Father Brown (TV Series) The Fall of the House of St Gardner (2020) User Reviews

A fashionable Mystery.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 10 September 2020]

Barbara Farrell is a Journalist who enjoys the rather lurid side of Society, she writes a toxic article about Bunty, and just as Kembleford hosts a Fashion show, Barbara is killed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode once again, it was original, beautifully shot, and visually very appealing. It's a fun mystery, a slightly more serious tone, we don't have comedy walks or anyone in silken underwear, it's just a good old fashioned whodunnit. Bunty is getting more and more screen time.

The fashions are incredible, the shot of Camille stood in her hat and coat, talk about haute couture.

Amanda Lawrence is an absolute joy to watch in this one, I like her whatever she pops up in, so much fun.

Was that the house used in Pride and Prejudice?

Fun, 8/10.

Bring on Bunty

[girvsjoint · 8/10 · 4 October 2020]

A lot to cram into the 45 minute formula, yes, far fetched for sure, but hey, it's just a fun show folks, don't take it too seriously, just enjoy! Love Emer Kenny as 'Bunty', a good actress and always a treat for the eyes, far as I'm concerned the more screen time she gets, the better! Good old reliable Mark Williams as usual holds the whole thing together, and with Mrs McCarthy and the Inspector how can you go wrong? Do miss Sid though. Hope the series goes on for a few more seasons!

The Bunty show

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 16 July 2022]

A gossip columnist is murdered after threatening to expose the secrets of a fashion house. Of course, the suspects had tried to dissuade her from revealing the 'scandal'. One of the suspects Bunty is romantically involved with, so she's determined to prove he's not the killer. Consequently, she gets more screen time than usual, which I like as she's a lively character and cute. The story is quite good, though a bit formulaic. Nice visuals and costuming.

Guest starring Amanda Lawrence

[safenoe · 7/10 · 8 February 2023]

Commander Larma D'Acy was played by British actress Amanda Lawrence in Star Wars VIII, so really wonderful to see Amanda again, this time in The Fall of the House of St Gardner, which was broadcast just as the whole world shut down.

Anyway, Amanda in The Fall of the House of St Gardner plays a vicious gossip columnist (is there any other?) who is bumped off after threatening to expose the secrets of a fashion house.

I like Father Brown and it's a source of comfort in a world where so much vicious gossip circles social media and so on. Also wonderful to see Bunty as always lighting up the screen.

Far-Fetched

[silvio-mitsubishi · 4/10 · 16 January 2020]

Another unnecessarily complex plot where the set-up outweighs the story itself. Too many incidental characters introduced with insufficient time to work out who is who, and the usual string of surprises and extreme coincidences. No spoilers, but a hugely cliched realisation from Father Brown involving times. While it is true that not many people owned watches or mobile devices with satellite clocks in them, I somehow doubt that a high proportion of murder cases hinged on a breakthrough involving a casual comment about the time.

The setting is evocative, the regular characters warm and well-loved, but the show is running out of ideas and the limited budget allows only so much variety. The very idea that a fashion show that attracts an audience smaller than the team organising it is preposterous. They would get better results touring the private homes of the audience, giving personalised presentations.

Trying to introduce the caharacters, give them history, include a killing, then have the police and priest investigating separately, AND include a romantic meander for Bunty and an opportunity for Mrs McCarthy to show off her shorthand skills in the space of forty-five minutes is an effort too far.

With the dubious ethics of bystanders removing evidence from a crime scene, combined with the bumbling police inspector leaping to conclusions, it is a miracle any criminals are ever caught in Kembleford.

The Fall of the House of St Gardner

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 11 March 2020]

Gossip columnist Barbara Farrell spreads poison about a fashion house and the people involved in it.

When Bunty brings fashion designer Lady Vivien St Gardner-Verde to stage a show in Kembleford, Barbara follows with her vicious tongue.

No surprise that Barbara is found dead and many in the House of St Gardner are seen as suspects. Barbara had some kind of hold on a few of them.

Inspector Mallory got his famous leering done in this as the models parade on the catwalk. However this was not the best of this series. Something did not click here and it came across as routine.