the hit Father Brown spin-off returns to Drama for a third series of Cotswolds crime-solving with a James Bond-themed case, TV Times caught up with Max for an exclusive interview to find out how life in the beautiful but dangerous fictional village of Great Slaughter is suiting him…

What do you enjoy most about playing Sam?

He appreciates everyone in the village and his support structure, and he brings a dry irony to this picturesque place that’s full of crazy characters he has to interact with!

Why do you think this drama has struck a chord with viewers?

‘Cosy crime’ is a brilliant genre, as people love to sit down and crack a case, and there’s also the very English countryside the show presents. It’s quirky, but go into any village in the Cotswolds and you’ll meet all these characters! It’s fun and familiar, and people enjoy that.

Are there any more romantic sparks between Sam and reporter Ruth Penny (Miranda Raison) as we rejoin them?